Please note that I am not asking if you are giving out Halloween treats this year-that is another thread.
We have decided that times are tough, life is rough, goodies are scarce…so we are giving out full sized candy bars to make up for it. Rollos, Caramellos, Whatchamacallits and 3.5 ounce Toblerones. I look at those tiny miniature individually wrapped bits of candy usually given out, and I have to say that “Fun” is not the first “F” word that springs to mind.
I’m giving out big candy bars because (a) the kids like them, (b) it’s about the same amount of candy as if they take three small bars anyway and (c) they sell the boxes at Costco where I make a weekly trip.
I also grabbed a big box of fruit snack packets. In previous years, those have done surprisingly well with a lot of kids opting to grab a couple packets instead of a candy bar.
I always overpurchase for the number of kids we get but just leave the extras (candy & fruit snacks) at the local micro-pantry.
I, too, grabbed a box of the 30-count full-sized bars from Costco (Kit-Kat, Hershey Bar, Hershey Bar w/almonds, Reese cups). Then I thought maybe 30 was too few for our neighborhood, so I grabbed a second one.
I totally agree that “fun size” candy is waaay too small now. And if you get the tiny fun size (or the bags that include individual Starburst and Jolly Rancher), the kids deserve to grab a handful, but it’s too hard to make sure you have enough “handfuls” for everyone. And I’m not keen on eating a bunch of Starburst and Jolly Ranchers and teeny tiny Three Musketeer morsels if they’re left over.
So, big bars from me. Not the most exciting big bars but hey, it makes me feel good at least.
Oh, I did a ToT event last night at our high school. I searched Wal Mart for what I thought was the best deals and I found a box of 40 Fun Dips which looked pretty substantial, for a decent price, so I got those for the event. I think a pouch of Fun Dip is a way better deal than a tiny single Reese’s Cup.
Payday, Reese’s bats (huge bag, 36 oz?), and a third big assortment bag with Snickers and a couple others. The weather looks awesome today and I hope to get out of work a couple hours early to give it all away.
“Take three.”
As my neighborhood reaches advanced age, the number of trick-or-treaters decreases. There’s 4 houses for sale around me, so it goes dark, so fewer kids expected. I bought a 48-count box of full-sized snickers, and a 36-count of full-sized Twix. Two for each kid.
My neighborhood is usually busy on Halloween, and the bags of candy at the store seem smaller anymore. I bought 11 bags, featuring miniature sized Hershey bars, Twix, Snickers and Reeses.
I may, or may not have leftovers.
I forgot this from recent years and have also seen big packs of TTs skip my street or even turn back halfway up the block, apparently since it’s darker or less obvious participation from Ebenezer next door.
Yeah, as far as participation goes, I used to be a kid, and I used to bring a pillow case for a bag. There is no way I am not handing out candy.
The wife skipped town, and left enough treats to put all the neighborhood into insulin shock.
But she also bought Halloween-themed pencils, crayons and tiny skull-shaped notebooks.
So I’ve put those in a separate basket, and I think I’ll say “Okay, if you take two from the ‘Pathetic Excuse For A Treat’ basket, then you can take three Actual Treats. how does that sound?”
She was smart enough to buy stuff we wouldn’t mind eating throughout November. Maybe I’ll hide some of the Peanut M&Ms…
I have a box of full-sized Sour Punch straws. If those run out, which they won’t even approach, I have a personal stash of of Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews I can give out. Supposed to be good weather, a little breezy but in the high 40’s so I expect more trick or treaters than usual, but “usual” is usually about a half dozen kids that all come in just two groups. Anticipating about double that.
We give out the Welch’s or Mott’s fruit snacks. They’re basically gummy candy, and the kids seem to love them.
I live in a walkable (though isolated) neighborhood of about 50 houses in a rural area. I’m expecting between 100-300 kids, so parents must be bringing kids here from other surrounding areas.
I therefore get several big boxes of the fruit snacks from Costco or BJ’s.
I should’ve mentioned the weather. Traditionally here in Baja Canada, kids trick or treat with puffy jackets and hats obscuring their costumes (“It’s me, Superman… Can’t you see an inch of cape showing?”).
But this year it’s 50º American! I might even hang out on the porch to greet/scare the kids!
3.25 oz cups of shelf-stable chocolate pudding. The kids like them; they’re impractical to eat before the kids get home; and I tell myself the pudding is a step away from candy toward food. What’s not to like?
In past years I gave out packets of microwave popcorn. Also good, but slightly more expensive.
Alas, the turnout depends on the weather, which is forecast to be breezy and chilly tonight…
I noticed that when I bought candy last week while grocery shopping. They don’t even tell you how many pieces in the bag! I bought five bags but it didn’t seem like much at all. My wife went out today and bought a few more bags, including a 160 ct. assortment. I’m sure we’ll still run out.
We’ve never had a single trick-or-treater in the 40+ years we lived in out (gated) condo community. Guess no kids have ever wanted to sneak in. And day before yesterday we had Santa Anas, but it’s cooler today.
We went for full size chocolate bars. We bought variety packs from Costco: Cadbury, Nestle, and Mars.
I think you mean ketoacidosis-- that’s what happens when your blood sugar gets dangerously high. Insulin shock is what happens when you have low blood sugar.
We’re giving out baggies full of various small candies. There’s more in each bag than a kid would probably take of their own accord.
Because I was feeling pedantic when I was putting the bags together, I sorted out some of the non-nut containing candy, so I have nut-free bags. Also made a few sugar-free ones with some of my own sugar-free candy I keep around (I have Reactive Hypoglycemia). I didn’t make any special purchases to put them together.
I’ll ask each group if anyone wants no nuts or sugar-free.
I didn’t do dairy-free, but each bag has is at least half dairy-free stuff. They can always swap.
The bags are pretty full. Each one has about enough by weight to be about 1 & 1/2 full-sized bars.
I never did understand either what was fun about a small candy bar that wasn’t fun about a full-sized bar.
Wow. Not as bad as the all-time worst stuff I ever got, and I might have actually liked a skull-shaped notebook, but sheesh.
Still. Not as bad as a religious tract, or a toothbrush.
Lego.
Grandkids love them.
We don’t have Trick-or-treaters. And the grandkids got loads of sweets at the fall festival last night. Tonight it’s the haunted walk and they’ll get a bunch more.
Plenty of candy. I noticed they had a bunch of odd branded candy last night. Not many Reese cups or sweet-tarts.
Small chocolate bars.
Reese’s pieces.
Reese’s mini cups
Reese’s regulars.