Today, in celebration of all things teeth-rotting and good, we give you a sugary extra helping of The Big Question. Francesca and Plumcake want to know
a) What was your favorite trick or treat goodie as a kiddo?
b) Did you have any trick-or-treat traditions? (trading? candy x-rays at the local hospital? tithing?)
My two sisters and I always went trick’o’treating together. Mom made sure we had creative costumes, and we always had fun. Afterwards, we’d pour out our individual piles in the den and trade amongst ourselves depending on what we liked best. I loved sweettarts and pretty much most things chocolate. Then we’d put the “undesirables” in a pile for the parents. We were pretty good at rationing out our own candy, and I don’t remember needing our folks to do that for us. Really, it is more about the costumes than the candy.
Today I’m dressed as my inner 5 year old; pink wig, pink shirt, pink skirt, pink ankle boots, pink scarf, pink jewelry…
Comment by Pinkleader — October 31, 2007 @ 3:38 pm
I’ve never had any traditions other than the usual, and of course my brother and I swapped our candy like no one’s business, but I do have a funny story. The first time I went trick or treating, my parents let me pick one piece–just one, out of the small mountain of delicious treats spread before me–to eat before I went to bed. I thought about it for awhile. I considered all the lovely candy. I picked a box of raisins. (My parents note, with some chagrin, that it was probably the only time in my life I have ever willingly picked fruit over chocolate. Or willingly picked fruit at all.)
My brother and I always had some pretty awesome costumes that my mom made, too, which meant that we never had the problem of seeing five other people in the same store-bought Power Rangers costume.
Comment by Claire — October 31, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
My favorite candy was anything chocolate – but, I especially loved getting miniature Hershey’s Krackle bars.
When we got home, we usually kep our own candy in bags stored on the top of the fridge. That supply would last us through Easter! (Apparently, we had very generous neighbors!)
Another tradition my sisters & I had was to try to sneak a few Snickers bars out of our bags & into our mouths or pockets before we got home. We did this because our Mom LOVES Snickers bars & insisted that we pay tithings to her – in the form of our Snickers bars – as soon as we walked in the door!!! Once she realized we hid some of our Snickers bounty, she started shaking us down for them! :)
Comment by dangermouse — October 31, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
The neighborhood where I grew up wasn’t particularly well-to-do in the late ’60s (boy, has that changed!), and most houses, including ours, gave out the strange, no-name bargain candy that used to materialize in stores around Halloween.
So me and my brother and sister’s favorites were just about any “real” candy — real Snickers bars, Milky Ways (yum!), Three Musketeers, M&Ms… all the genuine, brand-name stuff we could score from the “rich people” over in Woodland Hills. (Where there were no woodlands or hills, but L.A. has always been about marketing.)
Comment by Bridey — October 31, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
Our only real tradition was having a light dinner, usually tomato soup, before trick-or-treating began. My brothers and I would do a candy swap after we came home and dumped our hauls out onto the floor. I can’t even remember what my favorite candy was. Probably the little fun-size Snickers bars, but I’m really not sure.
Comment by Cat — October 31, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
I can’t think of any specific favorite types of candy, but I definitely preferred the usual chocolate bars. One older guy on the block gave out full-sized snickers bars and I thought that was pretty fabulous.
My sisters did a fine job of rationing their candy (we kept our trick-or-treat bags in our bedrooms) but I sure didn’t and when I’d realize that my supply was being depleted too quickly I’d steathily raid theirs for my candy fixes.
BAD BIG SISTER.
Comment by Brooke — October 31, 2007 @ 6:51 pm
Hmmmmm…candy – mini Snickers, all the way. Course, I remember carrying around little UNICEF boxes as well. There were always a few generous souls that had change as well as candy (do they even do that anymore?). There was one old couple that still gave out those red wax lips. So those would have to be my favorite. My sister and I horded candy from each other like we were never going to get it again — we were not the sharing kind of sisters. Mom took us around to the neighborhood while stepDad handed out at home. We wore hand me down costumes that Grandma made for Mom and Aunt when they were young, and we loved them!
Comment by KateriBella — October 31, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
Did anyone else sort their candy as soon as they got home? We started with the chocolate pile and the other pile, and went from there. There were so many different ways to sort and organize. After you had everything in the little piles on the floor, you started swapping, but a dad would always come over and steal some of the best candy you were hoarding.
Comment by rachel — November 1, 2007 @ 4:24 am
Rachel, yes, I always “sorted” my candy — chocolate, fruity, gum, etc. And, KateriBella, I also remember carrying the UNICEF box with me on my trick or treat route. I haven’t seen one of those in ages.
Comment by Cat — November 1, 2007 @ 10:43 am
My mother made our costumes. We really challenged her on several ocassions! I’d want to be Ozma of Oz, one of my brothers once demanded to be a very particular Kachina…but she always came through no matter how difficult or bizarre the request. The year I decided to be one of the professional bridesmaids from Ruddygore was one of her brightest moments, if you ask me. Nobody ever had costumes like ours, even when we got somewhat ‘normal’ and chose to be things like gypsies and mad scientists.
When we got home, my brothers and I would head for the dining room table and start trading. I couldn’t wait to get rid of my candy corn and gumdrops. One of my brothers detested all things licorice. I’d do nearly anything to get chocolate and peanuts combined. Dark chocolate was always worth more than milk in our house. And if my brothers wanted to get rid of their Pixie Stix, I was always game for those.
Comment by Twistie — November 1, 2007 @ 12:18 pm