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| Last years Halloween Candy. Reese's-overall favorite, KitKat-Montana's favorite, and Tootsie Rolls--New Hampshire's favorite |
The results showed a wide variety of preferences but basically chocolate and sour candies predominated. The exception to this was candy corn which as the most picked candy with five states choosing it. And what I found very interesting was some candies that one group may consider the "yucky" candies such as candy corn, Sweet Tarts, and Laffy Taffy were top picks for others.
A couple of states stood out to me. Arizona's choice was Toblerone bars. Wow, Swedish chocolate for Halloween? That seemed kind of fancy to me to give out in numbers, but maybe there's some kind of history to that that I don't know. West Virginia's choice was Oreos. They were the only state that chose cookies. Not sure where this comes from either. I never got any Oreos in my bag when I was growing up there and I don't think my mother has ever handed any out. But times do change.
According to the survey, if I want to give out the favorite candy in Maryland, I need to get some Almond Joys. But first I have to figure out the age old question? Do I want to give out a candy I like so I can enjoy the leftovers? (That would certainly be Almond Joys or most other kinds of chocolate). Or do I give out something I don't like so I won't eat the leftovers (That would be Whoppers--Kentucky's favorite .) I think the answer to this question will probably be determined by how hungry I am when I go shopping Halloween morning.
What kind of candy do you like? What's your candy buying strategy?
Ha! Well, apparently I'm a Colorado girl through and through because Milky Ways are at the top of my list!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe some of the things people chose though... candy corn? seriously? Yuck! And I've never even heard of some of them... Laffy Taffy? Nerds? Swedish Fish?
Anyhow, I'm grinching it again this year... my excuse is that I don't want to torment the cats - either the inside or the outside ones, but I'm also just unable to resist the temptation and I know if I have the candy around I'll eat enough to give myself a migraine. Plus, I'm still just pissed on principle about people driving their kids around to trick-or-treat... it just seems wrong to me... and when they literally have pillow cases full of candy, I don't think they really need any more from me.
When I was a kid, we always had LOTS of Trick-or-Treaters at our house. That was because we lived in town and people from the country brought their kids to town because the houses were too far apart where they lived. However, I remember my mother complaining about the full pillow cases just like you are. She also complained about the "kids" over 6' tall with facial hair.
DeleteWhere I live now, the houses are further apart than other nearby neighborhoods, so we don't get many kids that don't live here. I'm happy to buy for them, but I have cut back on what I buy, so there won't be many leftovers. I too have no will power when it comes to sweets.
On Halloween, I think you and Catman should watch a scary movie and treat your kitties with some special treats. :)
Ha! I too get the trick-or-treaters who are taller than I am, dressed like gang members, and look like they're packin' heat! I often wonder if these Halloween thugs are even wearing a costume or if that's just who they are. Seriously, there are actual adults who come around not wearing costumes or anything - I think these might be homeless people with mental issues. And don't EVEN get me started about the Halloween apps that tell people where the best neighborhoods are to go - I think mine is on the list which might explain why we get invaded. Anyhow, it's just too crazy for me - last time I counted it was over 300 trick or treaters!
DeleteIf you are in a poorer neighborhood, why would it be a good place to go? Wouldn't you get better candy in more affluent neighborhoods?
DeleteWell, one would think, but remarkably the people in my neighborhood go all out for Halloween. Seriously, there are houses with elaborate lighting displays and it almost seems like a bigger deal than Christmas here! I wonder if it's because there's such a large population of Mexican immigrants, and Day of the Dead is a pretty big deal down in Mexico.
DeletePlus, in a lot of the more affluent neighborhoods of Denver proper there aren't many kids. That's mostly leftover from Denver's days of school integration through busing, which meant that affluent people fled to the suburbs as soon as their kids became school aged. That policy has changed now, but Denver Public Schools still don't have a great reputation, so a lot of the more affluent neighborhood are still pretty sparse in terms of kids.
Hmmm, Air Heads? Really? My kids did get a few air heads over the years, but I wouldn't have chosen that as a favorite.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, my favorite was candy corn and black licorice. I don't think anyone, anywhere gives out black licorice any more.
I changed my candy-handout strategy this year, altogether. I usually go with something chocolatey. This year, I chose to do Skittles, specifically for those kids with peanut or chocolate allergies. I know a couple kids who can't have most of what they get trick-or-treating, because of allergies. So I figure what they get at my house, at least, will be something they can eat. And it doesn't hurt that I don't really care for Skittles, so no temptation to eat them for me.
