Trick AND Treat

I didn't tell any knock-knock jokes.  I didn't share any dorky puns.  But, I did do a magical Halloween trick: I bought a bag of candy with no chocolate in it.

 In previous years I have purchased bags & bags of candy "for" the trick-or-treaters--with only half of it remaining by the time the small ghosts & goblins arrived at my front door.  Last year, there was so little left from our Costco bag on Beggars' Night that I nearly ran out.  I was sweating it out to 8:00 hoping that we wouldn't end up with mutinous Hannah Montanas demanding candy from the wild eyed woman with wrappers in her hands & chocolate smeared on her face.

I still bought a Costco bag, but this year I flipped the bird to those drug dealers at Hershey & M&M Mars & said hello to the loving folks at Wonka.  Now, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy an occasional box of Nerds or packet of Smarties, but here's the difference: I also enjoy NOT eating those fruity treats.  If there is chocolate in the house, the rest of life stops & there is no enjoyment outside of gorging myself until my blood chocolate content is well above the legal limit.

I tossed fistfulls of fruity treats at my neighborhood children & I know that they were probably a little disappointed by the goods in my basket (I remember sorting through my haul & tossing out the sub-par peanut butter kisses, Almond Joy Bars & Twizzlers).  I'm hoping that maybe their parents are thanking me for being one less piece of chocolate temptation for them to have to withstand.  Regardless, I did it mostly for me.

So, as the Lady Gagas & Harry Potters wandered off into the night, I enjoyed the rest of the evening with my family knowing that I had done something good for all of us.  And then rewarded myself with a Three Musketeers out of Link's bucket.  Just one piece is a whole lot better than just one bag.