Maybe it's because Halloween fell on a Wednesday, or because it was cold and rainy tonight, or the other day, the East Coast experienced the worst storm in the history of forever, or maybe it's just because I live in the country, but I experienced an all-time low in trick-or-treaters since I moved to my present house.
Back in the house we used to live in, we got no trick-or-treaters. I used to buy bags of candy from Sams Club and put on the porch light, in anticipation of trick-or-treaters, since we lived on the main drag between Gold and Genesee. But we had a few things going against us back then. We lived 3 miles from town, we lived right across from a natural food store, and Shane's a dentist. That's like the perfect storm for attracting Zero Trick-or-Treaters. I bet people didn't stop, because they took us to be the kind of people who handed out raisins and toothbrushes. It's okay. That meant I got to eat all those glorious Sams Club-size bags of candy, all by myself.
I thought it'd be different when we moved to our house on the hill! We live in a nice little community now! There were kids around! I'd seen them waiting for the bus, mornings. Our house had a (deserved) reputation for being haunted. The first year we lived here, we had a good bit of trick-or-treaters. They mostly came by car, which is how my sister and I used to trick-or-treat, thanks to our growing up in the country. But that's great! I love trick-or-treaters that come by car!
I think the most trick-or-treaters we ever had was fifteen. To me, that's a "good bit." But of course, I buy my Halloween supplies in bulk from Sams Club and Oriental Trading, as though I live in a McMansion in a neighborhood with a sought-after ZIP code, both at Halloween AND during the Christmas Light Season. Of course, this year, I bought my Halloween supplies in bulk from SmileyCookie.com, because I signed up for Smiley Cookie's emails and found out they had mini Smiley Cookies, individually wrapped and ready to hand out to trick-or-treaters.
Now, I knew that I'd have more cookies than I'd have trick-or-treaters, so I wasn't at all apologetic for stuffing one mini Smiley Cookie in my mouth whole, while clutching another in each hand. I had a whole case of Smiley Cookies! Until I started being able to see the bottom of the case. But I had an email with a discount code, so I did what anyone under the control of a sweet tooth would do: I ordered another case of Halloween Smiley Cookies.
Tonight, I had the pleasure of seeing five trick-or-treaters. My trick-or-treaters got three mini Smiley Cookies each. To put this into perspective, a mini Smiley is about equal to a full-size candy bar. So my trick-or-treaters kind of hit the jackpot. Unless they were hoping for the full-size candy bar. They probably were, weren't they? I'd never heard of a Smiley Cookie until my college friend from St. Marys brought some Smiley Cookies back once, sophomore year. So it's entirely possible that my trick-or-treaters, and my trick-or-treaters that didn't stop this year, thinking they'd be getting the same stress ball, pencil, skull bracelet, skeleton bendy toy and Blake Dentistry toothbrush in a goodie bag that I gave out the last 2 years, just don't understand the magic of a Smiley Cookie, even a mini one, and why it's something to get excited about.
Five trick-or-treaters is better than zero trick-or-treaters, but I think next year, I can do better. I will do better! I'll decorate for Halloween like I mean it! I'll will good weather so I can have Ginger parked out in the front yard, dressed appropriately for a 40-year-old Gremlin on Halloween. I'll get more Smiley Cookies, maybe. Heck, I'll even dress up!
One of these years, I hit the magic mark of 20 trick-or-treaters. One of these years, the kids will find out that even though Shane's a dentist, I'm the one who controls the Trick-or-Treat bowl. They might get a toothbrush (this year, they didn't, because I plum forgot), but I also make sure there's something cool with the toothbrush!
Next year, I'll do better! I promise!!!
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