Nostalgic Candy I'd Buy for My Kids

As the Christmas holiday season approaches it is a time filled with nostalgia. Every now and then my husband and I will talk about candy that we enjoyed as children. Christmas is a big time for candy treats and there was excitement in house when we saw the bowls of ribbon candy and vanilla drops that the man in red left out on the library table.

I remember giving a large candy cane log to a classmate one year and a large Sugar Daddy lollipop to another friend when we drew names at school. My kids would have been amazed if I had photos of those treats to show to them now.

When looking at the businesses that have popped up on-line to indulge us in our candy nostalgia I think of the year that my mother filled the tree with foil wrapped chocolate ornaments. That was an amazing sight to me.
It was always a big deal for my middle sister and I to get to go downtown to Lewis' Market to buy penny candy. Those were the days that a penny would buy a large piece of candy and, at times, two. One of my favorites was a wafer thin piece of coconut candy that was a rainbow of color. It was chewy and flecked with tiny pieces of sugared coconut. Like any child in those days we would pick up the white candy sticks with the painted red end. They were sweet and there was no thought of really taking up smoking because we ate the things.

We were big on bubble gum. My cousins would make it a challenge to see who could stuff their mouths and chew the most pieces in one afternoon. I think my cousin Stevie wadded 10 cents worth in there one day. I'm seriously glad my kids never caught wind of that competition. There was soft as a pillow Bazooka Bubble gum and the paper covered colored sticks of gum that were coated with white powder that we would blow into the air. Again, the mentality of the day, candy cigarettes and all. Bazooka had awesome comic papers that I'm sure led to my comic book addiction a few years later.

My chocolate addiction surely began in those days. There was a candy bar called 'Sprint". It was my favorite and I still remember when they discontinued it well over 30 years ago. We also had a round nut and caramel filled chocolate concoction called "Bun" which was pretty tasty too. I have found that at the nostalgia candy sales
virtual counter.

I must include the snappy candies that we loved to eat just to prove we could do it. Jaw breakers were larger than golf balls and ping pong ball-sized Atomic Hotballs were the treats that bit back. My youngest sister and I loved the short-lived Gatorade gum. We were absolutely devoted in sharing the yellow-green gum with others. We screeched with laughter when the gum softened up in the mouth of our 'giftee' and the wildest expression crossed the puckered face. We both enjoyed the excruciating sour taste almost as much as the reactions we got from those who took a piece from us.

I know if I perused a nostalgic candy site with you I'd see more candies that spark memories. I'd also have to admit it is a miracle I still have my teeth. Don't tell my kids I admit that fact.