Halloween Anecdote

One Halloween when my two oldest were 3 and 4 respectively, I was taking them around the neighborhood for trick or treating. Our neighborhood is a kid's Halloween Nirvana. It's a warren of dead end streets so there's very little vehicle traffic, there are many families so there's lots of kid friendly homes, and the people hand out TONS of candy.

That night, we'd made our way around the neighborhood and were working our way back home. The kids candy baskets were full to the brim. We stopped at a house three doors down from ours where a young couple had just moved in.

As we walked up to the house, we noticed they were sitting out on their stairs. They stood up and the woman, in a syrupy voice, said, "hi kids. Since it looks like you already have lots of treats. We'd like you to do your best trick for us and then we'll give you our treat!"

"Huh?" said the four year old.

"We'd like you to do a trick, then you can have your choice of treats!" she said as she showed a large bowl full of snack sized Snickers Bars.

The three year old looked at her, then down at his full sack of candy, then at his older sister.

"C'mon Steph!" he said as he marched off towards home.

His dumbfounded older sister meekly followed and I, stifling a chuckle, said thanks to the young couple and followed my children home.