Halloween 2014: The Recap

Remember this little guy?

Well, he has now reached the milestone of going to the orthodontist. Yes, that's right. Due to brilliant planning on my part, the Sugar Baby* got expanders put in the week before Halloween. In addition to a new toothbrush, an envelope full of wax and some little tooth-pokey things, he received this.

Now, take a good look at that picture. It meant to make you feel good, like, "Hey! I can still chow down on my Halloween stash." But what you're not seeing is what people really give out. Snickers, Milky Ways, Skittles, Laffy Taffy, Airheads, Butterfingers, Starbursts, Baby Ruths ... all the good stuff that you get a ton of.
Here's a picture of this year's haul:

(Note the glaring absence of Dum Dums. This is a Halloween first.) The doctor promised that he'd give kids $2 a pound for any Halloween candy they brought into him. At first, the Sour Patch Kid was excited and devised a plan to spend his new-found riches on a video game. Then he realized that he would probably max out at $2.50 and couldn't be bothered to bag it all up. It's now sitting in my cupboard where it will remain until next Halloween.

As per the annual Laws of Halloween, we started off with an early visit to Father John. This year we were his first visitors. Somehow the SPK managed to score three full-size bars.

I, on the other hand, was treated to a fantastic bag full of "breakfast," as Father John explained. It was Jacques Torres' chocolate-covered corn flakes and Cheerios. (No picture because I shoved those babies into my gaping maw the next day). Then it was over to Grandma and Pop Pop's before joining up with a wild band of about ten other eight-year-old boys.
Alex the Super Shopper promptly sent me a picture of her son's haul, and it was alarmingly mainstream, as well. No shampoo bottle this year. (Read all about that here.) Thank goodness, though, that my friend Susan sent a picture of something awesome from her daughter's trick-or-treat bag:

 

 

So there you have it. Halloween 2014 was certainly a success in that we didn't get a snowstorm or a hurricane and the Sour Patch Kid managed to score enough orthodontist-approved candies to keep himself happy for a week.

*In addition to being old enough to go to the orthodontist, he is also now old enough to know about this blog and the fact that he has been called the Sugar Baby for eight years. He is not happy about this and so, to respect his wishes, from now on he shall be called the Sour Patch Kid. *Sniff.*

Halloween is almost here!

The countdown has begun! Halloween is almost here and the excitement is mounting. This week, Father John sent me this link, which I thought was fantastic, although flawed: The Definitive Guide to Trading Halloween Candy. I mean, seriously, there's no way a Fifth Avenue beats out a 100 Grand.
On the homefront, the Sugar Baby will be going as the Grim Reaper. This is the first year that he is A) dressing as something not cute or interesting; B) is wearing a mask; and C) is more interested in scaring people than the actual candy part. I know this is a totally normal stage, but I must admit, I'm sad. Doesn't he realize that going as a mushroom or The World will garner him more Snickers than a stupid store-bought costume? The Sugar Baby, back in the days when he didn't even know that the Almond Joy he was holding would become part of the Mommy Tax that night.

Halloween 2012: Trick.

Here's the deal. I've tried to write a post about Halloween about three times now and I just couldn't do it. In the past, Halloween has been fodder for dozens of posts. This blog practically lives on the big three candy holidays: Halloween, Valentine's Day and Easter. But things are kooky here in the Northeast. Last year, we had a hurricane and then a snow storm. This year ... same thing. Apparently Mother Nature loves repetition. Last year trick-or-treating was postponed, but we ignored the First Selectman's mandate and went out anyway. This year, that was impossible, as most of the town was without power and trees and power lines made it too dangerous. In fact, on Halloween, I found myself going to visit my parents to see how they were doing without power. On the way there, I passed their church, which, as you may remember, is our traditional Stop #1 on the great trick-or-treat circuit. (You can get the whole background here.)
As I drove past, I noticed that there were candles lit in the windows of the rectory. I knew I had to stop. I pulled over, jumped over some fallen branches and knocked on the door. I could see Father John's big basket o' candy all set up for any potential ghosts and goblins that might come knocking.
"I'm so glad to see you!" he said. Even though I didn't have the Sugar Baby in tow, I HAD to fulfill the annual ritual. Fr. John didn't seem too hopeful about getting any trick-or-treaters that night, but I was happy to see that he had enough hope to have the candy basket stocked.

