Today is October 31st, I just got back in Quebec and it’s Halloween! Thank God for Vanessa Duchel who wrote a very cool article on everything nice you can do on Halloween or I wouldn’t have known what to do. Although, at this very moment, I’ve just realized I don’t have a costume. HELP?

Seems to me that it was so much simpler when we were younger. As soon as leaves turned a yellowish orange, I was already dreaming about Halloween. At home, we didn’t celebrate every holiday, but we celebrated Halloween and Christmas every year. The magic started with weekends spent raking leaves in our backyard to fill up monster faced trash bags. All of this to my parents’ delight who didn’t have to pick up all the leaves, my brother and I were way too excited to decorate for Halloween! Fortunately, because I had a brother and not a sister, I always got a new costume. I’d choose it according to my mood, without having to wonder if it was cool enough or original enough. I’d dress up into whatever I preferred out of the 5 options available at the corner store and that would make me so happy. I’d desperately wait for the moment when I would wander in the streets of my neighbourhood in Rosemont/Anjou in eastern Montreal and when I would knock on doors to collect as much candy as I could (and most importantly, if possible, more than my big brother). It seems to me that, when I was younger, EVERY house was decorated, and EVERY house scared me. I was lucky to have my brother there to hold my hand (OK, he never wanted to hold my hand but, at least, he was standing by my side). Seriously, the streets were packed with friendly ghosts, skeletons, witches, princesses, monsters, etc. There were so many of us in the streets that cars could hardly pass through.

After our nocturnal walk, we would sort our candies and have a serious look at them. Then, I’d make my assortment boxes (did I tell you I was OCD?). My chips box, chocolate box, gummies and lollipops box, chewing-gum box and, finally, the box I made for my grandma with old caramels and the tootsie rolls nobody ever wants. Although Granny was always ecstatic when we would give her our not good candies! At last, the open trade began between my brother and me. I couldn’t care less about powdery candy like double lollies or sour candy like sour patch and don’t you give me liquorice, I hate it. However, Popeye cigarettes, Pop Rocks (that powder that would sparkle in your mouth), Ring Pops and Nerds, I’d pay a lot to get them! 10 candies for 1 box of Popeye and we have a winner!

I miss those days. It was simple and fun!

On that note, I still don’t know what I’m gonna wear tonight, but if you see me and you’ve got Popeye cigarettes, I’m ready for some open trade whenever you want, girl!

Happy Halloween xox

Marina