We miss having all the kids—back in the day, I used to give away a whole grocery bag of candy, but that was in a quiet neighborhood. Here we’re on an arterial on one side, with 4-5 houses between us and another arterial, and kids who don’t live in this little section can’t get here safely unless parents drive them or steer them across the arterials—that means not many little ghosts and goblins. We laid in a supply of Tootsie variety pack and a packet of pixy stix, and a little bag of 3 Musketeers, because we usually swipe a couple of bars for us. I couldn’t get any other variety: the store shelves were stripped bare, except for those items. That’s ok. 3 Musketeers has long been a favorite—those and Zero bars. When I was a kid I was allergic to chocolate, an allergy I grew out of—but I got to have 3 Musketeers because’s light in chocolate, and ditto Zero bars. Everything else went to my brother. Or got traded to other kids for peanut logs, Bit O’ Honey and sultana bars, two of my OTHER candy sins as a child. I don’t know that you can find those any more, especially sultanas.
Halloween—and happy remembrances.
by CJ | Oct 31, 2012 | Journal | 25 comments
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We have had the oddest Halloween ever; we had NOT ONE trick-or-treater anywhere on the block. The neighborhood is getting older, of course, and we have fewer little kids. The only two families with small children believe that Halloween is connected with devil worship, and don’t take part. This is taking costumes and just-pretend WAY too seriously. You have to wonder about those people, and what they are teaching their kids to believe in.
Speaking of magic, or maybe wizardry, I will stop my ranting to say I finished “Yvgenie” and love it. It is the perfect ending to a fascinating, complex many-layered trilogy, entirely satisfying. No spoilers; I just wanted to say I enjoyed it even more than I expected, and I had high expectations from the start. Thank you for such great reading!
I loved Halloween when I was a kid, and I still love it now that I’m in my 50’s. We don’t get trick-or-treaters where we live now…I suspect more because of the recent trend toward parties in lieu of going house-to-house…so we just celebrate quietly at home with candy, cider, spooky music and an offering to the ancestors. Re: candy, there is a candy shop nearby that sells many of the treats we used to get in our Halloween bags: Bit ‘o Honey, Reese’s, Smoothies & Mallowcups, Aero bars, Cadbury and many more. I love going to that shop! 🙂
I live in an apartment, with few kids in the building and locked entrances, so no kids.
But we had Halloween at work, with some people in costumes, and treats of various kinds.
I took a large number of the bracelet-size light-sticks to work (“Grue-B-Gone Hand Lights”). Last year I took fewer light-sticks, but wore a hall costume (redshirt – with a target taped to the back of the shirt).
We’re supposed to have a fire drill this week, but it hasn’t happened – yet.
We had about 80 kids although most of them weren’t from the neighbourhood. A lot of them were from other parts of town where there wasn’t much in the way of candy. We gave out cracker jacks, 3 boxes of 24 and about a third of the 4th box.
Well, we had one car-delivered band and one pair of subteen walkers…we gave them enough Pixy Sticks to see them in orbit and they were happy.
The Vermont Country Store has all kinds of “vintage” candy from the good ol’ days — among other vintage things, like Yardley English Lavender soap.
Pixy Sticks…..wow, I didn’t know they still made those! I can still feel the sugar melting on my tongue. Our trick-or-treat was last Thursday, because the city wants it done on a Thursday, and I can’t tell you the reason why they do. City Council doesn’t ask for my opinion, regardless if I give it or not.
Since I was out doing our “Witch Watch” patrol with the ham radio group, my house was left alone. In Virginia Beach, I used to buy up the small Hershey bars, pick out all of the dark chocolates, and then sit at the end of the driveway and wait for the kids. I wasn’t all that big on the older kids, but the little ones, some of whom are still in their strollers, were the big hits. People were literally trucking their kids in from other neighborhoods, some streets were lined up with parked cars (and waiting parents) on both sides of the street, making it difficult to drive without fear of some child running out in front of my car. Of course, I should have been more in fear of the adults and older kids who should know better than to take on a 2,000 lb car unless they are dressed like Iron Man. Now, it’s just kind of lost its appeal to me.
One of the towns on the other end of the island makes a big business out of Halloween, mostly for adults. The past 3 or 4 years, it had been scaled back because of the economy and groups who felt it was somehow disrespectful, but this year was much busier. We used to get our friends together and go out there for dinner, in costume, looking at all the incredible getups. One year we saw a 12 foot shark eating a scuba diver, another year a Trojan Horse was cruising the street, complete with half a dozen Greeks hiding inside. Our favorite restaurant out there, however, has gotten less friendly to large groups like we used to bring in, so we now go to a nearer branch where the service is better. We are usually gone most of the evening, so we miss the trick or treaters.
