Good morning Everyone!
Halloween marks the official start of “Candy Season.” Candy Season runs from October 31 (Halloween) until Easter Sunday every year, and I have a love/hate relationship with it.
Granted, I like candy (at least chocolate candy) as much as the next person, but for the five or six months between Halloween and Easter we are inundated with it. It seems to be a required part of almost every celebration during the next five or six months – except for Thanksgiving, but even then, pie or cake of some kind is required.
Certain ethical questions impose themselves upon the arrival of Candy Season – is it really evil to go through your child’s Halloween candy and pick out all of the Three Musketeers and Hershey bars and eat them before she can? Surely it can’t be that bad! Besides, what else would I do with the extra hour between her bedtime and mine? Does Kayla really need the entire chocolate Santa that appeared in her stocking or chocolate bunny that appeared in her Easter basket? Aren’t I really doing her a favor, saving her all those extra calories and at least one sugar rush if I go ahead and eat at least part of it?
There is an internal struggle to Candy Season as well. This conversation occurs more often than I would care to admit.
Sweet Tooth Self: Did you know there is candy in the house?
Healthy Self: You don’t need candy. Have an apple.
Sweet Tooth Self: Did you know there is candy in the house?
Healthy Self: Well, it’s not chocolate; you know you don’t like any of those other kinds of candy. Have an apple.
Sweet Tooth Self: There is to chocolate. I buried it in the bottom of the candy jar so Kayla and Mark wouldn’t find it.
Healthy Self: That was last month, and you have pretty well demolished all of that chocolate you put back. Besides, they’re getting suspicious – it’s hard for them to miss the fact that they haven’t been able to find any chocolate since before Halloween. Have an apple.
Sweet Tooth Self: I’ll show you! (Proceeds to candy dish). See, I told you there was a mini-Snickers bar left in there!
Healthy Self: Show off! Have an apple.
Sweet Tooth Self: But that’s a mini-Snickers bar!
Healthy Self: Well, we are supposed to have nuts as part of a healthy diet….
Sweet Tooth Self: I told you!
Healthy Self: Eat it quickly. Then we’ll give Kayla the apple. We want to keep her healthy, after all!
Have a great day everyone!
Nancy
Tales from the Mom-Side 
My sweet tooth know my name calling: K’Mere Susie
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Thank you! I needed them!
I have a sweet tooth! Candy is my vice! It travels to my hips as I look at it! I also have to confess I just had a bag of swedish berries as I read this post 🙂
Hmmmm ….. What about cake? I find that cake travels to my hips as I look at it, also. By the way, what are swedish berries?
Nancy, some of your posts sound so much like me, it is scary! Are you the twin I never knew I had? 🙂
Apparently, some of the things I share are universal; I’ve had someone else ask that question before! I guess that means we might be triplets?
Oh my. I’m with you on this. After my daughter went to bed last night, I struggled against the sweet tooth self, but lost and ate two pieces from the plastic pumpkin in our refrigerator (here, you need to keep anything sugary in the refrigerator). I never thought about this stretch of time, but you are right. Halloween to Easter are tough times.
Only two pieces? That’s pretty good! I admire your self restraint. 🙂
Your healthy self should offer more variety Nancy. Apples are great but can they really compete with chocolate candy? No contest 🙂
Yes, but realism in writing demanded that I think of a fruit that normally would be available in my refrigerator, and apples are about it. They keep longer than anything else!