Virginia

Behavior

Recession Forces Us to "Funsize"

For the first time since we moved into our home in northern Westchester county 14 years ago, we will not be giving out full-size Hershey bars this Halloween.

Our little 'hood is an increasingly popular trick-or-treating destination for our and neighboring towns, and we will easily get 600 visitors on our porch Saturday night. WIth me laid off from my publishing job several months ago, and my husband's design firm experiencing the expected revenue falloff, we could no longer justify our confectionary largesse. We'll be handing out puny little candy pieces just like everyone else.

We'll miss the large-eyed astonishment of the little kids who've seemingly never laid eyes on an actual, honest-to-goodness candy bar. And the whoops and calls and thank-you-thank-you-thanks-you's of the early teens who are jarred from their feigned worldliness when they see that big honkin' brown wrapper.

But we're sure that our Halloweeners will understand our cutback, and remember that the real point of Halloween is to venture out into the crisp fall night, see one's friends and neighbors, and have some good, clean, fun. Oh, jeez; I hope we don't get egged.

Katonah NY