At long last, there are hints of autumn in the air here in New England. The leaves on the trees are beginning to take on their autumn hues. There have been a few chilly evenings recently, with temperatures coming dangerously close to the freezing point. The approach of Halloween has brought to the forefront of my mind recollections of prior festivities that have been floating about in the background. When we were little, my sister, brother, and I would go through our parent’s wardrobes and rack our brains to decide what we would be for Halloween. I’ve never been able to figure out how to avoid being a vagrant. Not only was it not in my capabilities to make things like princess gowns, but it also wasn’t in the money to acquire items like such garments in the first place. The recollections of one’s time spent in college are distinct from those of earlier years. When we went trick or treating with mugs to different fraternities, we were almost always met with some type of difficulty. In this fictional American town, the local volunteer fire department celebrates Halloween by throwing a party for the children of its members. Since my husband volunteered there, our family made it a point to go every year. One year, my wife and I went shopping together and came home with an outrageous blow-up headpiece that our eldest kid wore. She was a cheerful youngster who stood out from the other participants but did not win any prizes. The next year, kid number two wore the outfit since it had been passed on to them. He was awarded the first prize for it. kid number one was incensed. When we were first married and young adults, we went to a different sort of party. The plan was to travel somewhere and conceal one’s identity while doing so. One year, we were able to achieve that goal by dressing up for Halloween; my husband donned army fatigues, and I went as a mummy, shrouded in layers of ripped sheets and gauze. The most enjoyable aspect of the get-together was seeing their almost-adult son’s reaction when he realized that he did not know who was hiding behind all of that makeup. Successful completion of the mission. Despite the fact that I am not very creative in crafts, I make an effort to make the house seem inviting to the youngsters who live in the neighborhood on the night of trick or treat. It has not been detrimental to that in any way to have a reputation for giving out full-sized candy bars. And depending on how much time I have and how much money I have, I try to just decorate for one evening. In the past, selecting patterns for carving pumpkins would take me days, and I would always make an effort to carve three entirely unique designs into each pumpkin. In addition to this, I buy white lunch bags and sew a black cutout of a witch, a hissing cat, or a bat onto the front of each bag. I fill it with sand to make it heavier, and then I put a tea light that is powered by a battery inside of it. These are what I use to line the path that leads to the front entrance. The youngsters are met at the entrance by a ghastly witch that chuckles when triggered by motion detectors. She glides within a few feet of the entrance and has shocked more than one adult who was with the children. Exciting thing!! Recently, a gathering of homosexual divorcees and widows has taken place at my home. We take turns answering the door and handing out snacks as we enjoy our supper together. We make an effort to play cards in between rings of the doorbell, but it’s difficult. Although this does not always make it possible for us to determine whose turn it is, we nevertheless manage to have a wonderful time, eat chocolate, and prepare tasty meals. In addition, October is the month in which I start preparing Christmas treats. I bake fruitcakes by the dozen so that I may give them to my loved ones and close friends as presents. Thankfully, it’s a solid formula to follow. When my mother moved to the United States from England, she took this item over on the boat with her. It takes two days to complete, and since I prepare so many of them, you can never predict when the kitchen will be filled with the perfume of them cooking. One day spent going door to door handing out candy as a kid is one of my fondest memories of Halloween. I was handing out candy while pulling fruitcakes out of the oven at the same time. I overheard one of the young guys remark to the other “boy. ” as they were leaving the building. That home had a really pleasant aroma.