Funs Size vs Full Size - Handing Out Full Size Candy Bars For Halloween - Capitalist Ostentation? or Communist Nostalgia? (Boson Phoenix) 3 Nov 2019

As with almost every holiday there is a controversy across the city of Boson, and positions have been announced at Boson City Hall.

This is about Halloween, but not about Storm Trooper costumes or kids not being allowed to be super heroes or other characters of color.  The issue is the size of the candy handed out as some kids went door-to-door for traditional 'trick-or-treat.' 

Mayor Welsh has been famous since he was a city councilor from the wealthy neighborhood of Pleasant Valley for his handing out full sized candy bars in an array of brands.  When some pointed out that Marty Welsh was 'buying votes' he retorted that, 'these kids don't vote.'   By now, of course, many of those kids from a decade or more ago are of voting age, and the mayor does have a good reputation in his base neighborhood of Pleasant Valley. 




The west side of neighborhood of Pleasant Valley, in Boson, Mass, is lined with large stately homes, brick and stone exemplars of architectural revivalism in Mayor Marty Welsh's street.  Built in the late 19th century and the first part of the last, these were the houses of the city’s industrialists and bankers. Today they are the homes of the modern titans of Massachusetts, the tech CEOs and financiers, who, like their predecessors, enjoy a peaceful remove from the rest of the city of Boston to the north across the Neponset River. But there is one night a year, the teeming masses swarm at their front doors—for candy.

For all but one of the last eight years, Boson After Dark has named Pleasant Valley as the best city for trick-or-treating and the tony northern neighborhoods of Blithering Heights and Seacliffnote as the top ranked to visit on Halloween. There’s a reason for this.  Economists base their rankings on things like walkability scores and number of children under the age of 10. But even the littlest Jedi knights and Hermiones know that the most important indicator in their investment of the night is yield.



So the Welsh house became a legend each Fall. 

The one can't miss house that was legendary for their largesse: they hand out full-size candy, specifically Toblerone bars. When the Marty Welsh and family moved in some twenty years ago, Halloween was a sleepy and underwhelming evening and the parents decided to up the ante to foster a sense of community and festivity amongst their neighbors. They now stock boxes of the triangular Swiss chocolate, as well as a changing variety of Sour Patch Kids, full-size Snickers and sometimes even small plush toys for the sugar-averse.

 

Growing up, many of us knew of that "one house" that gave out full size treats. But with more stores than ever pushing full-size treats this year, and many residents who go fun-size feeling pressure to give not just one bar but several to each trick or treater, this year Halloween is raising some interesting economic quandaries.

Fun-size vs. full-size

But not everyone is happy.  Liberal Democrat City Council President Ema Strickland says that giving out 'full size' makes people who are poorer look like they are less generous when they give out 'fun size' candy bars.  The 'fun size' is always a lot smaller than the regular size candy bar and calling something smaller the 'fun' size is misleading.  But, that is not Councilor Stickland's point.  She wants everyone to hand out the same size candy bar so everyone looks equal.  

But in Boson's East Germantown neighborhood with strong blue collar and socialist equality ideas and support for workers and labor unions there is also a tradition of handing out full size candy bars and also the traditional German fresh baked pretzel.

 "We believe that people should enjoy wealth and prosperity and a  life of plenty,"  said one man at the local union hall who was at the door handing out full size locally baked chocolate bars.  "That's made from the recipe we got from the old Baker's Chocolate factory that was on the Neponset River for hundreds of years." 
 
Others have pointed out that Councilor Strickland has come out in favor of banning Halloween door-to-door trick or treating, so why should anyone listen to what she has to say about what kind of candy people give out. 

When asked what kind of candy she handed out for trick-or-treaters Councilor Strickland's office responded that the councilor was not home that evening and did not leave out any candy for anyone. 

Mayor Welsh observed that once someone starts handing out full sized candy bars people come to expect the treat and he can't back out of the practice now.  He did greet people at the door himself Halloween night, and had on a cape and a batman style hat.