When I was young, Hallowe'en meant another year of sugar-influenced behavioral misconduct. Constant giggling and howling with laughter at every single moment of serious calm or adult conversation was the rule of our child-dominated, candy-infused household.

An exciting week of preperatory costume-making preceeded Hallowe'en. We cut menacing eye-holes in old white sheets; made hats, brooms, masks; and carved pumkins. Every day and night for the entire week, we practiced vocalizing the haunting, eery and spooky sounds of gouls and ghosts, witches and goblins.

Then, forward we marched on every Hallowe'en night, with disguises upon our heads and pillow-cases in our hands. We were, after all, hoping to clean out the neighborhood of all sugary treats that made us giggle and laugh, roll around and stand on our heads. The sugar went straight to our little brains, keeping us hyper-active, mischeivious and skinny.

It was a lucky thing, when finally as teenagers, we stopped trick or treating and started eating more sensibly. The belly-aching laughter and constant tumbling around on the floor and furniture stopped. But then, it might have anyway. 

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