By Charlie

Halloween Candy

Written by Charlie O'Shields

After spending my first five minutes attempting to sketch some candy corn for today’s prompt, I realized my heart just wasn’t in it. While I was a fan of the stuff as a kid, I don’t really like it as an adult. It’s too sweet and waxy for my tastes. So, I quickly moved on to a quick bite-sized sketch of a bite-sized Snickers bar, which still makes me smile today. When there’s a bowl of these sitting out this time of year, I can’t help but sample one. Even if I know that bowl is meant for people far younger than I am. Sorry kids. We all have our weaknesses. And a candy named after a naughty laugh is certainly meant to evoke a bit of naughtiness every now and again. It’s all called Halloween candy, though technically this is a chocolate bar. As a kid, filling a bucket full of goodies, you never stop to question whether it’s all actually candy as long it contributes to your sugar high. And, when it came to the end of night and we surveyed our haul, chocolate was always the winner hands down.

Perhaps my fascination with these bite-sized treats is that I only consume them during October each year. I don’t really have any type of candy the rest of the year, but when Halloween approaches, with its promise of sweet goodness, I turn into a full on kid again. It’s true, part of me wishes I could shrink back down to three feet tall, don a white bed sheet and stroll through the neighborhood begging for treats once more. It was such a fabulous time back then. To think that you didn’t have to do anything more than utter a simple phrase of “trick or treat” to get something for free, was pretty fantastic. Thankfully, most of the adults opening their doors that evening knew the question was rhetorical and not really a choice. Just hand out the treats and compliment the costume, thank you. The latter was equally important as I would spend weeks agonizing over which character to be that year and then working diligently with my mother to craft it.

I loved becoming someone or something else for a night. It was exciting and enthralling and most of all, fun to make happen. I think those early costumes were my most vivid memories of my youthful creativity. Well, that and the Valentine’s Day boxes we used to make in class in February. It was an invitation and an opportunity to create something new. That’s always been the most exciting thing in the world for me. I would tinker with the ideas that I had right up until that final moment of reveal. And even though I was never quite satisfied with the outcome, I was always thrilled by the journey. Literally nothing has changed today. I find myself constantly trying new things and tinkering with things I’ve already created. A new idea pops into my head and simply have to chase it to see where it wants to take me next. It’s exciting and perfectly ridiculous. I’ve no master plan to guide these microbursts of ideas. I hope each one will point me in the direction that I should head next. Telling me which street to head down, and which door to knock on, so I can be sure that I don’t miss my chance to get the best of the block Halloween candy.

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About the Doodlewash

Da Vinci Paint Co.: Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Red, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book.
 #WorldWatercolorGroup - Day 28 - Snickers Halloween Candy - Doodlewash

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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37 thoughts on “Halloween Candy”

  3. Another great read. Back in my trick or treat days, the costumes were mainly black Zorro type masks. But the candy….ahhh. People handed out full-size candy bars, which in those days were about as big as your forearm. And made with real chocolate. The Snickers bars today just don’t hold up. But I sure love the one you painted!

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  4. We live in the country here in Wisconsin and one of the few things I regret about that is that we don’t get trick or treaters. If course we always buy a bag of candy just in case, but we end up eating it ourselves. So it is always chocolate!😁

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  6. When I was trick or treat age we lived in the city and trick or treat was for the older, braver kids who actually soaped windows instead of going for the candy. My inner artist self would go to the merchants before Halloween and offer to paint Halloween things on their storefront windows in tempera paint for money. Then my sister and I would revisit the stores after Halloween and offer to clean the windows for another pittance. We then had money to buy our own candy!

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  10. I never miss the daily “wit and wisdom” of Charlie O’Shields, the daily doodle is the bonus for me! Your numerous talents are amazing. Thank-you for giving smiles and walks down memory lane everyday.

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  12. Yum, Halloween candy. I can’t buy Halloween candy until just before Halloween, or I end up eating it all before the big night. I just love all those bite size morsels of yummy. Sigh, now I want a snickers bar.

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  13. Love its golden goodness! Wow, I haven’t had a Snickers (or Mars) bar of any size for what feels like years. They used to be called Marathon here, for some reason… Snickers is a hilarious and much more enticing name!

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  15. I’m always filled with the residual excitement of halloween candy. When I see it in store I’m always tempted to get a bag to stash away and enjoy slowly (since we don’t have kids). And every year (3x a year, because the same thing happens around Christmas and Valentines day) I remind myself I don’t really care for the bulk candy sold for holidays and I can go buy a bar of extra dark chocolate anytime I want. 🙂

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  16. Gosh you’re right Charlie, I do miss that. I always look forward to this time of year for the molasses kisses candy, it’s my mom’s favorite and over the years I’ve gotten totally addicted too. Thank god you can only get them for about 2 weeks around Halloween. I usually buy her a big bag for her Christmas stocking then have to smack my own hand for about 2 months to stay out of them! lol. One year I got to go as a university grad as my dad had kept his cap, colors and gown. It was kinda cool ten years later to wear similar garb for real. :o)

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    1. Oh wow, what a wonderful costume! The kind filled with great memories and nostalgia! Perfect! 😃💕 But yeah… gotta hide the candy though… I too have to slap my hand and can’t be trusted around the stuff! LOL

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      1. damn, I’m hopeless, lol. I’d run over my own mother for a candy bar right now. Hehehe. But then I’d bet money she’d beat me to it! I hate dieting around this time of year but I want to deserve christmas! Damn, damn, damn. ;o)

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