Butterfingers, Curfews, and the Drama of the Trade
Halloween isn’t just costumes and candy, it’s memory, mischief, and the thrill of the swap. For individuals in Chevy Chase, Bethesda and beyond, this reflection captures the sweet nostalgia of childhood trick-or-treating and the enduring love of a favorite candy bar.
As Halloween approaches, most of us are stocking up on different types of candy. What are you buying? When you were a kid, what were you hoping to get?
When I was a kid, I was a fan of candy bars, such as Snickers, Milky Way, and my favorite, Butterfinger. If you gave out Mounds with the coconut inside, I would avoid your house or trade them with other kids on the street.
Our neighborhood was really safe, and we could run from house to house for blocks with our plastic pumpkin containers flopping at our sides. Sometimes we would pause on the corners to compare goods and trade if necessary. Mounds were not very popular with anyone, so trading those out was occasionally tricky. But you could take advantage of the younger ones in the group because the bar was pretty big. Sometimes you could get double for one.
One of the most exciting parts of Halloween was the trading. My sister, for instance, was a fan of hard candies, so I always had the opportunity to swap out my Lifesavers or Pez for something better. The trades were high drama, but also a lot of fun, as we hurried to hit more houses before curfew.
Do you remember curfew? I’m not sure that it still exists, but it was clearly a thing growing up. The time and conditions changed as you aged. The younger ones had to be home before dinner and could not go out again unless they stayed in the yard. As a teen, you could roam the entire neighborhood and really didn’t have to be home for dinner. You could eat at a friend’s house, or if you had the cash, you could buy something at the corner market and hang out with your friends on the corner until sunset. Everyone had to be home by sunset. I don’t think we would turn into pumpkins, but the rules were quite clear.
Going through your stash after trick-or-treating was great fun. Some of the goodies came with stories about the houses or the people who tried to scare you or trick you. Remember the name of this activity was “Trick or Treat.” Some of our neighbors took this seriously. We would then get individual bags with our names on them, and for the next several nights, this ritual would repeat. You would know that one of your siblings would try to cheat and shift things out of your bag into theirs, but Mom and Dad were pretty good about remembering who had what.
My candy choices have changed somewhat over the years, but when it comes to Halloween, I am still looking for the Butterfinger.
Want to explore how nostalgia and sensory memory shape emotional well-being? Visit Psychology Today’s article on the power of nostalgia and NPR’s feature on Halloween candy and memory.
If you’re reflecting on childhood, family rituals, or emotional connection, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support insight, joy, and emotional clarity.
By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst