Being a mom, I have tons of memories of Halloween.  I was looking back through years of photos and the good memories that those photos brought back are amazing.  Unfortunately, some of the cutest Halloweens were ones that I don’t have pictures of but I still have the memories.

When my family was younger, Halloween was always a production.  I have vivid memories of the year Ben was born on October 26th.  I was putting the final touches on Halloween costumes during my three day stay in the hospital.  My oldest, who would have been almost 10 that year, was going to be a tiger for Halloween and I was making the costume.

Then, there was the Halloween a few years prior to that when the twins were in first grade, 1993.  There was so much snow on the ground that Elise – or Belle from Beauty and the Beast – had to wear winter boots and her winter coat.

Halloween was almost always the same the ten years we lived in Binghamton.  We would trick or treat in the general neighborhood, occasionally going to friends’ homes that would require a short car ride.  We would, regardless of the weather, leave the door open once we were home.  The first fire of the season was commonly Halloween night so that the house stayed warm.

As the kids got older and we moved out of Binghamton, the kids would sing in the church children’s choir.  This would mean we would dress in costume and head to vigil mass for All Saint’s Day on Halloween evening.  Then, we would go to a friend’s party.  That was great since I truly live out of town and, in the 12 years I have been here, I think I may have seen three kids and two of those live nearby.  I would always leave candy out for kids who may come and find the bowl untouched upon returning home.

I have found some Halloween pictures to share.  These are not always costume pictures but often pictures of family or class trips to the pumpkin farm – a tradition I truly miss.