I love the way Halloween makes my kids beam. And I love the admiration I get from my kids over it.
Our main traditions are homemade costumes, carving the pumpkins (we then roast the seeds, and Nov1st, the pumpkins too to make pumpkin puree for my kids' fave pumpkin spice muffins... these are our only decorations), baking Halloween treats for their classes (this year was meringues which my kids went wild for), and of course, pigging on candy. Also, from the time they were young, hubby was a manager, and busy with work ALL the time. Halloween is the night he takes for them, no matter what it takes. My daughter's 7, and I've never taken them trick-or-treating, it's their special dad time. They were disappointed to learn though that living in town means they don't get to take the skidoo to trick-or-treat. lol.
And yeah Curio... I buy only candy I enjoy, and can use later. This year is a few different kinds of chocolates, and a bag of tootsie pops. Tootsie pops make great little reward candies that keep forever, and left over chocolates get smashed up and put in oatmeal cookies or put in the freezer and saved for icecream cakes and the like. yum.