Some random, Post-Halloween thoughts…
• I know that the idea of a “sugar high” has been scientifically disproven (link here), but I think this morning I could make a case for “Post-Halloween sugar lethargy.”
• My EC and I are at that sad, sad state of child-rearing where nobody needs us anymore to help trick-or-treat. My youngest goes out with his friends, leaving his mother and I holding the bag – or in this case – the giant, plastic cauldron filed with candy. We sat outside together and handed out candy. We were swamped by candy-seekers.
• I can tell my Christlike attributes are still lacking when I don’t want to give candy to the 30 year-old women who somehow packed their size 16 bodies into size 10 pirate costumes.
• One teenage boy, who obviously wasn’t going to let something like a costume stand in his way of collecting free candy, wore regular clothes and a coonskin cap. I asked him a simple question: “Are you Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett.” He looked at me like I had asked him to find a calculus derivative. The best he could eventually come up with was, “Uh…I thought I was just being a raccoon.” And he meant it.
• I was glad to see that Sharlene pilfered my unrealized costume idea of an “Undecided voter.” I wanted to do it, but couldn’t decide how to go about it. Well done.
• I mentioned these on Facebook, because I love them:
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| Yawn. |
• As always, I enjoyed spending time with my EC, even though we could barely share a sentence without another group of zombie-fied kids coming to the door. Some of them brought in by truckloads from other, less candy-generous areas. Grrr.
• Fortunately, some things never change. My youngest – FOML5 – came home and spread his candy out on the floor and sorted it. Exactly like he is supposed to according to the rules of being a kid. He was excited about how much candy he got. My EC and I looked at each other and smiled, knowing that his version of “a lot of candy” and our childhood version of “a lot of candy” were very different. We would have schooled him. (Although I must say that my older sons did quite well in the era of Heelies.)
• I am glad today is not Sunday, more specifically not Fast Sunday. I am already bothered when teachers feel they need to ply their classes with cookies and candy, but I have always found distracting it when kids would bring pocketfuls of candy to church. Newsflash: Everybody can hear you unwrapping them. Especially Smarties. Even when I was young, I knew that Smarties were too noisy for church. That’s what Tootsie Rolls are for. (Note to temple patrons: That hard candy you think you are silently unwrapping? They can hear it in the next county.)
• One girl had an adorable “Mime” costume on. I said, “Hey! Look at this cute MIme.” She said, “You are the first person to know what my costume is.” I said, “You just blew it.” She didn’t understand.
• When I was young, the morning after Halloween, you could always find smashed jack-o-lanterns in the street. I haven’t done seen that for a long time. Kid’s are much less prone to mischief nowadays – at least in our neighborhood, where we are heavily armed.
• We have a surprising amount of happy Halloween memories. Not the least of them being the time I accidentally sat on a jack-o-lantern. (Because my kids will never let me forget that one.)
• If I ever ran for School Board, it would be on the platform of returning holidays to our kids. With costumes and carols.
• People who turn off their lights and don’t answer the door obviously do not understand the 2nd Great Commandment.
• Chili and cornbread. ’nuff said.
• A local dentist is offering to buy the kid’s candy back by the pound at school today. I know that is one dentist we will never be going to. Killjoy. My neighbor, the dentist, passes our extra candy to drum up business. That is the American Way.
• We talked last night about our need to stop eating so much sugar. And we will. Eventually. Can’t let this leftover candy go to waste. That would be irresponsible. Especially since we took the time to pick our favorites out of the cauldron before we started.
I still stand by my contention that Halloween is the most charitable night of the year. So, for all you Hallow-haters, I am glad for you that it is over. But for me, Halloween is a time to give with no expectation of getting anything in return. It is also a chance to see our neighbors and greet people who we really should know better. It is the best neighborhood-bonding night of the year.
Even with Zombies.
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We live in Japan right now with the military, and there were several Japanese people who came on base to trick or treat and actually brought gifts for those doors they went to and got candy from. Now that’s my kind of Halloween!
As the primary pres. in our ward, I am eternally grateful that we always seem to have Stake Conference the Sunday after Halloween. I hope and pray that the kids eat it all before they come back in a couple of weeks.
I actually snorted out loud with laughter at the point of candy in the temple. I once was in a session in St George, and once the lights went down, it was as loud as a movie theater!
And then, during my days as an ordinance worker (pick your jaw up off the ground), I saw many an odd “snack”. Really people?
Oh but I’m the first to start unwrapping once the deacons sit down.
I turned off the light and didn’t answer the door this year because I was sick and thought it best not to pass out germs along with the candy.
