Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Candy! Candy! Candy!


The Halloween tradition of going door-to-door begging for candy dates back to the middle ages. It resembles the medieval practice of "souling", where poor people would go door-to-door receiving food in return for their prayers for the dead on All Saints Day (November 1).

As a trick-or-treating kid, my bag was always full of delicious treats. In addition to the Tootsie Rolls, Milky Ways and candy corn, there were those moms in the neighborhood that would make marshmallow treats, popcorn balls and caramel apples and would place them neatly wrapped in my bag. I hurried from house-to-house in anticipation of returning home to sample all that was holy.....candy!

My parents were cautious, they would inspect my bag of goodies and take out those things that looked suspicious - like the Almond Joys and the Hershey bars. Come on, this was the 60's. This was a time when the practice of tainting candy really wasn't an issue. However, I continued this practice with my own children just to get my hands on the candy!

After the inspection of my bag, I would head to my room and start hiding my candy like a squirrel hides his nuts. I'd put a little here and put a little there hoping to make it last until Christmas. I had a stash that was never too far from my reach, even after the lights went out. Oh, how I love candy!

The day would finally come when my many stashes were depleted. I must have candy! I'd go to my sisters, who had also squirreled their candy away, seeking my sugar fix. Sadly, they had depleted their reserves as well. I'd even check with the other kids in the neighborhood. The dark circles under my eyes, the incoherent chatter and my stumbling swagger were clear signs that I was nothing more than a junkie out roaming the neighborhood looking to satisfy my jones for candy.

Yes, there have been those years when I've had to go back to the store the afternoon of Halloween to replace the candy I had bought a week or so in advance. By this time, I didn't care what I gave the trick-or-treaters. I would buy the gigantic variety bag of candy that wasn't quite as appealing as the Hershey Miniatures and the Milky Ways I had bought the week before. Oh boy, the looks these masked kids would give me as I dropped a few Dum-Dums or those black and orange taffy things in their bags were daunting. I felt the shame.

Halloween, to me, was and still is.....all about the candy. So, if you see an adult dressed like Thomas the Train at your door this year, think about me. Be sympathetic. There are many of us out their that relive this shame every year. Be generous. We may not soap your windows or TP your lawn, but your credit report could definitely be in jeopardy.

24 comments:

  1. I could go for some Rice Krispy treats with orange sprinkles right about now! And I think the Almond Joys ARE looking a bit suspicious. I'll be happy to take them off your hands!

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  2. I take the candy out of my kids bags when they go to sleep every night. Then when they ask...hey, what happened to that snicker's bar...I say, the candy fairy came and ate it!

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  3. That's cute MeMe! I like to raid the kid's candy too, but as they get older, it's harder to do.

    Their minds are like a little calculator, "I had five snickers yesterday and now I only have one...MOM!"

    Gah!

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  4. @ CatLadyLarew - Have you ever tried Marshmallow treats made with Lucky charms? OMG, they are delicious. Hey, you.....hands off my Almond Joy!

    @ Lee - The Candy Fairy, huh? Very clever, I wish I had been so creative. I just said, "I dunno" as I licked the chocolate from my fingers.

    @ Quirky - What are they teaching kids in school these days? Math, meh, who needs it? When they yell, "MOM!", simply explain it was either their candy or their brains.

    P.S. Do you really sing opera?

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  5. I love Halloween candy too but don't have any youngsters around the house to steal from. I wonder if I can still fit in that French Maid costume to use for trick or treating?

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  6. @ Peach - Me neither, that's why I buy candy for the trick or treaters a week or so in advance. Hmmmm, French Maid costume.....sounds like you're really out for some trickin'!

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  7. Well of course Halloween is all about the candy. Why else would we acknowledge it's existence? I trick or treated from about late 50's-mid 60's. Not once did I ever inspect my stash nor did any of my friends that I know of, and never had a problem with it. Except for old lady Waldvogel who used to give us one piece of hard candy a piece. Witch!

