How much candy can you fit into a crisp ghostly white percale environmentally friendly pillowcase and how many houses with steep steps do you have to run up to and shout out “trick or treat” to fill it?
At our house, Bob was the revered king of Halloween, never stuffing one, but close to almost two pillowcases full of candy year after year. Really no one else even needed to bother putting on a costume and venturing out on a chilly Halloween night as Bob brought home enough candy to keep the entire neighborhood in candy until the following Halloween. Not the case though, the challenge was on with everyone trying to top Bob’s record. This competition continued year after year and always with the same results, the Candy King was Bob. Looking back, Bob was the only one big and strong enough to carry home a nine pound bag filled with the spoils of Trick or Treating.
Then, the worst thing happened every year the day after Halloween. The mountains of candy would always disappear. Our cruel father would take the candy and donate it to the orphanage downtown.
Over the years we all came to forgive Dad from robbing us of weeks of sugar highs and sparing us from future trips to the dentist with rotting teeth. Dad was on to something, and today there are others sharing his belief that there is a limit to after Halloween candy dilemma.
Phillip Done, author of “Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood,” suggests having the Candy Fairy visit your kids. Have your kids write a letter to her and leave most of their candy out before they go to bed at night. She’ll take the candy (for children who couldn’t go trick-or-treating) and leave your kids a gift. For parents, that could be a fair and fun trade. There is also the The Halloween Candy Buy-Back Program!
Quite possibly some of us may have found special spots to stash a few favorite goodies. Don’t tell Dad, Please…
What were your favorite Halloween candies as a kid? Do you remember any of these oldies but goodies?
