Beech Tree News Network

Next week is Halloween, and I need to buy some candy. For this holiday, candy will be the only Halloween-related item on my shopping list. I’m not buying a costume, and my fall decorations are in place. Do I like Halloween? It may not be my favorite holiday; but, since my grandchildren enjoy it, I enjoy it, too. As Erma Bombeck said, “A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween” (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/halloween.html).

My sister (who resides in another county) normally has between 200 and 400 trick-or-treaters. The first year that we lived in Morgantown (30+ years ago), we lived on North Main Street. After the first trick-or-treater came, I just stood at the front door. We had a constant flow of trick-or-treaters. Since I had never experienced that number of little ghosts and goblins, I was shocked. I soon ran out of candy and had to turn off the porch light.

I asked friends and family how much money they normally spend on Halloween treats they intend to give away. Their responses are below:
•    I give out candy for my employer. Since I don’t have visitors at my house, I don’t buy Halloween candy.
•    We never have any trick-or-treaters. I spend a little on the grandkids.
•    I don’t give out candy that night because we are busy trick or treating. But, I have Halloween candy in the house the whole month, and I probably spend at least $30 on that. But, I spend another $20 or so on candy for school. Too much!
•    I’m usually not home for trick-or-treaters, but I buy candy for my son’s classroom, probably $30.
•    Less than $100, I think. I’m not really sure. I buy for 200-400 trick-or-treaters and usually fix some special bags for Sunday School kids and some of my great-nieces and -nephews. It adds up quickly. I also buy some pumpkins, mums, and scarecrows, so I guess that I spend too much.
•    Not a lot. I can’t buy it beforehand – my husband eats it all. We don’t have a lot of trick-or-treaters anyway.
•    $20-$50.
•    Too much. Probably $15-$20. I found some coupons and watched for sales. Where I live, you turn on the porch light. No light, they pass you by. Seems to work. When I run out of treats, I just turn off the light.
•    We live too far out for trick-or-treaters. So, we spend around $1,000 on candy for ourselves!
•    Well, I spend about $10 now. We have hardly any kids in the neighborhood, and so many activities are provided at churches and the mall that we only have about a dozen kids coming by. So, I eat whatever is left.
•    Usually about $25.
•    $40.

Even though Halloween is definitely commercialized, I believe it’s primarily about having fun. As Judy Gold said, “Halloween is an opportunity to be really creative” (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/halloween.html). So, on Halloween, I will praise the innovative ghosts’ and goblins’ costumes and creatively try to avoid eating the candy.