Halloween 2022

 

I always fuss over what to buy for handouts. I’ll never forget the year I bought juice boxes, and what my granddaughters said about my handout choice. Juice boxes? Nana, you actually bought juice boxes for Halloween? I thought it was a great idea. I still do. But I didn’t buy them again. If any of you know of a healthy snack that’s an appreciated treat, let me know.

When we lived in the country we didn’t have many children come to the door trick-or-treating. At a discount store I purchased colouring books, crayons, little crafts, and fun toy thingies. I invited the children in to pick out what they’d like. It really didn’t go over as well as I’d expected. Back to the sugary treats.

This year when I bought cans of pop I wondered if kids still drank cream soda, orange crush, and root beer (they do! Root beer is the favourite), bags of candies (next year I won’t get any licorice), wee boxes of smarties, those little chocolate bars – which  I had to re-stock before the 31^st  (eyeroll) – and  boxes of potato chips. I second-guessed myself as I put them all out on folding tables in the foyer. I’ll give the smarties and little bars to the toddlers, pop or chips to the older ones. Then I considered giving out a few candies with a can of pop, some chocolate bars with the chips… And so it went.

That night it took only a couple of trips to the door for me to change my mind about everything. This is

what I have, I told them. What would you like? Wow! It was the best idea I’ve ever had. Rather than dumping fists full of candy inside their bags, and both hands reaching for cans of pop as I’m ashamed to say I expected, they were very selective. And ultra polite. In every age group! I can’t have pop, one told me as she reached for a bag of chips. Another asked if there were Crispy Crunch bars in the big bowl. Yes, I said, but if you take my favourite, what will I eat? He hesitated, then grinned (his face was painted, not masked) as he scooped out a couple small bars. Have some chips too, I suggested. He thanked me and added a bag to his stash. On their way out, so many of the children told me to enjoy my evening that I wondered if it was something teachers or their parents had asked them to do.

My first trick or treaters were the wee toddlers. Oh, I love small children. One in particular stepped inside the door towards me. I bent down to greet him and his little blue eyes locked on mine. As I was about to drop the treats into his plastic pumpkin, the little sweetheart took each of them from my hands to do it himself. Then his eyes once more locked on mine and he appeared in no hurry to leave, even though his parents were calling to him. Instead of scooping him up in my arms for an affectionate squeeze (sigh) I gripped the little cutie under the arms and passed him to his parents. He’s adorable, I wouldn’t mind if he stayed, I told them. His daddy chuckled and said he could drop him off to me when he wasn’t this adorable.

The youngest to oldest of the hundred plus visitors impressed me with imaginative and entertaining costumes and impeccable manners. Now Halloween is gone for another year. I have potato chips and a few chocolate bars left. We know they won’t go to waste (another eyeroll). It was a fun night and already I look forward to meeting and greeting next year’s trick or treaters.