When I was a kid in Lancashire in the 50s, there was no trick or treating - but there was a custom known locally as "mischief night", when gangs of kids would roam the streets doing modestly naughty things like taking a gate of its hinges...

When I lived in Glasgow in the immediate post-war years, hallowe'een was also a time of high jinks for all the family. Christmas was comparatively low-key compared with Hogmanay. My father often worked at the paper mill on Christmas Day but was always on holiday at New Year.