Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays. As a child I loved going door to door with my friends and collecting treats. Those were the days when neighbors made homemade popcorn balls and all the apples you collected were passed on to mom for baking.

Flash ahead a couple of decades to when I had kids. Safety concerns dictated that an adult accompany them and that all candy was carefully inspected by a parent before consuming.

Costumes have become more outlandish these days, focusing more on the dark side. Gone are the clowns and cowboys.

I used to love decorating the windows of the house and hanging spooky mobiles my kids had made.

Decorating cookies and making a “spooktacular” cake was also a favorite pastime.

But I am in Mexico now where the northern influence has not yet made Halloween the popular event it is in Canada or the USA. Instead Day of the Dead is the big event here.

I ate at Cafe Angel yesterday and the traditional marigolds adorned the entrance.

Katrinas were visible in some storefronts.

And I found this display in a mall near my house.

If you are celebrating, have a safe and happy Halloween.