If I were to conduct a survey of what holidays had the most tenuous grip on actual significance (excluding, of course, 20th-century creations like Mother’s Day) I’m pretty sure that Halloween would be at the top of the list. However, this is not to say that the age-old traditions of dressing in costume, carving pumpkins (and eating the seeds afterwards) and binge eating are without merit.

It’s about having fun, after all, and what better way to do that than with festive food?

Back in the bad old days when Halloween was a somewhat creepy pagan holiday celebrated in the modern-day U.K. and Ireland, food was of great importance — mostly because the celebration took place around harvest time, when whether there was going to be enough to eat through the winter was on everybody’s minds. Now that potential starvation is less of a problem for most of us, instead we celebrate the holiday with seasonal food.

I have seen more than my fair share of cookies and cupcakes decorated with or shaped like bats, black cats and pumpkins, among other things. But some of my most memorable Halloweens instead involved the traditional door-to-door trade of an idle threat for my selection of picked-over candy.

I learned early on to hit up the more out-of-the-way streets, which rewarded the few kids who made it there with full-sized candy bars instead of the usual bowl of assorted fun size things. Even though my numerical yield was far lower, having one full size Snickers was way better than having to select from a bowl of picked-over black and orange M&Ms.

Also, the post-gathering trade fest with my friends and, later in the evening, my brothers ensured the highest possible Almond Joy-to-Twizzler ratio.

Upon coming to Cornell, I realized that I’d had it easy. From the horror of hearing about how parents would confiscate their children’s candy the day after (which led to an inevitable candy binge on Halloween night) to the stories of people who lived out in the country and had to drive around, to the peculiar tradition in St. Louis of homeowners requiring that children tell a joke in exchange for candy, things in my laissez-faire household were downright chill.

At some point, after an uncomfortable transition period, I realized that I was too old to go trick-or-treating. On one embarrassing evening, I was invited to roam a neighborhood with my also-too-old friends, which was fun except that I had decided to dress up as a public service announcement.

If there’s anything more painful than a post-candy bellyache, it’s the irritated and penetrating stare of people who answer the door to find that you do not, in fact, want any candy. Bad news.

Anyhoo, I have in recent years decided on a back-to-basics Halloween. Apple cider, pumpkin cookies, roasted pumpkin seeds and caramel corn may sound dull when compared to the riotous plenty of a pillowcase full of fun size candy bars, but frankly, they’re pretty darn sophisticated for being such traditionally lowbrow fare.

When I can buy or make junk food any time of the year, things that are easy but distinctive immediately gain about a million points in my book — and if they are social, all the better. What’s cooler than carving pumpkins with your friends and toasting the seeds while you drink hot spiced cider?

Okay, okay, so you probably want a food-based suggestion. How about this: The Jones Soda Co. makes holiday pop (soda, if you insist) in crazy and occasionally magnificent flavors. This is the company that makes — and invariably sells out of — Turkey and Gravy soda every Thanksgiving.

This year’s Halloween offerings include “Lemon Drop Dead” and “Spooookiwi” and you can pick them up at Target with the rest of the Halloween candy. Having tried the “Candy Corn,” I can honestly say that these guys mean business.

So have a great Halloween, try something new, and stay safe — here there be zombies!