Sugarcoated November

SUGARCOATED NOVEMBER

The last day of October, Halloween night, I turn off the house lights, remembering the time I wore a paper bag, colored in a smiley face with crayon drawings around a cutout mouth, nose, and eyes. I was an oh-so-clever senior citizen, handing candy to children who giggled at my bagged head. Until the late arrival of a teenager ringing the doorbell. Seeing my artwork, he asked in a snarky tone, “What kind of costume is that?” He stood under the porch light in all his teenage glory, costume free, dressed in ordinary clothes, with his hand out for a sweet snack. That was the moment I decided to call Halloween “November Eve,” and would never again buy sweets at full price. So, the first week of November, I push a shopping cart to the aisle stocked with “seasonal sale” Halloween candy. I collect a supply of cheap tasty tidbits to chew away falling temperatures during autumn’s early sunset hibernation. After years of enjoyment giving away candy, now, the days following Halloween have become time for my half-priced chocolate treats.

April Ryan is a sugar lovin’ Seattleite.

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