What If You Threw a Party, and Nobody Came?

Happy Halloween to you all! Do you have guilt pangs about the amount of chocolate you snuck out of the candy basket while waiting for the kiddies? Are there pumpkin shards littering your street as the pumpkin smashers and goblins did their dirty work after the decent folks went to bed? Are the kids and grandkids still buzzing around the house wearing off the sugar high? What about all those candy wrappers scattered around the house?

These are the memories I have of Nov. 1. The hype and anticipation of Halloween is over and that is what is left afterward.

I live on a court of new homes. We've been a neighborhood for under 4 years. For the past three years, we've planned a big court party out on someone's driveway for Halloween. We all bring a dish, bring our candy baskets, make sure our favorite adult beverages are iced up, and wait for the trick or treaters. Someone brings a firepit and we can roast marshmallows and make s'mores. All the candy treats are in one place, so it is ONE STOP SHOPPING for the Trick or Treaters.

Last year, we forgot to plan it, and it ended up being very impromptu, planned about 6 p.m. on Halloween night. This year, our host and hostess planned for weeks. He worked on his home to glam up the front exterior with beautiful night lighting! It turned out absolutely fabulous. HE CLEANED THE GARAGE! She is a baker, so her fabulous Halloween cake set the mood for the event. We were all primed.

This year was a little odd, because at 6 p.m. when we gathered it was still light because Daylight Savings Time was still in effect. We all filtered in, and the table of eats groaned louder and louder as various delicacies of party food loaded it down. Chilies, chips and cheeses, wings of every flavor, and various desserts--we had more than 50 people could eat, and there was probably under 20 at the party!

But the place where the table was groaning was the candy table! The adults ate, drank, waited..... and waited...... and waited......

No kids.

If it weren't for a couple of grandkids who came, there would have been no trick or treaters! Where were they all? Did the news of our suburban area's latest crime statistics keep people from coming around? We all conjected and discussed possible reasons why no kids were coming.

So this is what is left of the trick or treat planning that I have to deal with. If I were smart, I'd put it in the trash can, but you can't do that with chocolate! So I'll have to slowly (I hope slowly) add it to my daily diet plan. And I'm sure it will disappear, maybe from the candy basket, but probably not from the hips!