Last year I was in Aguascalientes and the big celebration was Day of the Dead, not Halloween. The temperature has plummeted here in East Wenatchee although there is no snow. Some of the churches are having Trunk or Treat in their parking lots. The malls and the main streets downtown are inviting kids to come out when it’s still daylight.

I have different memories of Halloween. I remember wolfing down dinner so that I could hit the streets early with my friends. We knew who made the best homemade popcorn balls and candy apples on the block. Because it was usually so cold (occasionally snowy too), neighbors would invite us in to warm up and have some cocoa. One of my favorite costumes I wore as a kid was a clown costume.

Decades later I had my own kids. We’d decorate the house and bake Halloween cookies and a Halloween cake. My food colorings got quite a workout, especially the orange and purple. My kids had a variety of costumes throughout the years and our dog even had costumes.

When I lived in Mazatlan, Halloween had filtered down from the USA. But primarily the big celebration was Day of the Dead. I recall a parade where cans of beer were tossed out to the crowd. Yes, it was one of the livelier events, although we did dress up in costumes for a party at Casa del Cameron as well.

In Guadalajara we went to a haunted tour of a cemetery. But I preferred to stroll through cemeteries in the daylight. I viewed colorful altars and listened to festive music. Yes, people partied in the cemeteries as they awaited the visits from the spirits.

Tlaquepaque is probably my favorite place to be on Day of the Dead. There are streets lined with altars and live catrinas walking around. I recall building altars at the school where I was teaching.

Last year in Aguascalientes I went to the parade. It was a warm night and I delighted watching the amazingly decorated floats in Centro. The parade lasted almost three hours and was followed by fireworks.

This year I won’t be going to a parade. I will miss seeing the catrinas and the altars. But I still enjoy Halloween, especially the chocolate!