Friday, October 31: So Nicki and I will be taking our three children to our local church for its annual Harvest Festival, which is something we feel more comfortable with.
This whole Halloween thing has gotten out of hand. Can you imagine what a moneymaker Halloween has become for the nation’s candy makers—as well as your family dentist? This is what’s scary . . . the candy-palooza of Snickers, Milky Ways, Almond Joys, Butterfingers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&Ms, Gummy Bears, Tootsie Rolls, and Hershey Kisses that get dropped into youngsters’ pillow cases.
Halloween candy sales are expected to top $2 billion this year, or an average of $14.41 per household, according to people who track these things. Nearly three-fourths of American households will parcel out candy tonight to costumed trick-or-treaters.
The Rubins will be among the minority who won’t be handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. One, we’ll be gone from our home, and two, even if we handed out a little baggie of nuts or raisins, they wouldn’t be “factory wrapped,” which means they could be viewed with suspicion by parents. (Unfortunately, in this day and age of tainted candy and razors in apples, parents have to take every precaution.)
So we’re opting out of Halloween, thank you very much. That said, we know that at our Harvest Festival that our son Joshua will still have access to all the sugary candies I just mentioned. Like every other day of the year, we’ll remind him that our family doesn’t eat that junk, and we’ll bring healthy treats with us for Joshua to eat.
No trick for Joshua!