As it turned out, he had some special candy for the Sugar Baby. He'd been to Salem recently, and got these awesome chocolate rats and witches. I love the label: "Bag o' Salem Witches."

 

Trick-or-Treating in his town should be happening right now as I type, a week and a half after actual Halloween. As much as I love the holiday, it's just way too weird to celebrate it this late in the game. I hope Fr. John meets his goal of over 200 visitors, but I'm not too optimistic.

Halloween 2011: You can't keep us down

You didn't really think we'd stay in on Halloween, did you? Despite the odds, we decided we were going to keep up with tradition and do all of our annual Halloween activities. So after the downtown trick-or-treat, it was off to my parents' house to show off the mummy costume (and score a Russell Stover Chocolate Marshmallow Pumpkin). Then, onto the church to visit Father John!

As you may recall, last year 186 kids visited the church to get a full-sized candy bar. Every year, Father John tries to beat the previous year's record. He said he was hopeful that this year would be good, since school was closed and people were anxious to get out of the house. But since it was weird with the snow and all, it was questionable whether the turnout would be good or not.

Just a side comment, here. Father John does a great job of setting the scene in the rectory. There were candles burning and Gregorian chant playing on the stereo. He had cheese and crackers set out for the adults, a really cool frame that displayed old timey candy bags and-- you've gotta love this-- a table decorated with spooky stuff, including a copy of "The Exorcist." Now that is funny!

Of course, the focus of it all was the big basket filled with not just full-sized candy bars, but KING sized. Nice, right? He let the Sugar Baby take not one, not two, but THREE candy bars. He picked a Hershey bar, a Snickers and a bag of Skittles.
We talked a bit and then it was back in the car to drive home and contemplate what the night would bring. The Sugar Baby took a brief snooze in the car after all the exercise and candy.

By the time 6 o'clock rolled around, I was wiped out, but I saw some of the neighbors put their lights on. People were posted frantically on Facebook: "Are you going out tonight?" "Who's trick-or-treating?" "You can't cancel Halloween!"
So Mr. Goodbar and the Sugar Baby headed out into the vast unknown while I stayed behind to hand out full-sized Twix. One gaggle of teenagers nearly wiped out my full supply.
An hour later, the crew returned with a bucket brimming with candy. We dumped it out and began the ritual sorting.
As you can see, there wasn't anything particularly unusual, except for the Toy Story notebook. What was surprising was the absence of certain candies. No Smarties! No Necco Wafers! No pennies! The selection was kind of disappointing, really. I mean, it's great that he got such an abundance of top-tier candy bars, but it's nice to have a little variety.

All in all, it was the weirdest Halloween ever. Some kids went out, others waited until the rescheduled Halloween that took place this past Saturday. (Friends are reporting that it was just creepy. Desolate streets and hardly a spooky Halloween atmosphere.) Let's hope the rescheduling of Halloween never happens again.

And oh, as far as Father John, his Halloween wish came true! He had 262 trick-or-treaters and he had to run down to the corner gas station to get more candy. Now that's some Halloween spirit!

Addendum: Best Chocolates with a Conscience

The Necco Door Neighbor left a comment the other day saying that she had ordered several boxes of John & Kira chocolates as Christmas presents for friends. I realized that I inadvertently left John & Kira's off of my 2010 Year in Review and they so deserve a place in the spotlight.
As you may recall, Father John gave me a box of John & Kira's chocolates at Halloween. Not only are they really delicious, but they also get props for using ingredients like honey and fruits from small farms, mint from student gardeners and coffee from farmers using sustainable practices. So John & Kira's, you get the "Best Chocolates with a Conscience" award.
If you check out their website now, you'll see that they're having a sale on some of their items. I love the raspberry and mint ladybugs. If I wasn't already stocked up on chocolates, I'd be tempted to order some for myself.