So true how our kid’s definition of a lot of candy is way different thatn “our” a lot of candy. I can’t understand how my kids barely got half a bag full when I use to have tons of bags full. Oh well. And if you were running for school board I would definately vote for you! How can you celebrate Halloween without candy. Birthdays without cupcakes. Christmas without Santa Claus!!!!!!!!!!!
when we lived in Highland, UT my EC and I decided that anyone who looked like they could have driven to the house for tick or treating received a potato. “Trick or treat” — “nice try at a costume, dude. Here’s a spud.” Most thought it pretty funny; some not so much.
Then there was the year my EC thought we should give something besides candy. She decided on pencils. I’m sure it was thrilling for the kids.
We haven’t had trick or testing yet due to the snow and on-going power outages (forth day of no school). oh, and the dentists here that pay the kids for their candy send it to troops overseas.
Oh and while kids may not be out smashing pumpkins its probably because they are inside on their computers doing worse things. I wish more kids would go out and smash pumpkins.
My grandma who is an avid no sugar lady,loves those fruit flavored tootsies! She always had them at her house and we always got one before we left. It was sad because none of us ate the vanilla so eventually it was all that was left in her candy jar and she wouldn’t go buy more until they were all gone. So we all took some for the team and did our best to stomach them just so we could have the fruit ones again. Blech!
I am just glad to find another Mormon who digs Halloween.
Before you know it, you’re going to have as many followers as Gay Mormon Guy.
Just thought I’d point that out.
Agree 100%.
Funny stuff MMM…
Rach! Always a pleasure to read your comments.
Halloween is not a big holiday here down under… In our are the ones who participate advertise the fact by hanging an orange balloon by the letter box. There are certain Halloween streets in the neighbourhood where everyone participates – a good street to send the kids trick or treating. Every year I field anxious questions from my youngest daughter about whether we are worshipping Satan. My kids attend a Seventh Day Adventist school and at Halloween the school kids divide down the middle with Adventists on one side and regular Christians on the other. Today there will be quiet whispers in corners about how big the candy haul was.
Halloween reminds me of everything good about my childhood, and I love it. I put more effort into my costume than my kids do. I was so glad when my oldest got old enough to take trick-or-treating. (I take my chaperone fee, of course.) People need to lighten up on the humbug. Take the good and leave the bad. The owners of my company hate Halloween (they think it’s evil), but we have a Halloween party every year and make the owners stay home. It’s great for morale. I like vanilla flavor, fragrance etc. I like it when my EC smells like vanilla. It reminds me of 2 of my favorite things: food and her.
The fruit Tootsie Rolls are great, and I hope my family continues to hate the vanilla because they’re my favorite. Also I love Smarties. (My SIL says they’re an abomination like unto Miracle Whip…which her EC prefers. Blech. But she always saves all the Smarties for me!)
This was our last trick or treating Halloween because our youngest will turn 12 next October & that’s my limit. She thinks she deserves one more. We’ll see if I’m more good cop or bad cop next year.
My friend Jana keeps a bag of baking potatoes by the door for those those too old to trick or treat, or teens without costumes. Kids get candy. The older/less creative ones get a potato. I love the idea so much that I now keep a bag of potatoes by the door. But we live somewhere that never gets trick or treaters, so I have yet to actually give one out. But I’m looking forward to it when it happens!!
Happy November!
One of the ladies at work said that they just sort out the candy they don’t want to keep, and put it in a bag with the Halloween decorations. Next year they pull it out and give that to the grownup trick-or-treaters.
wow
I was “inspecting” my son’s candy, ya know, like good mom’s do, and I found a grape tootsie roll. I’ll admit, it didn’t find its way back to the bucket. I’ve never even seen a grape one before today.
Scary. I was told last night that there are Root Beer Tootsie Rolls as well. We are veering off into freaky Tootsie territory.
I know lots of dentists who buy back candy and then send in to our troops. That’s probably what the candy is going to.
That’s awesome!
That is what our dentist does too. He doesn’t buy back the candy, but he trades it for stickers and the like, and then sends it to troops.
My husband decided that any trick-or-treater who was over the age of 12 had to answer a trivia question in order to get any candy (yeah, he’s a teacher). I think this place might not get as many trick-or-treaters next year.
I do have fond memories of this holiday, and we usually ate our whole bags of candy during the “sorting” process. I think my mom had a hypothesis that if we ate so much we got sick we’d associate being sick with eating candy and we’d be cured of our sugar addiction, but it obviously didn’t work. Although perhaps I did associate Halloween with a tummy ache since generally Halloween is a holiday I could do without. Of course, I have more reasons to dislike it than just the gluttony of glucose.
