By Julia Westhoff
I love Halloween. I’m not into costumes, decorations, or the occult – I’m neither crafty or creepy. For me, it’s all about the candy. And the hunt for the perfect Halloween candy is almost as fun as the haul itself.
I’ve got three requirements for the perfect Halloween selection:
- I have to like something (sorry Cherry Mash)
- Olivia has to like something (hello, lollipops)
- It can’t be boring
Truth be told, last year I was sorely, SORELY, disappointed in Olivia’s haul. It consisted of about 80 percent Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (and this was over the course of several Halloween events). And while I’ve never been one to shy away from either of those treats, the lack of candy variety really bummed me out. There were no Pixie Sticks. No Junior Mints. No Butterfingers. Not even the occasional (and obviously unwanted) box of raisins!
I brought this up to some friends the other night (I’m looking at you, Lily and Bryan), and was surprised to hear that they thought it perfectly acceptable to give out boring candy. They turned up their noses at my old favorites, like Dots, and said they’d rather just eat something they liked. I say boo to that.
I want to do my part to bring back the true spirit of Halloween. So this year, the girls and I carefully made the rounds at all of the local grocery stores to check out their selections. I was highly pleased to see HyVee carrying mini Charleston Chews. The Hen House got points for carrying some interesting combo packs and Mike and Ikes. Whole Foods had a small but appetizing selection. Target didn’t seem to have much beyond the basics. And Dean and Deluca had beautiful candy that was out of our price range.
We ended up choosing:
- a variety pack with Milk Duds, Whoppers, Reeses Pieces, and Jolly Ranchers. The bag might have been a little light on the Milk Duds (wink, wink).
- Tootsie Pops. Sadly, I cannot recommend blueberry.
- Laffy Taffy
- Leftover candy from last year. (Note – if you come by our house, avoid the Kit Kats and the Twix).
We all ended up with something we like, while still maintaining the integrity of the Halloween candy spirit.
Now I want to hear from you. What’s your favorite Halloween candy?
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