John & Kira's Chocolates: A Heavenly Gift

An attractive half-empty box because I couldn't control myself

I love that Father John and I have this Halloween tradition. The Sugar Baby grabs a full-sized Snickers out of the basket (which has mysteriously disappeared; I don't know where it could have gone) and I give Fr. John some of the latest candy that I've found. Then he hands me something super-fantastic, something that blows me out of the water and puts my puny candy to shame. I'll comfort myself by thinking he has divine intervention on his side.
In any case, this is what he gave me this year:
John & Kira's chocolates.
The box contained an assortment of beautifully glossy, thin squares. An accompanying taste guide tells you which piece is which flavor by the design on top. Of course, I didn't realize that until after I had my first piece.
For my second piece, I chose the Drew Elementary Garden Mint. The description: "fresh cream infused with just-picked garden mint from Urban School Garden programs."
Very cool. It turns out these chocolates are made with ingredients from small farms, fair-trade cooperatives and, like the mint, school gardens.
I expected to bite into this and get a big bang of mint, like every other mint chocolate out there. When you have a mint chocolate, you know it.
But this was different. My first thought was, "Oh, I took the wrong chocolate." But then I double-checked and yes, the # on top of the chocolate denoted the mint. So I took another nibble and aha! The mint was there, it was just--get this--subtle! It wasn't "MINT!!!!!" It was *mint*. The main flavor was dark chocolate, but lingering beneath the surface was the taste of real mint, like peppermint tea. Then I tried the raspberry, expecting it to be a big sour burst of fruit. Instead it was just a light, fresh berry taste. These chocolates are a great example of artificial vs. natural flavor. We're so used to artificial "BIG" flavor that it's surprising when we actually experience the real thing.
I used these chocolates as incentive to write my daily 1,667 words for NaNoWriMo. Of course, Mr. Goodbar sniffed them out and had to try them, too. I hate sharing my chocolate, but in the spirit of all this good will, I figured I should just bite my tongue and let him have a taste.

Was the Trick-or-Treat Record Broken?

Want to know how Father John did this year in the Great Trick-or-Treat Count 2010? Click here for my update. (Spoiler alert: If they only came two-by-two.)

Happy Halloween Yumsters!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

May your night be full of scary sweetness!
How much candy do you think "The World" will be able to cull in an evening? Our plan is to start out early and finish late.
In the meantime, on this Halloween morn, you can read my article about Father John and the full-sized candy bars here.
Be safe everyone, and be sure to send me a note with any unusual, exciting or strange candy that you get this year!

Halloween Post-Mortem

Oh, the irony that is November. Here I am, with a house stocked full of candy and so much to write about and review, and yet I have so little time. I'm doing NaNoWriMo again, so I'm pretty much a walking zombie.
But here's a few tidbits of what's been going on at the House of Yum:

1) The Sugar Baby has this thing where, when he's eating a group of candies, say a handful of M&M's or a box of Dots, he holds onto the last piece and calls it "the secret candy."
2) Despite the fact that he has (had) about 20 pounds of delicious Halloween candy, he discovered a bowl of nasty old candy up in my painting studio. This is the candy that I use as still lifes for my art work. He became fixated with this candy and 1) ate a bunch of the old Necco Conversation Hearts even though I told him they were gross and old and not to do that and 2) decided he wanted to "Paint candy" like his mommy, only he didn't want to paint pictures of candy, he wanted to paint the actual candy. You know what they say: pick your battles. So I let him paint the Dum Dums and Red Hot Dollars with stinky tempera paint and then we did "candy prints" on paper. The results were less than dramatic, so they won't be shown here.

As far as I'm concerned, I felt like I needed to start working on some of the candy I got during the Great New York Candy Extravaganza, so I opened up the little chocolate square I got at Masthiashop. Here's what I'll say about it: if it was the only candy in the house, I'd eat it. But with the box of truffles from Father John just sitting on my desk, waiting to be devoured, I couldn't bring myself to waste the calories on the Masthia chocolate. I threw out half of it and instead had a dark chocolate orange truffle which was fantastic.

