Mmmm....Candy

     Halloween is slowly closing in on us and every year I am met with the same conflict.  Do I buy candy that I like or do I buy candy that I don't really like so I won't eat it before Halloween?  The smart version of me chooses the candy I won't be tempted to eat it.  This year, I was smart.  Actually, I went with the plenty pack from Costco that has a couple of candy bars I like, but mostly stuff I don't.   I do this because our first Halloween as a married couple, I had bought candy a couple of weeks early and put it in the cupboard in preparation for Halloween.  Halloween night I got home from work and went to get the candy to give out and it was gone!  I'm not quite sure who ate it, but his name might rhyme with Scott!  We had to leave the house and go out for dinner until all the trick-or-treaters had gone to bed.  Ridiculous.

     I just need to say the chocolate bars in Canada are soooo much better than the ones here in the States. Topping my list of favorites are Crunchie, Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp, Mr. Big, and of course, Smarties!  Smarties are technically not a candy bar, but candy coated chocolate much like a plain M&M, but 1000 times better.  (BTW, for my Canadian friends, the States have their version of Smarties, which are like a super cheap Sweet Tart).  You all from the US might not appreciate Canada's superiority in this area, but it's true.  The only chocolate bar that comes close to our Canadian versions are Symphony bars, preferably the kind with Almonds and Toffee.  Enjoy America,  you have 1.
     Doesn't thinking about candy take you right back to your youth?  Because when you are young, you can eat 5 different candy bars, a bag of licorice and chase it with a soda and you are good. Today, it would put me in a sugar coma and I'd gain 50 pounds.  But when I was growing up in Vancouver, we had a convenience store around the corner from our house called Hardy's that had the greatest candy in the world.  I swear they had every candy known to man and it was such a treat to go to Hardy's and pick out my favorite sugar fix.  I usually would go for the Fun Dip and Bottlecaps.  They also had something called the Ton-o-Gum that was just a big chunk of gum. Fantastic!!  A few years ago I went back to my old neighborhood and to Hardy's and sure enough, it lived up to my memories. There were rows and rows of all different types of candies.  It was amazing!
     When we moved away from that neighborhood we would still go back to get candy.  One time after getting candy one day, we were driving down the road and my sisters, Kerry and Kristi, started fighting.  After telling them to stop a few times, my dad finally lost it, reached back and grabbed both of their bags of candy and threw them out the window.  I was sitting in the back clutching my candy like my life depended on it and keeping my mouth shut.  Kerry started crying that she had all of her money in that bag, so begrudgingly, my dad turned the car around and marched into the median to retrieve her bag, leaving Kristi's candy there.  Talk about tragedy!  I don't think Kristi ever recovered. If you know her, ask her about it. You'll get an earful.
      But everyone has their favorites and their different ways of eating them.  Personally I prefer to let my gummy bears air out and get tough and chewy.  Then, when I eat them, I bite off the ears, hands and feet before eating the body.  It's a bit barbaric, but necessary.  Also, if you go to a movie, put the Milk Duds in the popcorn so you get caramel popcorn bites.  It's divine.  I've heard people do that with Junior Mints too, but it doesn't sound as appealing.  Right now you are probably thinking about your favorite candies and what strange ways you eat them.  It's okay.  We all do it.
     So I've mentioned my favorite candy is Smarties.  Ever since I was a kid, I have loved this candy and when my parents come to visit me they usually bring me a box or two.  A couple of years ago I was surprised on a Saturday evening by my friend Christy from High School.  We hadn't seen each other in years and she was visiting Utah with her family.  Seeing her was such a big surprise and we talked and laughed like old times.  And, being the true friend that she was, she brought me a huge Costco pack of Smarties!  I was so excited.  After she left, every time my family or I ate the Smarties, I thought of Christy and her generosity.  What an amazing friend!  I was shocked a few months later when I found out that Christy had passed away from cancer.  I am sure that during the time of our visit she knew her time here was drawing to a close, but she didn't say a word.  Her visit was all about surprising me and doing something nice for me.  I miss her and will never enjoy another box of Smarties without thinking of her and her big heart.
     So as you go to the store to purchase your Halloween candy which do you choose?  Are you giving away your favorites or not allowing yourself to be tempted into eating all your loot before you give it out?  Either way, enjoy it and enjoy your memories of your favorite sugary treat.  I know I will.