Trick or Treat . . .

Did you ever do this after a night of Trick or Treating? Dump all the candy on the table and then sort it?

I did.

The Frosted Mini -Wheats were an unusual treat as were the Apple Crisps on the upper left. Someone was way ahead of their time when it came to handing out healthy snacks. All the candy in the lower left side of the picture was for trading, especially the suckers that were just like the ones the doctor handed out when I was a kid . . . the kind with the loop handle so you didn't hurt yourself if you fell while eating your lollipop. That little loop was supposed to act like a miniature airbag as your face met the concrete.

Jellybeans were also low on the list. Those were for Easter and seemed like an odd choice for Halloween candy especially if they were black and orange which meant that one of them was licorice flavor. . . which is pretty much the grossest flavor in all the land. The chocolate was golden and a very valuable trading commodity. Too bad we can't use it to boost the economy. I'll trade all my M&M's for your country and throw in a Snickers Bar in good faith. I think I just solved all of our problems.

Word on the street was that the guy two streets over who drove a "Roach Coach" was handing out full size candy bars. There was a line forming at the first hint of dusk just to get one of those prized candies. A full size candy bar meant that you hit the Halloween Jackpot. It gave you bragging rights for weeks at school. A kids popularity and wealth at school the next day was determined by the size of the candy bars they received on Halloween night. You came from a rich neighborhood if you scored more than one. Giant Tootsie Rolls did not count. Nobody would admit getting one of those. They looked too much like, you - know - what.

One thing missing from this picture is the homemade "Popcorn Ball" our neighbor, Mrs. Jones made for the neighborhood kids every year. She would hand them out like they were the golden ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Corn syrup was the main ingredient in Mrs. Jones scrumptious special treats. My teeth stuck together like they were in a vice-grip after the first bite and it took until Thanksgiving to separate them. My guess is that she made them so she could have a moments peace from all the kids on the block screaming like wild banshees up and down the street every Saturday morning while we played. If you saved the Popcorn Ball long enough it made an excellent baseball. If it was hot outside the ball would stick to the bat like flypaper. Ah, memories.

Do you remember what your favorite Halloween Candy was when you were a kid?