So, I actually passed out candy this year for Halloween. You probably don’t think that’s a very big deal. But I have never given out candy before.

Not one time in 53 years.

I was always in the frame of mind that if I was in possession of chocolate, I was certainly not going to share it with somebody else. Especially strangers. I mean, who does that?

This year however, I changed my mind. About 30 minutes before it was time for trick-or-treating to begin. Don’t ask me why.

I rushed to the store and purchased five packs of “fun size” Reese’s Cups, Kit Kat, Nestlé Crunch bars and Blowup pops.

I was now in possession of approximately 100 pieces of candy. Was that enough? I’d never done this before so I had no clue.

My debit card, however, told me it would have to be enough.

I hurried home, quickly placing each kind of candy in a neatly-stacked row onto a wooden, white-washed tray for which I finally found a purpose to use it.

I’d finished just in time to turn on my porch light.

I could have sworn the porch light spoke to me, wondering if I accidentally flipped its switch since it had always remained dark during these two specific hours every Oct. 31.

And so, I waited.

And waited.

Watching from my front window, I saw many groups of children walk by. But no one turned to walk up my driveway.

They just continued down the street, stopping at a neighbor’s house across the way and then another a few doors down.

This continued for about 15 minutes until I decided to sit outside and position myself on the top stair of the porch.

Still no one.

I can understand my driveway is steep. And perhaps it is 65 to 70 feet in length.

But I always walked much longer driveways than this when I trick-or-treated.

I decided to open my front door and wait inside.

Still nothing.

That is when I realized everyone was stopping at the houses which had the homeowner waiting by the curb and distributing candy.

Basically, it was the homeowners going to the trick-or-treaters instead of the other way around.

Well, I wasn’t going to fall for that.

I would happily come out and down a few steps to greet them, but that was the extent of it. I’m sorry.

When did society get so lazy? Back in my day, (ugh … I’ve become one of those people!) we had to work hard at Halloween.

I recall times when people passed out fruit, pennies, a pencil or some off-brand hard candy no one liked.

So, if we had to work hard for an orange, who am I to deprive any child today of that same type of experience?

Unchauffeured, we walked house to house, knocked, waited for the person to answer, said “trick or treat” before they handed over anything, carried our weighed-down sack or pillowcase back home, then waited for our parents to check every piece, ensuring some whacko didn’t place a needle inside something.

Today, I see parents chauffeuring a carload of children around, stopping to let them go to the curbside of homes where the homeowner is waiting for them, and then visiting the next block. That’s service.

For the first half hour, no one felt like walking up my driveway. Until someone did. I gave them chocolate and a sucker. Others caught on and within 45 minutes, my purchase had been practically depleted. Note to self: Less Kit Kats. More Reeses’s Cups.

You know, in case I ever decide to try this again.

(Stenger is the community editor for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)