Flashback Friday

I'm joining Linda @ Mocha with Linda for Flashback Friday today!

What  was Halloween like when you were growing up? Did your family participate? If not, was there a substitute activity? Did your school or church have a fall festival or carnival? Were there stipulations regarding costumes? What sorts of activities did they have? What about Halloween parties? Have you ever bobbed for apples or been on a hayride? What are your memories of "haunted houses"? (I'm not referring to the ultra-scary, secular ones, just the fun kid ones, with bowls of grapes and cold spaghetti!) If you went trick-or-treating, what were the rules, both for trick-or-treating and for candy consumption? What types of costumes did you wear? Were they store-bought or homemade? Did you carve a jack-o-lantern? How are your children's experiences similar or different to yours? And the most important question: Do you like candy corn? What is your favorite (and least favorite!) Halloween candy?

 Halloween was a much anticipated event in our home growing up.  We would spend weeks deciding what costume we would wear and then making it!  I think in my younger years, my mom bought all my costumes but as I got older, I made my own.  My favorite memory of Halloween was trick or treating with my big brother.  We used a pillow case as a bag and usually came home with it filled to the brim!!  Sometimes my brother had to carry my bag for me!!!  lots of candy!

As soon as we got home, my brother and I would sit on the floor and separate out our candy.....and then the trading deals would begin!!!  

Once all the deals were done, the candy was placed in bags with your name on them.....the chocolate bags went into the freezer to keep longer.  We ate candy for a LONG time and I suspect that mom snagged a few pieces when we weren't looking!!!

 

With my kids, I made all their costumes and we would trick or treat just around our immediate neighborhood.  By the time I had my own kids, I had decided that eating that much candy (until Christmas) was not a great idea.  So my kids were allowed to eat on their candy for 3 days and then the Candy Fairy would come overnight, take the candy to give to someone who needed it (does anyone "need" candy?), and leave a small prize in it's place.  Worked great for us!!!  

Once we moved to Indiana, we started a new tradition we still do today.  We put our fire pit in the driveway and offer the kids a choice.....candy or a s'more.  It was always fun to sit out by the fire and visit with everyone as they came by and stopped to get warm!!  Now that we are in the south...it is sometimes too hot for the fire, but we still do it!!!  It is one of the best ways we have found to get to know new neighbors!!  This year it will be iffy.  There has been a strict burn ban in place for a while.  It has been rainy a bit this week, so I am hopeful the ban will be lifted so we can continue our tradition!!

By the way, I really dislike candy corn!!!