In honour of Canadian Living magazine's 30th anniversary, we're stepping back in time and showing you some of the goodies in our archives. You may find that some of these features show how far we've come and some of them remind you that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The editors at CanadianLiving.com hope you enjoy these blasts from the past as we look forward to celebrating another 30 years -- and more -- of smart solutions for everyday living.

A timeless holiday tradition
Building a gingerbread house was a great way to get into the holiday spirit in 1978, and it still is today. Though designs and methods may have changed over the years the fundamentals remain the same. This is a wonderful activity to bring your family together for and it's a tasty treat to enjoy later. Compare our gingerbread house from 1978 to one of our more recent gingerbread treats.

Halloween flashback
Check out these boo-tiful costumes from 1985. It seems Halloween hasn't changed all that much over the years. You could even make one of these outfits for your little one to wear this year!

For more spooky Halloween crafts, visit our digital crafts channel (now that is something that's changed).

Memory lane
• Gotta love those bell bottoms and bold retro patterns!

Click here to check out our very first back-to-school fashion spread from September 1976.

When you're ready to come back to 2005, click here for CanadianLiving.com's latest trend report on back-to-school fashion.