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Halloween-candy faves

Andria
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Halloween candy

SPOOKY Kids and grownups alike get swept up in the Halloween candy craze. (Illustration: behance.net/runamokstudios)

Years ago, when I first started writing for The Buzz, I was visiting with some friends, telling them about what I was doing. I stumbled around for a minute until Peta Rubenstein, a friend who already knew the story, chimed in and said, “She writes stories like What’s Your Favorite Halloween Candy and Why.”

Since then, when people ask what I write about, I tell them it’s a lot of What’s Your Favorite Halloween Candy and Why, meaning it’s mostly for fun. But after all that time, I never actually have written about Halloween candy. So I thought we should talk about that, and give Halloween candy the day in The Buzz it deserves.

Come to find out, we’re opinionated when it comes to our treats. And we’re also opinionated about healthy treats: Nobody wants them (okay, one person wanted them). What do we want? Read on!

“Candy corn because it’s only available around Halloween. I loved teaching my kids how to put them on their front teeth like vampire fangs. And no healthy treats!” Linda Elmer

“Maybe a Butterfinger, Almond Joy or M&Ms. I am not giving out healthy treats, but one year I gave out candy and a finger light. They were a hit.” – Wendy Gold

“No healthy treats! Sorting and trading the goodies – some of my best memories.” – Lisa Sheinbaum

“No question: Mini SweetTart rolls! But my favorite candy to hate are those peanut-shaped, tangerine-colored soft candies. Gross! As a kid my brother would steal my Hershey’s and leave me with those disgusting tangerine candies. I actually just bought a pair of workout sneakers that look exactly like the candy, just for the memory!” – Anita Gaylor

“All-time favorite was the little Vita Fresh Orange Juice cups that are plastic and have foil across the top. The owners lived across the street from us. We used to change our costumes three and four times to go back over and over again to get more little cups of orange juice. Second best were the wax harmonicas that we could eat.” – Tevia McLaren

“Halloween is all about Satan, which means I go out and buy the mixed bag of candy that is full of Baby Ruths. I eat them all, hand out the rest and screw the healthy!” – Catharine Faulconer

“Brach’s Pumpkins! Always a happy day when I see them in the store. I shared this love with a childhood best friend and would mail her a bag as a special birthday surprise in February.” – Joan Stedman

“My grandfather had a candy company in San Francisco. When he sold it, he put the money in an educational trust for my two brothers and me. It’s how I got to go to private school and university. Needless to say, I am a fan of candy. My personal favorites are little Snickers and Peanut M&M’s.” – Peggy Haney

“Rice Krispies treats are my fave because they remind me of my childhood when we would run around the cul-de-sacs and knew all the neighbors and who gave out the warm, homemade Rice Krispies treats.” – Heather Herrold

“We buy glow stick neon necklaces for good friends and neighbors and give them with candy. Someone used to give quarters years ago, which my boys really liked!” – Ana Schick

“That’s easy: Baby Ruth, because it has peanuts. Mark votes for candy corn pumpkins: ‘It’s a sphere of sugar. What’s better than that?’ Kevin likes candy corns. Apparently these two men are related!” – Barbara Trautner

“I have passed out healthier options like popcorn or granola bars, but I don’t think they go over well.” – Stuart Hudson

“Those tiny, bite-sized chocolate bars unleash the chocoholic in me with a vengeance. I have tried floating the idea of healthy treats but was met with death threats from my family.” – J.J. Spedale

“Well of course it’s Reese’s peanut butter cups because what could possibly be better than that! Chocolate and peanut butter – two of my favorite foods!” – Tara Mize

“A favorite question! Heath Bars and Dots. Who wants healthy on Halloween when you can do that every other day of the year?” – Bridget Wade

“Healthy? Are you kidding? Some things are sacred.” – Denise Rashti

“Huge popcorn balls were the coveted treat in the 1950s in my hometown, Amarillo. I make them annually with orange and black gum drops inside. Every child should go to bed with chocolate smeared on their face and sugar beads between the sheets!” – Nancy Beck

See Nancy Beck’s popcorn ball recipe here.

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