Halloween Candy is a Curse for Fat People

Halloween in Sunshine Hills

I guess I should clarify this statement.  It’s the fact that Halloween candy is AVAILABLE so early that’s the crime.  It’s tough enough for anyone with a sweet tooth to navigate through the plethora of sugary sensations at every gas station, corner store and supermarket, but it’s the massive Halloween candy display at each and every turn that really twists the knife.

Let’s face it retailers are pushing holidays on us earlier and earlier every single year.  Christmas decorations were in Costco at the end of August.  Walmart, Zellers, Home Depot and the bunch were not far behind.  It’s so ridiculous as to be criminal.  OK maybe “criminal” is a little harsh, but certainly it’s amoral, right?  Well as consumers, we make the final decision.  We’re the ones opening our wallets and purses and buying this stuff.

And that brings me back to fat people and Halloween candy. When did Halloween become a four month affair?  Now the big bags of candy are placed in big, fun displays positioned at the entrance of every store… IN JULY!!!!  What the…?

And here’s what goes through the mind of someone like me, someone with an unhealthy love affair with candy: “Well how convenient, I should buy that Halloween candy now and I won’t be rushed at the end of October.”  Like my calendar is so packed I won’t have the time to blast into Price Smart at 3pm on Oct 31^st and grab a few bags.

Or we tell ourselves “You know these little packages are so clever.  I’ll still be able to have an occasional treat, but because it’s small it won’t be too bad for me.”  And then you wake up in the morning to a garbage can full of little Smarties boxes and Kit Kat wrappers.

It’s also a great way to disguise your true intentions and the shame that goes along with it to the general public.  “Hey everyone, I’m not a fat person planning a big candy eating binge, I’m just a normal person like you preparing for the little Trick or Treaters coming to my house.”  Here’s my dirty little secret folks.  For the last 7 years I’ve lived in the country up a 600 foot gated driveway.  Not a single kid would even dare make the trip – although I was always prepared if they did.

As a kid, Halloween was always so fun.  I wasn’t fat back then and we went crazy.  It was a real neighbourhood affair.  Everyone got into it and there was an annual costume party in the Elementary school gym.  It was a bonding time for my family and friends.  Great memories of childhood innocence… Halloween truly makes me smile.

So this is why the Halloween candy shows up mid-summer.  The retailers know all of these things about us.  They employ people whose job it is to make sure we are gobbling up all of their wares.  It’s a multi-billion dollar industry for a reason.  We keep buying.

I’m not going to blame the retailers or candy manufacturers.  They aren’t responsible for my “addiction” to their chocolate and sugar.  I am an adult and, as such, can make all of these big boy decisions myself.

This year, therefore, was a victory; a small one, but a victory none the less.  I didn’t buy a single bag.  I didn’t fall into the trap.  This year I made one more small step toward a healthier lifestyle.

Now if I can just navigate through the Christmas Chocolate Gift Boxes, already in Costco, I might make it through the fall a little lighter and a little smarter.

Wish me luck!