Treat

We ran out of Halloween candy. Very quickly. Very early in the evening. I've worked the past several Halloweens (five years?) and even today, was postcall, but had awoken from a nap in time to answer the door to adorable lady bugs and ninjas. I guess I had forgotten the popularity of the holiday in the outside world. A lot of kids didn't say trick or treat. They stood dumbly
So, after giving away all the lifesavers and Starbursts, I drove (terrifying thing to back out of one's driveway at Halloween dusk, with little goblins scurrying vulnerably about), to the nearest grocery in search of more candy. There was None left in the Halloween aisle. Seriously nothing. So I went to the absurd Christmas aisle and bought several boxes of candy canes, reuctantly thinking that at least some candy was better than cowering behind an unanswered door the rest of the night (pleading for the doorbell to stop ringing).
I decided to embrace the candy cane idea. Kids adapt, right?
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The first few kids that received canes were a little older, and they were polite and laughed kindly at my "Merry Christmas" greetings. The 12-year-old mobster, perhaps in character, called me ma'am.
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And then, two five-year-old girls. A witch and yet another ladybug (always cute). They looked eagerly into the bowl of candy canes and near-whispered their trick-or-treats. My reply seemed overly enthusiastic for their shy demeanors. "Hi! I have Christmas candy here! Choose one." They each carefully-slowly selected a candy cane, said thank you and walked back towards the street, where their parents waited. As soon as she got a few steps from the door, the ladybug thrust her candy cane into the air triumphantly (like a champion fist) and ran exuberantly, shouting "Christmas candy! Christmas candy!"
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Apparently waaaay better than lifesavers.