I only heard ANY peeps twice last night. Very, very quiet. Hah, the one was quiet, the other was a little kid having much fun squealing, trying to be scary. But that was quickly back to quiet too.
I had my porch lights off, shame on me. Still not my usual self.
This neighborhood goes in BIG for Christmas decorations, or did until a couple of years ago. The economy and aging have done that. Older neighborhood. I’m one of the few, but maybe increasing “younger” folks, and I’m in my mid-40’s.
There were almost no trick-or-treaters. But I live in a major city and people are wary of the few who would want to harm instead of celebrate and bring joy and push back fears instead of cause them. Sigh. Even when I was a kid, people were starting to have to be wary about that. I think it’s a shame. I don’t know my neighbors well at all, but I’d like to think any kid or adult could walk up and get a friendly neighbor’s help if needed.
Those folks who don’t celebrate Halloween, or even Christmas, as somehow pagan (etc.) or commercialism…. I think they are missing the point. Teaching your family to be fearful, to exclude, to hate, because someone else might believe and behave differently, to shut yourselves off from the rest of the world as too risky and profane and sinful and tempting…? What about joy? What about your own ways of celebrating what’s good and fine? In my experience, the folks who are hard-line into NOT celebrating these “pagan festivals” (that’s a quote) are not much for any sort of enjoyment. It might be sinful! What a narrow little way to live, and how much that misses of the point of it all. I can’t help thinking God must shake his/her head at such misguided views.
I was raised fairly conservatively, but not that way. My views have had to become more open-minded as I’ve seen not everything I grew up with withstands the way the world works or livability. I’ve come to believe life is more about options, choices, than unbending rules.
…And I’d want any kid to grow up un afraid and equipped to meet the challenges and wonders of the world, the good and the bad and the senseless all.
Nevermind me, I’m extra grumpy lately.
We didn’t have a single young’un come by. I didn’t have the porch light on, but that hasn’t stopped them before, so I’m guessing the parents in this neighborhood might have taken their kids to the mall or some other party, like at some of the churches around the area.
It is really a shame we all have to be SO afraid. I remember just dressing up and going out for hours with my siblings. After us older kids got to be 8 or 9, my mom didn’t even go with us. *sigh* What kid would dare that now, unless they’re in their teens, which I think is a bit old to be doing the whole trick-or-treater thing anyway.
We had more than usual, maybe everyone was feeling cooped up after the storm (likely parents getting the kiddos out of the house!). Gave about almost 200 pieces of candy.
In the ‘tricks or treats’ department, just saw that Penguin (DAW) and Random House are merging. Too bad they aren’t going to call it Random Penguin House.
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/10/random-housepenguin-merger/
Random Penguin House. Oh, I’d love that! One random penguin, please.
I hope it doesn’t adversely affect authors, artists, and the editing, production, and graphics staff.
But random penguins, seems like a hoppin’, lively place. Might be chilly, though. Sweaters and Whovian scarves?
I am just the opposite of you CJ. My chocolate allergy became worse the older I got. Last exposure about 15 years ago sent me to the emergency room.
We rarely get any kids as we have a long driveway. I usually put a bag out at the end of the driveway with a light in it. Not this year, however, as Halloween was pretty much canceled due to Sandy and no power.
We came through FRANKENSTORM SANDY!!!just fine. Our power went out around noon on Monday and just came back about half an hour ago. We have several trees down in the woods (next year’s heat!) nothing across the drive or any buildings. Pool and pond are fine. We used a current inverter that hooks up to the car battery. It gave us light and the small refrigerator. The freezer was at 28 when we opened it to put 20 lbs of ice in the top about an hour before the power came back. If you don’t open a freezer door it’s amazing how long stuff will last. We were very fortunate; there was a lot of damage along the shore. One evacuated area just started allowing residents back in this after noon. We survived with stored water, a good gas ring, the charcoal grill, and the battery radio. After so many years of civilization it felt like our early days of living in the woods without electricity.
