Let me tell you something. I used to be a Halloween grinch. The biggest, corniest Halloween grinch ever. Halloween decorations in front of the house? I couldn’t be bothered. Candies to give the kids? “What for?” I thought to myself as I made plans to go away for the usually long weekend. Nobody would be home to give them out.

It was not as if I didn’t experience Halloween as a child. On the contrary, I have wonderful memories of Halloween! I remember celebrating it year after year in the village. There was always a “costume parade” in order to allow the judges to see who deserved to win the different categories, such as “Earliest,” “Most Original,” “Youngest” and, of course, “Scariest.”

After all the games had been played and prizes handed out, the kids would stream out of the clubhouse, where an Ati-Atihan awaited to lead the “trick or treat” route parade. All the homes on the route would try to outdo one another with their Halloween decorations and giveaways.

While most homes gave away candies, you could always count on a couple to give away dirty ice cream and taho instead of the usual. You gotta love the ’80s and its unapologetic predilection for excess!

The next day, my mom would haul us all off to La Union to visit my grandfather’s tomb together with the whole family. We would spend the entire day in the mausoleum, praying countless rosaries while making balls of wax from the droppings of the numerous candles all around.

At night, my cousins and I would scare each other silly with horror stories about the supposedly haunted house on the corner and other made-up tales of terror and fear.

Bunny rabbit costume

And then, the years passed and Halloween became just another extra holiday. Sometimes I would dress up with my friends, but without any real effort. In fact, I thought I had outgrown Halloween for good until one day, I found myself purchasing a pink bunny rabbit costume for a baby who, at that point in time, was still snug as a bug in my tummy.

I guess when it comes to finding ways to make kids’ childhoods as memorable and enjoyable as possible, many moms will always do whatever it takes, regardless of how they used to feel about it or the effort it entails. And so, aside from the many other events and happenings that childhoods are made of, moms have spent decades trying to make Halloween as much fun as they can for the sake of their kids.

For my part, initially, it really was just all about making sure they had a photo or two for their baby albums and for them to experience it, just like we did in our childhoods. Or so I thought. Nowadays, I can’t help but wonder who is actually enjoying more—me or the kids!

As a mom, seeing my kids enjoy themselves—laughing in their costumes while happily running from house to house for candies—is more than enough to make me want to keep this up for as long as they want me to.

I can’t help but laugh every time I see my daughter getting dressed in whatever costume we have decided on, whether she is a ladybug, princess, flamenco dancer, or a pirate—and judging from the number of kids dressed up in malls and villages, I’m willing to bet I’m not the only parent who gets a kick out of dressing up their kids for Halloween.

And as for the kids, I had forgotten how amazing children’s imaginations can be. But just one afternoon at a children’s Halloween party is more than enough to remind anyone of this!

Imagine, with just one zip of their costumes, young boys are immediately transformed and run around with their hands up, growling and roaring like the monsters and aliens they are dressed as.

Meanwhile, there are more than enough adorable little girls dressed to the nines as ballerinas, princesses and witches, all hopping and skipping around while holding tight to their tiaras and hats.

Then come the pirate girls waving their little swords and threatening to have the cowboys and car racers walk the plank! Shiver me timbers! Blackbeard would be proud!

Trick-or-treating nonstop

And so it was that last week, during this year’s Halloween, we found ourselves trick or treating nonstop everywhere we could go!

While going around the streets, from one village to another, I had time to observe everything around me. I wonder if the decorations of the past were really as incredible as I remember them, or if perhaps they just appeared that way to the young child that I was?

Whatever it was, there were more than enough homes with both homemade and store-bought decorations consisting of orange-and-black pumpkins, cobwebs and ghouls on their front yards to keep the kids shrieking with delight.

And then the star of the show—the candies! It doesn’t matter what kind of candies they get. All that matters to these little guys is that they are able to fill up their baskets with as much goodies as possible.

And while their happy faces truly do light up our home at the end of the trick-or-treating day, it is, unfortunately, also my job to make sure my kids don’t eat every candy in their basket until their teeth fall off from all that sugar.

Fortunately, I get to be in charge of hiding it as well—in my drawer, for momma’s easy-access munching. But the kids don’t have to know that.

Of course, all fun things must come to an end. Before we knew it, Halloween rolled into All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. The costumes were tucked away in the closet and the flowers and prayers brought out. But not without a wink and a giggle, as we look forward to next year’s costumes and candies once again!