It was never the candy that made me excited about Halloween. It was the costumes that made it fun.

Playing dress-up was something I liked doing as a child, and Halloween was just one more reason to slather on red lipstick. The thought of going as a goblin or ghoul was totally out of the question. I always erred on the side of the feminine and exotic.

One year, I created a geisha girl costume, headdress and all. I was so proud of my design. Thinking back, I must have looked a sight wearing a coat hanger on my head that had a bracelet hanging from it.

Don’t laugh, it was the best I could come up with to recreate an elaborate hair ornament.

Ah yes, those were the good old days, when children came up with a costume by scouring their home for sheets and hats and old shoes, or when mothers would stitch up a cute little outfit.

As a young mom, it was all the rage with my friends to create and design hand-made costumes for our kids.

One year, my friend Corin Morrison spent no telling how many hours making a Mickey and Minnie Mouse costume for her son and daughter. She did an amazing job and the kids looked adorable.

I guess mothers now could just order them off Amazon.

Back in the day, my friends and I would also host neighborhood Halloween parties. It was geared towards the children, but we adults had a good time, too.

One year, a parent rigged up a four-wheeler and trailer with hay that was used to carry the little ones from house to house.

And for any parent who has ever taken their young child trick-or-treating, you know the challenge of keeping them from digging out the piece of candy that was dropped in their bag.

How many times did we have to say, “Come on. Let’s go to the next house. You can eat it when you get home.”

As a child and as a mother, Halloween was always a magical time, and it still is. While I don’t go door to door anymore, I do love decorating my house with witches and pumpkins and handing out treats when the doorbell rings.

The best part, of course, is seeing all the costumes.

Maybe I should wear some red lipstick this year.