Wax Lips, Pixie Stix, and the Magic of Remembering

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Jack-o’-lanterns with real candles inside. Bobbing for apples and hoping to get the one with the quarter.

This morning, as my partner and I talked about getting our Halloween trick-or-treat grab-and-go station ready, along with which candies he’d need to “sample”, we found ourselves skipping down memory lane of Halloweens Past. Want to join us?

Do you remember Hershey bars? Not the classic ones, the dark chocolate ones? (They were always for the older kids.) Staying with chocolate, remember Ice Cubes? Nestle's Crunch?

How about flying saucers, those wafer candies that were sandwiched together with candy beads inside? I don’t understand why I liked them, well, maybe I do; they were pretty cool.

Then there were the candy buttons, those colorful dot candies stuck to paper. Go figure. But they were fun too. But my particular favorites were Pixie Stix, Smartees, and SweetTarts. Not everything had to be chocolate.

Things were different then, with candy cigarettes a particular kid favorite. It seemed that we all had a relative who smoked; thank goodness that’s changed.

Then there were the classics: Tootsie Rolls and their cousin, Tootsie Roll pops. Mary Janes. Necco Wafers. Charms lollipops.

And then there were those oddball favorites like wax lips. And the nameless peanut butter kisses in orange and black wrappers that no one seemed to like but were a Halloween staple. And don’t forget candy corn and those little buttercream pumpkins.

We didn’t worry about ingredients (well, I'm sure my mother did). It was a special day for treats, and we just went for what tasted good. And, generally, it was everything.

And now, decades later, here we are, setting up our grab-and-go station and reminiscing about quarters in apples and other sweet thoughts. The costumes may be different from when I debuted as Snow White, and the candy options (somewhat) healthier, but there’s still that childlike thrill of October 31 magic.

So, here’s to the Great Pumpkin, to Cut Rite wax paper bags filled with harvest mix, to the quiet joy of remembering. And don’t forget to sneak one or two from the Treat bowl before the kids arrive — I’d suggest you go right for your favorite. That’s just part of the tradition.

Happy Halloween!