My Ex Did Trick AND Treat

When my ex-husband was growing up, at Halloween his father would always make the kids do a trick for their treat. My husband remembered that as a fun time for both his father and the neighborhood kids, so after we got married, he kept up the tradition.

We’d fill a big bowl with a variety of treats — Kit-Kats, Peanut Butter Cups, and Snickers bars. The children were allowed to choose their treat. But only after they performed a trick!

“It’s not trick or treat,” my ex would say. “We want a trick for a treat!”

We’d explain. “You can tell a joke, sing a song, tell us something you learned in school… anything you like!”

Once the kids got into it, they had a lot of fun.

Little werewolves would howl, little ghosts boo’ed, and teenage mutant ninja turtles yelled “Turtle Power!”

Sometimes groups of children would confer and sing a song or tell jokes together. One boy had learned a poem in school and recited the whole thing. It was a hard poem. He got several extra pieces of candy for his efforts.

The parents were usually beaming because their kids were having so much fun. The littlest ones had the best time. One tiny girl did a cartwheel, another little boy proudly counted to 10.

Occasionally, there was a child who was too shy to do a trick. One little girl hid behind her mother. So we just gave her candy. Then her brother told us a joke. She peeked from around her Mom and said, “I know a joke too!” And just like that, she came out of her shell.

We got a reputation — kids who had been to our house before were overheard telling each other, “yeah, this is the house where they make you do something.” But they still came to our door, and they would try to outdo each other.

I think they liked that we were genuinely interested in what they wanted to share with us. It always brought a smile to our faces.

After my ex and I separated, I still did this until Covid hit and the trick-or-treaters stopped coming. I hope we can be at a place where we can do this again. Trick-or-treat is a tradition I’ve enjoyed since I was a wee child myself and I hope future generations will also enjoy it.

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Previously Published on Medium