A vampire and devil relive the joys of trick or treating in 1989 – Toronto Star

Ben Yanchyshyn loves Halloween as much today as he did as a child back in 1989, when he and his brother Matt were photographed by the Stars Andrew Stawicki on October 31. But then and now, costume decisions can be a last-minute scramble.

I always found it quite difficult to choose, says Ben, who was glad to have this store-bought devil costume handy when all else failed. It was one of the only true costumes that I remember wearing as a kid. More often, Halloween meant putting random articles of clothing together and calling it a costume.

After Ben outgrew the devil outfit, there were a couple of years when his hockey games fell on Halloween night, which meant he had a quick and creative costume at the ready. I would take about half of my equipment off as soon as the game was done, he says, and then trick or treat as a hockey player.

Today, Ben is a teacher in a Toronto school where staff and students alike dress up for the holiday. Whats funny is that as a teacher, I still have the same difficulties choosing a costume, he says, and I still usually cobble together things from home at the last minute.

Both Ben and Matt have two children each, all of whom love Halloween. Even though, Matt says, the older ones are pushing the upper age limit for trick or treating. Now living in New York, he sympathizes with the older kids wish to keep the fun going. The street Ben and I grew up on was incredible for trick or treating, he says. We would drop a full, heavy bag (of candy) off at home and then head out again.

Last year, when pandemic restrictions impacted trick or treating, Ben and his family tried something different. We made individualized bags of candy and left them on a blanket out front of our house, he says, then showed a movie in our driveway using a projector and pull-down screen.

He hopes this becomes a new tradition. It was nice way to celebrate Halloween together, he says, to still be outside at night, but with a sense of a community rather than the night just being about getting maximum candy.

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A vampire and devil relive the joys of trick or treating in 1989 - Toronto Star