Spooktacular Halloween Treats

There’s something magical about Halloween night. It’s the one night of the year when the neighborhood comes together, with kids running from house to house chasing the ultimate treat—candy.

Halloween has roots dating back centuries to the European custom of “souling,” a tradition that served as a time to remember the dead. Groups of people went door to door singing songs and offering prayers in exchange for a small treat.

The Halloween we know and love today began to take shape after World War II when sugar rationing ended, the baby boom began, and new suburban neighborhoods started to pop up. Today, Halloween is a $13 billion industry that includes costumes, home décor, and of course, candy.

Stock Up on Treats

When a trick-or-treater knocks on a door, they are always delighted to receive candy. Whether your household hands out full-size candy bars or brings out a bowl filled with an assortment of sweets for kids to choose from, there’s excitement.

This year, we’re anticipating some new trends, which trick-or-treaters are sure to love:

• Many traditional favorite candies are now available in festive new shapes and packaging, including skull-shaped Twix, pumpkin-shaped Snickers, and Count & Witch Kit Kats.

• When stocking your candy bowl, consider a mixture of one or two classics, something sour, and a trending TikTok-style treat such as freeze-dried candy.

• You can never go wrong passing out full-sized candy bars. Kids will spread the word quickly, so be prepared. Some of the most popular choices are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, M&M’s, Kit Kat, and Twix.

Sweet Celebrations

Halloween falls on a Saturday night this year, making it the perfect opportunity to host a party or attend one. Here are some creative ways to incorporate candy into your holiday celebration.

• Build a sweet but spooky-themed charcuterie board. Arrange four to five different types of candy on a board and add fun accessories such as miniature skeleton hands, grave signs, or skulls for a haunting touch.

• Use candy as your table décor. Fill mini black cauldrons, beakers, test tubes, or pumpkin buckets with Halloween-themed candies in shades of orange, yellow, purple, black, or brown. Think candy corn, jelly beans, or individually wrapped candies.

What happens when you have leftover candy on Nov. 1? There are plenty of local organizations that collect and donate to deployed troops, veterans, and families. Check out Soldiers’ Angels, Operation Shoebox, and Ronald McDonald House.

Kim Severino, a Bucks County resident, is the owner of Candy Nation. Her website, candynation.com, offers over 3,000 different candies, including hard-to-find retro candy, for consumers and businesses across the United States and Canada.

Photograph courtesy of Candy Nation