Memories of Halloween from yesteryear

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: October 30, 2024

I don’t have many vivid memories of trick or treating in those days, I do remember pillowcases full of candy, so my parents obviously figured something out. | Getty Images

Growing up on a farm meant we didn’t have the same access to the dense rows of neighbourhood candy distribution outlets (houses) as did my city friends at Halloween.

But while I don’t have many vivid memories of trick or treating in those days, I do remember pillowcases full of candy, so my parents obviously figured something out.

The one thing I do remember were those hard plastic masks my mom bought us that cut into my face and fogged up my glasses.

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When I got a bit older and tried to make my costumes more elaborate, nothing was more annoying than having to cover them up with winter coats as the temperature plunged into the cellar, just in time for Halloween.

That doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem anymore as pleasant weather continues to last longer into the fall.

Then there were the early adult years when trick or treating was replaced by Halloween parties. One year in my 20s, I bought a clown suit and a red rubber nose. The suit is still in a box somewhere, but if I tried to put it on now, I’m sure it would tear apart at the seams.

Next came trick or treating again, this time with my daughters.

The catchment area grew as they got older, and I can remember pillowcases so full that we were weighing them on the bathroom scale.

One year was particularly memorable. I learned that several of the neighbourhood kids, with their dads in tow, were going to hit the streets together.

This sounded like a great idea because my daughters could travel in a pack and I could socialize with the fathers as we traversed the dark streets together.

However, my oldest daughter was having none of that. She absolutely insisted that it was just going to be the three of us. At one point, as our little trio came enticingly close to the bigger group, I subtly attempted to merge the two entities, but the ensuing uproar soon put an end to that initiative.

Now trick or treating is behind us again, and we’re back to stuffing candy into bulging pillow cases held by other people’s kids.

I guess that’s one way to describe the circle of life.

About the author

Bruce Dyck

Saskatoon newsroom

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