Halloween '09: What Dressing Like a Fly Agaric Mushroom Will Net You

It took me a whole day to recover, but I think it's safe to say that I survived Halloween '09. First stop: Father John's for the difficult decision of which full-size bar to take. (It just occurs to me that Father John looks a lot like Ricky Gervais.)
Actually, the Sugar Baby had no trouble deciding. He went straight for the Almond Joy, which was the same one he picked last year, despite the fact that he has no idea what it is.
I brought Father John a box of Chocorooms; I felt like he needed to experience the sheer bliss of these little delights. I hope he likes them as much as everyone else did.
But check out what he gave me: a box of melt-in-your-mouth truffles from Hauser Chocolatier in Bethel, CT. I mean, seriously, it gets no better than this.
We trick-or-treated around my parents' neighborhood for about an hour (Bazooka Betsy and Uncle Crabby joined us in the fun). I was surprised at how many people offered full-sized bars this year. At first the Sugar Baby was all hesitant to pick a piece of candy, but by the end of the night he was going for the one-two grab.
We've spent the past two days sorting through all the candy, lining them up, mixing and matching. So far he's loved everything he's had. But the most exciting piece to him was the Starlight Mint. "I got a peppermint!" he yelled. This most precious of candies remains uneaten. He simply looks at it.
More details to follow.

Countdown to Halloween '09: Father John is on the Scene

Verily, I say unto thee ... who's cooler than Father John? Seriously folks, this is what I'm talking about. As you know from previous years, the Sugar Baby and I have a rigid Halloween schedule. There's the trick-or-treat downtown during the day and then neighborhood trick-or-treating at night. This year there's the library party and the preschool parade, too. (Yes, of course I signed up to bring in the Halloween snack.)
But the holiday just wouldn't be the same without a visit to Father John. (For an update, here's 2008, and 2007 and more 2007.) So as I was planning this year's schedule, it occurred to me: Halloween is on a Saturday night. But Mass is also said on Saturday night. Panic struck! Would Father John be giving out candy this year? If so, would it only be after Mass (too late for us to stop by)? Would we miss our annual visit to Father John and his basket o' full-sized candy bars?
As fate would have it, my mother told me to go to the church's website and read this week's bulletin. Here you go:

"On a completely different note, next Saturday is
the Eve of All Saint's Day, Halloween! Sometimes
you read an article that condemns this holiday as a
glorification of the darker aspects of the pagan realm.
To be honest, I really don't think most people take
that route. From my side of the trick-or-treat door, I
see a lot of fun family activity as Moms and Dads
prowl the nighttime streets with the kids of their
neighborhood in search of that key element of the
Halloween experience: CANDYBARS!
Candybars---full size, top tier---are what will
given out from the rectory door next Saturday. Last
year we broke a record with over 160 kids (....and
one dog.....or someone in a really good dog costume....).
With Halloween falling on a Saturday, I
hope we can smash that record like an old pumpkin!
Let's try for 200! Spread the word, bring your
friends! A giant basket of candy awaits the ghastly
and ghoulish and masked and marvelous!"

Hooray! Halloween is saved! But on a more serious note, I really like what he said. Some religious groups condemn Halloween as an evening of evil, but honestly, look at it for what it is. Just like Father John said, it's a night for parents to be with their kids and bond over a candy-plundering adventure. Halloween should be heralded for bringing families and neighborhoods together. How often during this day and age do you ever ring your neighbor's doorbell to say hi? (Well, in our case, quite often, especially when there are martinis involved.) But otherwise, most of us just stay locked up in our houses and only walk from the front door to the car. For one night a year, we all break that habit and actually get out there and stroll the streets, greeting people we just usually wave to. (I really think Father John should write an op-ed piece on this. It bears much more weight coming from a member of the clergy.)
Anyhow, just to be safe, I e-mailed Father John and asked him when he planned on manning the big basket of candy. He said he was trying to get another priest to fill in for him so he wouldn't miss any trick-or-treaters. (I didn't know priests could switch shifts like that. I suppose it makes sense.) So I am READY for Halloween! Well, almost anyway. My costume isn't quite finished and-- yikes!-- the Sugar Baby appears to be coming down with a cold. He has six days to recover. Cross your fingers and say a prayer because I will not miss out on Halloween.