baker wrote:
> Hahabogus > wrote in
> :
>>
>>>"Jessica V." wrote:

>>I get less and less kids each year, used to buy more and more
>>candy...one year I canvassed the kids to see what they wanted...didn't
>>help still got fewer kids.
>>
>
>
> It's amazing what a difference a half century can make. Back in the mid-
> fifties, before razor blades or needles or poison in apples and candy,
> many houses offered trick or treaters fruit or homemade confections. My
> mother used to make caramel apples rolled in nuts, or popcorn balls, or
> bags of caramel corn. Neighbors used to offer homemade fudge and
> homemade taffy. One elderly lady, who lived far down the street, used to
> decorate her basement like a witch's shack and wear a witch costume. She
> would invite several kids in at a time to bob for apples, and served us
> witch's punch and cookies. In our neighborhood we were encouraged to
> "perform" to win a treat, recite a short verse or sing a halloween song.
> We went up and down the street on our own, just after dark, no fear from
> possible molesters or the like, just goblins. Our costumes were usually
> homemade, too, and often quite elaborate. Masks were often the only
> purchased item we wore. Halloween was a lot of fun!
>
Loose candy corn was a favorite in the 1950/60's, when my children
were small. Now, every piece of candy is securely wrapped.

I have already bought fun sized Milky Ways, Snickers, KitKats,
Hershey's Kisses and Miniatures, Skittles, M & M's, Tootsie Rolls and
Tootsie Roll Pops, as well mini boxes or raisins, for the kids whose
parents do not allow them candies. I will make up sixty little
packages of two or three fun sized candies, one Lollipop and several
kisses and mini tootsie rolls. Once the packages are gone, I will
have the rest of the candies for the stragglers. The children start
coming around five or six and the last ones come around at about eight
o'clock.

For the grown ups who will come with the kids, there will be home
baked chocolate chip cookies. I used to have a pitcher of apple
cider, too, but now there are so many children living in the building,
it is not possible any more.

Some candy goes to the building staff, who like their treats just as
much as the kids.

Halloween is my favorite Holiday.

BTW, there is a small bowl with fun sized candies next to my entrance
door at all times, in case a child comes to see me. ) Most of the
time, my adult friends will eat the stuff. The kids who used to come
and see me when I first moved here in 1977, are all grown up and have
moved away and the new ones do not know me. (