Let’s just cut to the chase shall we? Are October and Halloween really about ghosts and goblins, witches and vampires? Is that really the payoff these days? Or is it candy…bags and bags of the sweet stuff…chocolate bars and gummy things, peppermint patties and (sadly) sugar-free gum!
Back in my day (so you know, slightly after dinosaurs and long before xboxes or iPhones) one of the very best parts of trick or treating was the swap. After my friends and I returned, we’d upend our pillowcases or plastic pumpkins or whatever bags we had onto the floor. The first step was the critical sort. You had to sort through all of your candy, ostensibly looking for razor blades or opened and therefore definitely poisonous packages, but really, to create the all-important hierarchy of the Halloween haul. You had to pile up your precious peanut-butter cups away from prying eyes and snatchy fingers. You had to create a reject pile of the zero-value raisins and apples and worse yet, Mary Janes (unless you knew some freak that liked Mary Janes…if you did, that would be awesome. Maybe you should check before you go out). Then you had to deal. What could you get for a pile of jolly ranchers which you were indifferent to but your friend adored? Whose mother would let them eat pixie sticks and therefore would fork over a Hershey bar for your multicolored straw stash? Whose dopey little brother could you con into taking your Necco wafers or Tootsie rolls? It was a time honored tradition and I’m sad that it seems to be falling out of favor.
Of course, now that I’m a grown-up there is no Halloween candy in my world. But there are plenty of books which are ready to talk about the sweet stuff. Worst case scenario? I’ve gotten your little cherub all riled up about the upcoming candy situation. Best case scenario? Someone will have a virtual stomachache by the time the holiday rolls around.
