Trunk or Treat

I love Halloween! More accurately, I love what Halloween represents: cooling weather, changing leaves, the start of the holiday season. And, you know, it's also nice that there's candy involved.


I had never even heard of a Trunk of Treat until we lived in Germany. Now I'm so hooked on them, it's not funny. (Talk about working smarter not harder.)


So when the Y I sweat away my mornings with announced they were having a fall festival and trunk or treat, I was totally sold. Sign me UP!


Now - how to decorate the trunk? Hmm. Last year we did a pumpkin patch theme and that appealed to my practical and cheap side. Since last year we were in Germany and this year we are not, I figured we could recycle that idea. And then I came up with a small tweak...a pumpkin patch a la It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Who doesn't love Snoopy and friends?

The word at the Y was that 300-400 kids were going to be coming through the trunk or treat line. So I bought what I thought was an over-abundance of candy. I'm pretty sure I had about 12 bags. When the trunk or treat started, I was all giddy and generous with my candy giving. When I had gone through the first half of the candy, I couldn't see an end to the line. So I had to be a bit less generous. And then I ran out and still didn't see an end to the line. One of the Y staffers brought me a couple more bags, and I ran out of that. I got a bag from the wonderful lady beside me, and then ran out of that. Yikes!

One of the worst feelings ever? Having to tell adorable little munchkins that you have run out of candy. I felt like the Grinch who ruined Halloween. The anti Great Pumpkin, if you will. What's worse? The bright lights of Walmart were within viewing distance, taunting me. "Nah nah nah nah nah/we have candy and you don't! Ha hahahahaaaaa!" It was a bit disheartening, actually.

Then one of the Y staffers came by and gave me wristbands to hand out. Woo! Which was better than nothing, but still....who wants a wrist band in this circumstance?! Not the two year olds, that's for sure. Just when I had scoured the car for any single piece of candy I could have possibly dropped or left in the bag, someone came by with a huge bag of tootsie rolls and divided it up between the few of us on my end of the line that were out of candy. Apparently, lots of people ran out. Then we heard that over 550 kids came through the line. I felt a bit better after hearing that, but still...the poor kids at the end of the line really got short changed. Poor things! I hope this isn't their only Halloween event. Next year I know to buy way more candy. Cause I am totally doing this again! Cute little munchkins!