It will soon be Halloween and the gouls and goblins will be out trick or treating. Do any of you do anything different or special for this holiday? I make my popcorn cake but roll it into individual balls wrapped in orange cellophane with dark brown ribbon. I take them to the Nursing home and to the home for battered women and children. The kids and the seniors faces light up , its magical...

chatty, our tradition will change this year because all the kids are gone. Last year my daughter had some friends here for dinner, then they went trick or treating (at age 18). Some of the kid's parents stayed along with my dad and sister. I think we had as much fun as the kids.

This year the tradition will have to change. I think we'll have to invite some couples over or else I'll miss the comotion too much.

I've made your popcorn cake before and it was a hit. Very gooey, but crunchy and delicious too.

Well, we were going to do something different, but we've changed our minds. I won tickets to the Halloween Ball at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, MA. Typically, I don't go into or drive through Salem the whole month of October. Because Salem is famous for witches, etc, with the Witch Museum and the Witch House and all, it is unbelievable at Halloween. Every night in October, there is something going on and the traffic is horrendous. Parking is impossible and the closer it gets to Halloween, the worse it gets.

The Halloween Ball is an elaborate affair. The tickets are hard to come by. They go for $80 each. Since we got married at the Hawthorne, go there for dinner a lot and I am having my daughter's baby showere there and I love dressing up and have always wanted to go to this thing, I thought I'd get a room and spend the haunted night. (There would be absolutely nowhere to park.)

There are no rooms left. They sell out a year in advance for this shindig! Who knew? So I decided it's not worth renting a costume (or going through the trouble of making one)and not knowing how we would get there and home. I work with a doctor who is going with another couple. He thinks I should go with them as "road warriors." I was thinking more along the lines of being Scarlett O'Hara. Didn't think I could fit in a cab in my green velvet gown with the curtain rod attached to it though. So, I've decided to sell the tickets to him. He knows people who want to go and can't get tickets. I'll just stay home and eat candy corn.

Louisa

I love decorating outside my house and inside! I don't know why, but I love halloween...always did. No kids here but I am looking forward to seeing what my little 4 month old granddaughter will be!! I love opening the door for all the kids in the neighborhood. They are precious. What I don't like are the teenagers that don't get dressed up and just go door to door for candy in their everyday clothes. And most of all, I can't stand when they don't say "thank you"!

We have a party, usually pizza at my office every year. Some get dressed up in costumes and others wear just a silly hat. It has always been fun and we tend to use any reason in my office to have a party!

It is strange, because I think of myself as a bit theatrical, but I hate this holiday. Maybe it is all of the years of teaching, and kids getting hyper from all of the candy.

I simply spend the evening handing out candy and hoping it all is gone at the end of the night so that I do not gain the weight or get to hyper myself.

I miss Halloween, the bwa-har-har and jack-o-lanterns! It's not the done thing here and I miss terrorising little children on the only legit day that I can. On the last Halloween we celebrated in NYC, my neighbour got all health conscious, she gave out toothbrushes instead. That really bummed out the kids. What a cracker!

Lola...that is hilarious~toothbrushes~did she get her door egged?

Hi, Leslie: No egging was allowed in the building but wet paper balls did the business. I also remember someone had stuffed gum in the keyhole.

Pam, your office sounds like fun, but don't you all gain weight?

Louisa, act now. Get your tickets for next year and spend the night. That sounds wonderful. You've mentioned before that you like to get dressed up so I think you should go for it.

Anne, do we have to wait to see what the surprise is?

Anno, there a trick to figuring out exactly how much candy to buy so you don't have any left over...and I don't know the trick.

Lola, toothbrushes? I'm surprised she didn't have a few of them stuck in her flower pots or something.

auntiebear, I recall the eighth grade boys egging Sr. Anina's classroom windows. Can you say detention? I don't know how the nuns got to the bottom of those ordeals, but they always did.