I was a bit sad when I woke up this morning that we ate our one bag of candy corn already. I am hoping to find some on clearance this next week. I like to put a dish out of candy corn or those mellowcreme pumpkins on the Thanksgiving table.
Candy corn and black licorice?!? I consider it punishment to have to eat either of those... we'd have made great trick or treat partners though - I'd take your skittles and you could have my candy corn and licorice! :-)
DeleteI wondered about Reese's being the favorite candy and the increase in peanut allergies. I just thought that somehow the parents will figure out how to make Trick or Treating safe for their kids.
DeleteI like candy corn, but as I get older, a little bit of that straight sugar and wax goes a long way. Of course, if 5 people were sharing one bag at your house, I don't think anyone got a whole lot.
Cat, too funny! Different tastes, I guess! I still looooove black licorice.
Deletelive and learn, I like Reeses, okay, but I wouldn't put them at the top of my list. However one of my daughters has always loved Reeses. The problem I hear from parents of kids with peanut allergies, is if the allergy is bad enough to need an EpiPen, then eating any chocolate that is prepared in a facility that also does peanuts, could possibly be enough for a bad reaction. So that eliminates a lot of the usual candy bars.
Do you remember getting homemade treats? I can remember getting baggies of home popped popcorn or homemade cookies. I remember one year, we had so many trick-or-treaters that my mom got out the cookie jar, while my dad went to the store to buy more candy, and she ran out, so had to hand out pennies -- back in the day when a penny actually bought a piece of candy. It was okay, back then, to just put an unwrapped cookie into the bag.
I remember an occasional apple or popcorn ball. My mother, always the advocate for more healthful eating, gave out five pennies wrapped together. At one point that could buy a candy bar. But some people only got one penny--older people with pillowcases to name one.
DeleteGood for your mom! We weren't allowed to use pillowcases, as they encouraged greed, my mother thought.
DeleteI do remember 5 cent Hershey bars. And penny candy. There was an old-fashioned drug store in our area, that was built in the 1930s, I think, and run by the same family, into the 70s. They had a penny candy section. For a treat in summer, my mom would take us there, to have a dish of ice cream, and then she'd go through her change purse and count up the coins and divide by however many kids she had brought with her that day. I specifically remember getting 14 cents, once, and I thought that bought a LOT of candy!
Sixlets were my favorite penny candy. That reminds me--maybe I will find some tomorrow when I go candy shopping. They usually resurface around Halloween.
DeleteI get very few trick or treaters here, and tomorrow night likely will be no exception as heavy rain is predicted. I have failed in efforts to hand out candy twice, because I got candy I liked and ate it all before the trick or treaters came, forcing me to turn out my lights and hide. So now I buy candy about 3:00 p.m. on Halloween. Good sales then too. I love Twix bars and Nestles Crunch bars and Butterfinger.
ReplyDeleteI also love Hot Tamales and Starburst.
DeleteI like Hot Tamales, but don't have them very often. Recently at my vets office they had some little packs of them and I got a couple. They were very fresh and very good. I'm gonna look for some when I shop tomorrow for candy.
DeleteI get a lot of trick or treaters and wait until the day before to buy my candy. I give full size Hershey bars and any leftovers go to the freezer for use in holiday cooking. I am known to the kids in the neighborhood as the "Big Candy Bar Lady" (well at least to the kids who don't live right around me and know me) As our neighborhood changes and more and more young families move in I get to know the new kiddies at Halloween and really do love it.
ReplyDeletePutting candy bars in the freezer would not stop me from eating them. I'm impressed if they last until the holidays.
DeleteAll of us are known as various things throughout life and the "Big Candy Bar Lady" is a pretty good thing to be called. Have fun tonight.
I just sent a bunch of candy to my son, and decided to put a variety of candy in goodie bags for the trick or treaters. (If they are in bags, I won't eat them?) My very favorite candy is a chocolate kiss, but Snickers comes in a close second. :)
ReplyDeleteKisses and Snickers are high on the all time favorite list. I ended up getting Reese's PB Cups and KitKats because I had a coupon for them. Even though I had the coupon on top of the candies, the checker didn't see it and I didn't notice that she hadn't redeemed it until I was in the car. Oh well. I'll have to save a dollar some place else.
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