I live in a block of duplexes and apartment buildings, with a nursing home across the street. No trick or treaters were even out last night. Most of the child-friendly celebrations here in TX are school or church based “harvest fairs” held on a weekend night, where the children can dress up and have fun in a controlled environment, which I think is a good “end-run” solution to the way the world has gotten. We’re in the Bible Belt here and there is a lot of fundamentalist “Halloween is a pagan festival” song and dance here. I stayed in, snuggled with kitties, and read Edith Wharton ghost stories, although I did have candy — miniature Heath bars and KitKat bars, Rollos and Reese’s Pieces. I remember the old Bit’o’Honey bars — I considered them the best buy for my hard won dime. The other candy bars were gone in a few bites, but I could break each portion in half and eat on a Bit’o’Honey bar for an hour!
Yay for having power!
There’s a reason for taking kids on campouts—there are moments when the skill to deal with live fire instead of buttons is so useful.
My memories of Halloween were mostly that Dad made us return halfway through the night and empty our bags into the dish at the front door…yep, the Rat B*tard only bought enough candy for 1/2 the night!
Then, when we got home we only got to select a small percentage (about 1/8) of our total haul and the rest went away (to Dad’s office, most likely)…
Sheesh!
We had to turn ours out on the rug, but it was so my brother and I could trade, when he was little enough to like the really sugary things. And I’d hold him up for Bit ‘O Honey, which he was kind of iffy about, but I never could talk him out of the good chocolates.
Oh, yeah, Bit O Honey is wonderful stuff!
When I was a kid, I didn’t like peanut butter (imagine that!) so my brother ended up with all my Reese’s Cups. I usually got his Three Musketeers or maybe Peppermint Patties in exchange, but I had *no* chance of snagging one of his Sugar Daddies.
we didn’t have halloween when I was a kid! or else my parents disapproved and didn’t tell us about it. but I think it just wasn’t a thing the english did in the 50’s. there was sweet rationing till I was about 4, I think.
We didn’t have sweet rationing in Australia in the 50’s (big sugar cane fields, you know) and didn’t have halloween. It’s since been imported from the US and all my young relatives dress up with the best of them and go trick or treating.
I never had to share my candy, being a spoiled rotten only child…and in my town then, Halloween was a big deal. Every church had a neighborhood sort of staked out, and the kids from each church would do the circuit of “their” area. Then the grownups would communicate somehow, and everyone would trade areas. This was all happening in a really small section of the city, I suppose; but then again trick or treating started at around 3 in the afternoon on whatever Saturday was closest to Halloween, and lasted until 8, 9, or even 10 at night. And all the neighborhoods were in on this, so it was all okay.
Now, sadly, I live somewhere else, and it seems like most of the city council is in that group of minds that see Halloween as being somehow evil. There was one, tiny announcement that there would be trick-or-treating permitted…on the day of Halloween, for two hours right after school.
Most of the parents don’t even get home until 5 or later; and Wednesday is a church night, further cutting into any plans. The cops were actually out patrolling to keep kids from going out on Saturday night. The only other Halloween event planned, with kids in mind rather than adults, was at our local zoo. That was fine – it’s a grand event, and well designed for the children – and I’m fine with supporting the zoo by paying the five bucks to get in. But I’m well aware – and so should all the city-planning folks – that there is a significant portion of the children of our town, whose parents can’t afford the time or the ticket to take them to the zoo event (and who work such long hours that the 2-hour measly trick-or-treat window is a joke, not an opportunity). It made me rather sad.
That said, we knew not to expect just a ton of kids this year, so we made treat bags up and I “manned the station” (we set up a couple of chairs in the front yard so kids don’t have to ring our doorbell, which saves lots of drama from our idiot dog). We had two bags left at the end of the night, out of 30; 12 of those went in one group, a large bunch of kids, parents, and teens who were clearly planning on walking the entire neighborhood, and to heck with any “stop at 6 pm” rules. To which I said, “Good on you!”
As for candy, I’m a chocolate addict; being allergic would probably kill me before I caught on about it 😛 But we do see Bit O’ Honey around here. I always thought it was a regional thing, like Necco is more a Northern candy.
My son pours his candy out every year, onto a table, and sorts through it. What he likes best, he keeps; the rest he puts into some other container and gives to us grownups. Last year, though, he took almost all his candy to school the next day…to give to a pair of brothers who had had no Halloween, due to a family member being in the hospital. I was so proud of him I could’ve burst.
This year, he just shared the candy with us. But, he was very funny telling the diabetics in the house, “And these are your pieces of candy, but eat them slow, because sugar is bad for you!”