What Does Clearing Clutter Have To Do With Trick Or Treat?
October 24th, 2008
This month is Halloween and I always thought that somehow this was just an American tradition. I didn’t realize it originated in Britain.
Trick-or treating started in the Middle Ages and All Souls’ Day, when poor people in Britain would beg for soul cakes, a sweet-bread treat, and pray for dead relatives in return.
Clearing clutter used to be a part of Halloween in the small town I was reared in because boys (we always blamed it on the boys) would smash pumpkins from people’s yards if they didn’t get the kind of candy they wanted.
When the little kiddies bring home their candy and dump it out on a sheet or table cloth on the floor to sort through it, this a good time for clearing clutter. The clutter is the candy they don’t like but keep it around because they got it and think they might want it someday. Throw it away, or take it to a shelter or food bank. Some dentists in our area buy the candy (by weight) and then they send it to third world countries. Check with your dentist to see if he/she has a program to do this.
Clearing clutter is spreading around the globe as trick or treating has spread from the U.S. to Canada, Australia, and Western Europe. Chocolate makes up about three-quarters of a trick-or-treater’s loot, according to the National Confectioners Association. Chocolate would be my favorite if I went trick or treating today—how about you? What is your favorite treat?
October 24th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I worked on a job this week clearing clutter from, and re-organising, a pantry. I had to throw out lots of past use-by-date chocolate, biscuits and sweets. It seems the family liked buying the sweet stuff more than they liked eating it.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:24 am
I love Bit-o-honey and anything chocolate! I’m hoping our little guy will get some good candy to share with me!
October 28th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Angela,
Isn’t that sacrilegious or something like that to throw away chocolate? I didn’t know it went bad. I know, I know, expiration dates are important–but on chocolate? I just re-organized my pantry and made it bigger by adding a shelf, that is such a good feeling.
J.L.,
Your little guy might give you all of his chocolate if he’s too young to know better. The candy I didn’t like my girls to get were smarties. They got just too many of them and I too like the chocolate the best.