Halloween was one of my favorite holidays growing up. I always loved watching Halloween specials, going to trick or treating, and dressing up in costume. Granted, my mom never let me go trick or treating that much as a kid, mainly because she was worried about my safety. But I did you get to go to me events, mainly at school. Between my elementary school years in high school years, I got to dress up as various different characters and creatures. Some of my costumes were store-bought, while others were homemade. But regardless of what kind of costume it was, I had a blast dressing up. And like with almost every moment in my life, my parents were there to document it on camera. So today, I have five such photos of myself in costume as either a kid or teen. So let's get things started.

Me as Winnie the Pooh, with my brother as Dracula, at 8 years old (Halloween 1998)

 Starting things off, here's a photo of me and my twin brother, Andrew, dressed up as Winnie the Pooh and Dracula, respectively, when we were both 8 years old.  This was back when he and I attended the same school together. As you can tell, I'm currently eating a lollipop in this photo, while my brother has his cape spread out, trying to act scary. Both my costume and my brother's were store bought. I'm not sure if you guys notice, but my brother also has some makeup on to make it look like he has facial hair. I unfortunately no longer have my Winnie the Pooh costume. In fact, I don't remember what happened to it. I think I either threw it away or give it away. Regardless, looking back on it, this was one of my favorite

Me as a Scarecrow at 10 years old (Halloween 2000)

 Flash Forward 2 years, and here I am as a scarecrow. Unlike my Winnie the Pooh costume, which was store-bought, this costume was handmade, using a pair of overalls, a long sleeve button up shirt, a straw hat and a mop head for the hair. I kind of forgot I wore this costume until I found the photo for it. If you guys haven't noticed, I'm wearing glasses in this photo, because this was like a year after I started wearing them. This was my last Halloween before graduating to Middle School, so this was a bit bittersweet for me, especially given that the middle school that I originally went to was absolute hell. But that's a story for another article.

Me as a doctor at 12 years old (Halloween 2002)

 Fast forward another 2 years, and here I am dressed as a doctor at 12 years old like my Winnie the Pooh costume 4 years before, this costume was store bought. I don't remember much from this year, but judging by the frown on my face, I probably didn't have a good time. I'm not sure if you guys can tell, but it was around this time that I was packing on the pounds. In fact, that's kind of the main reason why I was wearing this in the first place, because at the time, it was the only costume that we can find that could fit me. That's one of the things I hate about getting bigger. It gets harder and harder finding something that fits you, be it regular clothing or Halloween costumes. Let's move on.

Me as Zorro at 14 years old (Halloween 2004)

 Flash Forward yet another 2 years, and here I am as the famous swashbuckling, Hispanic hero, Zorro, which, just like my doctor costume and my Winnie the Pooh costume, was store bought. This was my first Halloween as a high schooler, so I had to have a big kid costume. So naturally, I went as one of the most iconic heroes of all time. Granted, I was never really into Zorro at the time, but I didn't really have much of a choice. Just like with the doctor costume two years prior, the Zorro costume was the only thing I could get that could fit me. This was one of the costumes that I mostly had to throw away, except for the Hat, which I kept until I sold it. Looking back on it, I kind of wish I didn't. Oh, well.

Me as Mario at 15 years old (Halloween 2005)

 Last, but certainly not least, and flashing forward only one year this time, here I am just as Mario, who I'm still a big fan of to this day. Just like with my scarecrow costume back when I was 10, this costume was handmade, which means I did have some gloves, but I wasn't wearing them in the picture. As you can probably tell, this is when I started growing some facial hair, leaving behind the Babyface charm of my youth. This was also around the time my mom started seeing Halloween as "the devil's holiday," and started taking me to Church events on Halloween. Don't get me wrong, it was still fun, but I miss going trick or treating back then. In fact, I miss going trick or treating right now. But them is the brakes.

I know you have it! Five Halloween childhood photos of yours truly! Hopefully I can find more Halloween photos of me as a kid, so maybe I'll be able to do this kind of article again next year. Until then, have a safe and Happy Halloween!