I never know how much candy to get for Halloween. I panic at the thought of running out, but hate to think I may have bags of tempting treats tipping me off the scale. In the past, I've brought leftover candy to work, where it disappears very quickly, but not before I've stashed away some of the good stuff. And the good stuff has to be some kind of chocolate - none of the sour, tart or gummy treats.
I've always thought that the Milky Way is the perfect candy bar. As a Brownie in third grade, our troop visted the Mars Candy Company and at the end of the tour we each received a box of samples. Unfortunately, it was during Lent and on the bus ride home, I managed to refrain from eating any of the samples, even though my public school troop mates dug right in. The box stayed on a shelf until the following Sunday, but then of course, I had to share my booty with Mom and my sisters.
In recent years, though, I've become more enamored of Butterfingers and Reese's peanut butter cups. The peanut butter-chocolate combo is tempting enough to forsake all the weight watcher's points for lunch and just eat a couple pieces of candy. Not very nutritious, but satisfying - and there has to be some fiber in that peanut butter, right?
I haven't had to run the pre-Halloween costume-creating obstacle course for quite a few years since my sons have grown. The continuous changing of minds up until the week before Halloween would drive me crazy. One year the boys wanted to be Thundercats, specifically, Lion-O and Tigra. I found patterns for lion and tiger costumes and painstakingly sewed them on my trusty Kenmore, even stuffing the ears and tails so they were nice and stiff. My sons watched as I struggled with the costumes and as they were almost completed, they critically commented that they weren't "Thundercat enough." My husband saw the look of dread on my face and quickly shuttled the boys far away from me and my sewing machine. We managed to improve the look with face paint and, of course, cool swords.
My one son still talks about a costume we created together when he was about six.
He was the grim reaper and I found the simple instructions in a Good Housekeeping magazine. The best part was creating the darkened eyes and skeletal mouth with black and grey paint. I knew it was a success when he was reluctant to take it off after trick or treating and it was time for bed. He still enjoys dressing up for Halloween parties and last year was quite a hit as Paulie Walnuts from the Sopranos - complete with velveteen running suit, gold chains and graying at the temples.
I'll probably make a trip out to Costco today for another bag of candy. Since Halloween is on a Saturday, the number of tricksters may be a lot more than last year - and the people at my office can always take care of the leftovers, but not before a few Butterfingers find their way into the freezer.