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  8. If my parents hadn't held me back, I would have scarfed all my candy down as soon as I got home because I used to be a compulsive eater as a kid. That didn't change when I became an adult.

    I now live in a downtown condo and I don't get any kids coming around at Halloween, so I don't buy Halloween candy. That way, I won't be tempted. In fact, I have a year-round policy of never buying any foods I enjoy because I'll eat them as soon as I get home. That's just one more reason why I'm miserable.

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  9. We haven't had any kids come by since we moved about 8 years ago, so no candy. Loved Halloween as a kid and then loved my kids candy when they did the rounds. Now I'm waiting for my grandkids to be a little older...come to Grampa!

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  10. @ Don - No, there were no problems back then. It was just my parents' way of getting their hands on my candy. Yes, there was a Mrs. Waldvogel on my block too. She passed out peppermints from the Christmas before. Stingy-gut!

    @ Joel - You know, you really need to lighten up. Now you are causing me to worry. Knock it off!

    I kid. Actually, I find your neurotic nature charming.

    @ dufus - Yikes, I hope it doesn't freak them out! My grandson (age 2) stares at me and then runs away if I make any sudden moves. I'm afraid he'd tell his daddy if I tried to "inspect" his candy. Busted!

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  11. If an adult dressed like Thomas showed up at my door, I'd give them candy, money... anything!!!

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  12. You can keep that nasty candy corn, but I'll take those suspicious Hershey Bars off your hands.

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  13. I used to be the same way!! Now that I have 3 kids, I get triple the stash. I still check theirs, then I take most of it.. I even freeze some. Of course months later when they go to look in the freezer for the hidden stash and its gone, I simply claim it went bad...*burp*

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  14. I was the same way. I loved the candy corn!

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  15. I'll take a few Reese's if you've got any left!

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  16. Hi there. I am new to your blog and love it. Mom and I had coffee while laughing at the Halloween Prank reel 3 times. Yeah. Overkill. But the cat imitating a flying squirel was the best.

    I'll trade you some seriously stale Peeps for any Sour worms or Gummi bears.

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  17. @ Skip - Come to think of it so would I. "Here, Thomas, take my house (before the bank does).

    @ mincognita - No thanks, but here's some black and orange wrapped taffy for you, yummmm.

    @ nipsy - Yeah, uh huh. "But, Mom, I smell chocolate and peanut butter - together."

    @ myundiary - Gimme, gimme, gimme!

    @ Reformning Geek - Not here, check over at Nipsy's, she got that stashed in her freezer.

    @ Lyn - Welcome. So glad you had good time, that's what it's all about.
    I love Peeps, you've got yourself a deal!

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  18. i like to hide in the bushes and when the little humans walk by i jump out and bark at them, then i pick up their bags of snaks and hide them under the porch where i can come back later and have them for my self.

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  19. @ Uhhh, Nooter, you know that chocolate is poison to your kind. Please be careful!

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  20. hmmmm, I gave up sugar last January. I am ignoring Halloween.

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  21. I remember this one guy in our neighborhood who gave out cans of soda every Halloween. It just seemed so cool.

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  22. My wife actually buys candy that we don't like just so we won't eat it. Damn her, I say!

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  23. @ suZen - Good for you. I've tried, I guess I've just never been committed.

    @ Knucklehead - In the words of Napoleon Dynamite, "Lucky!". If I had ever gotten a soda, I may have done a cartwheel across their lawn.

    @ MikeWJ - I've tried do that, but I only end up going back to the store to stock up on the candy I like and give the crap candy to the Halloween visitors instead.

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  24. Haha. I love your parent's 'inspection'-

    We never have a consistent number of trick-or- treaters, so I always overbuy candy. If that is possible. But there are someitimes entire carloads of kids just dumped off in our neighborhood...they get the smarties. Someone must like those.

    I am always begging my kids (now only 1 kid) for the good stuff. Problem is it's the good stuff for them too.

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