I tried to go last year without having any, but I couldn't do it. The bags with spooky ghosts and pumpkins called to me, especially when they were marked down the day after Halloween. But there is something special when you pull out a piece of candy from a pillowcase or from inside a plastic pumpkin.
Although I would be considered too old to trick or treat, but still considered a child, I had to find an excuse to gallivant the streets this Halloween. Luckily, I have two nieces who are small (3 and 1) and have a great sister-in-law who invited my boyfriend and I along. We traveled up to Evanston, just north of Chicago, to find a kid-friendly neighborhood and bundle up for our adventure.
After each and every house my niece ran down the sidewalk and shouted "They gave me candy!" as if it was the biggest surprise. She's been trick-or-treating, but the miracle that these strangers will give you something sweet and special makes it different each time. They smile in their costumes or hold out their bowls. Even a little baby in a ladybug costume let us pick from her bowl at one house.
The community in gathering candy and the excitement from the children must infuse the candy with some kind of special sweetness, because each time I pull out a bite-sized Milky Way or Snickers I feel like the world is perfect. Sharing the candy makes it special too. My niece let me share her lollipop and was thrilled to see my reaction to it and compare it to her own. My boyfriend gets excited when I place a piece of candy on his keyboard while he works on homework or plays video games.
These little pieces of candy may be sweeter than any other bag we buy year round, because of that special holiday magic. Oh yes, Christmas isn't the only holiday filled with magic - although this kind might include more witches brew and creepy skeletons.
So don't feel bad as you bite into that piece of candy, enjoy it and think spooky thoughts before we get swept up in the coming winter holidays.
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