By the way, I don’t think being compelled to be generous is true generosity just as I don’t believe being bribed to participate in a Sunday school class is true discipleship. That being said, I’m always going to buy candy to hand out on Halloween, and I’m never going to turn down a good treat offered to me at church.
Oh yeah, and your “hard candy” in the temple is probably more-often-than-not cough drops. I learned from experience to always have one or two in my pocket for those sudden coughing attacks that are way more of a disturbance than loud wrappers, and am happy when I can offer one to someone else.
I missed the entire event completely, thank goodness, as I was flying the boss to Los Angeles for some meetings. I don’t do so well in the self-control department when candy is involved, so I was thrilled when I found out that I would be “working” instead.
I kind of felt like a witch on a broom last night. Cackle cackle.
We live out in the country on a dead end road so never get any monsters/princess’ at our door other than our grandkids who get to reach in the bowl and take as many as their hands can hold.
I’ve never minded giving candy to the adults that come to my door. I’ve had a woman come in costume as a cliche (the cat’s out of the bag) and she deserved candy for what I thought was a clever costume. Then there was the Somali woman with her little girl and after her daughter got her candy, the mother said in a quiet voice, “May I have a piece? I’m so hungry.” Then last night we had a young man in his early teens actually refuse candy, saying, “Oh no thank you. I’m just out taking my little sister around.” He was a good big brother to spend the evening with her. I would have forced the candy into his hand for being good to his sister, but he and his sister scooted away too fast.
Glad someone else sees it this way. candy is candy. We all don’t need it, but it’s nice to get it (and eat it). I walked around with my daughter dressed up like a witch. We had two small buckets for her so I carried one until the other one filled up. If someone tried to give me a candy because they saw the bucket, I would say, “no thank you, just holding this for my daughter.” and most would insist on putting candy in it even though i would protest. I think being willing to share your candy with anyone (regardless of age or what they are wearing) is the friendly and neighborly thing to do.
The vanilla ones are gross.
But then, I never ever eat vanilla ice cream plain. If there’s nothing to mix in it, I’m not eating it.
Oooh, I just remembered I nabbed a 3 Musketeers from the basket by the front door as I left this morning. I think I will eat it…or I could mix it in some vanilla ice cream…
Yep, I hate Halloween. But I did enjoy walking the neighborhood with my daughter for her (probably) last year of trick or treating. It was COLD in our neck of the woods, though.
We get very few kids in our sub-division (houses are too far apart, and kids don’t realize that the compensating factor is full-sized candy bars or many multiples at each house), so it’s a quiet night.
And I’m glad it’s over.
Seriously, what is that dentist who is buying candy going to do? Trash it? That’s wasteful. Kudos to the dentist handing out candy, that’s the way to build business.
Ha ha! Wasteful? It’s junk! Throwing away food would be wasteful. Candy? Not so much. Just my friendly opinion, of course. :0)
🙂
I must not be very Christ-like, because I would NEVER give candy to a 30 year old, no matter what type of costume they were wearing.
My 6 year old is not a big chocolate fan. We gave something chocolate with chocolate filling, with chocolate frosting and her reply was “It’s okay, but it’s too chocolate-ty. She’d take vanilla anyday. I don’t know where she came from.
Also, after trick or treating around one block in our neighborhood and two blocks at my moms, my 3 year old started crying because she didn’t want to go to anymore houses. We asked if she was sure and she said “I have enough candy.”
We let our kids keep their candy. It usually strings out until all the Christmas candy starts coming around. (And sometimes longer than that.) After awhile it all get combined though. It’s theirs for a undetermined amount of time. Then it’s all for everyone.
Need an edit button. She obviously didn’t say all the paragraphs after starting “It’s okay…..
🙂
Gee, thanks Anna. *rolls eyes*
Just claryfying. 🙂 Sorry, I was an English major so I don’t like seeing mistakes in my writing. Although mistakes in others writing doesn’t bother me.
I have a hard time giving candy to adults too. I want to tell them to go buy your own bag of candy, you cheapskate. So, I give two or three pieces to little kids and one to older teenagers and adults.
I am a little perturbed this morning by the pumpkin smashers that hit our neighborhood, including our porch, because most carved pumpkins belong to children. This is the first time it has happened to us. One of my 5 year old neighbors was great about it though, she told her crying siblings that the people who did it were scumfaces and that they should laugh at them. So they did and quit crying.
Because of a Halloween birthday child, not only do we have scads of candy, we have leftover birthday cake. (technically, they were birthday brownies and cake balls this year.)
Great post.
I’m kind of tired being called a non-Christian for SO many reasons, but the one that never bothers me is that we celebrate Halloween joyfully and whole-heartedly.
Such a fun holiday. And we can eat less sugar NEXT week.