Jason and I (and Lucy) were recently in New Jersey for some speaking programs. During our visit, we happened to pass a home that was all decked out for Halloween. Now, I’m not talking about a simple jack-o-lantern and a ghost hanging in the tree. They may have put a second mortgage on their home to finance this yard project. (Don’t lose your home this Halloween!) We’re talking at least 35 stand-up characters: Hannibal Lecter, Freddy Krueger, Chucky, and dozens of witches, mummies, and overall scary fellows. They had smoke machines, spooky lighting, and cobwebs. It looked more impressive than the haunted house at Disney World. Clearly, they were seriously in love with Halloween!
We have a theory here that Halloween is the one holiday that adults are given permission to have some serious fun. There’s no added stress due to gift buying, cookie making or travel. Halloween brings out the kid in all of us. On October 31st, it’s not uncommon to be driving down the freeway and look over to find a werewolf (or Napoleon Dynamite!) driving in the Subaru next to you. If you happen to work at a place that encourages costumes, you are a lucky duck! Heck, we weren’t even allowed to dress up towards the end of my Kindergarten teaching career because it might offend someone! Don’t even get me started on that!
So, here’s an idea to make this Halloween the best one since you were in third grade — guaranteed.
Raid your local candy shop!
How does this work? Well, it’s kind of like trick-or-treating except you bring your wallet and pay for what you take. Set a budget going into it and then go crazy filling your bucket with your sweet favorites! Jason and I did this a few years ago at a very fun candy shop in Monterey, CA. We had a blast picking out candies that we hadn’t eaten in years, along with the favorites that we can’t resist (3 Musketeers – Love ’em!). There’s a certain childlike giddiness you get when you give yourself permission to pick out whatever you’d like. It’s kind of like cheating during trick-or-treating because you don’t have to be stuck with the popcorn ball or the orange circus peanuts. (Seriously, does ANYONE like those?)
Once you’ve spent your dough and are sufficiently salivating for sweets, exercise one of the best parts of being an adult – the freedom to eat as much candy as you want. Go nuts. Eat and eat. No one is telling you that you can’t. It’s all part of the fun.
Try it out this year and let us know how it goes!
If every idea I had looked like THIS light bulb, I’d do lots more thinking!
I agree whole-heartedly with you on this thought today…we should TREAT ourselves…and Halloween is just a good excuse to do that!
I enjoy reading your blog!
I have 2 comments on those orange circus peanuts. 1. When I was growing up in La Salle, Illinois, my grandma always had a bag of those laying around. Now I’m going back about 45 years ago. So this candy treat has been around for a while. My grandma loved them. Every Saturday afternoon we would go to her house and pick up fresh baked bread. She always offered us circus peanuts. In the cooler time of the year they were OK. However, in the heat of the summer, before AC, lets just say they “grew” together in the plastic bag. They could have been the first attempt at eatable play doh!
2. I would check with your niece Kerrigan. I think she loves them!
I think that the candy in the light bulb is a bright idea. Is something like that available?
Every Halloween I get myself psyched up for “The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.” It was on just last night, and I could hardly wait till it started. I was so gitty, sitting with my little boys, just absorbed by the fantasy of the cartoon. All of the Charlie Brown’s are just great. Get ready for more as the holiday’s roll out!