Do you give out treats on Halloween?

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
Or are you like me - barricade the porch steps? My mother used to give out Kennedy half-dollars. I don't give out anything - then I can't be blamed if a kid gets poisoned or otherwise injured from "doctored" treats. It seems to me that more parents are having private or neighborhood indoor parties these days for their kids and friends rather than having them go door-to-door for candy.
 

We stopped years ago and have been going out for dinner on Halloween. When we first moved to the neighborhood over 30 years ago, we'd get maybe 100 kids or so. Then as other areas of our small city discovered that our neighborhood was safer and more affluent, they started arriving in droves. Cars of kids descended and we started getting teens showing up without costumes. Just didn't seem worth the effort and expense, so we turn off the lights and go out to dinner. My neighbor next door told us last year she gave out over 700 pieces of candy. It's insane. We come back to the house after the kids clear out. Tonight, it's dinner at our favorite Italian place.
 
I give out the fun sized candy bars every year, the neighborhood kids come around early and as the night wears on, older kids from different area are dropped off in carloads...usually by then my candy is running thin and my light goes out. With a new pup in the house, and having to lock my cat in the basement, I'd really like to go dark and not do the trick or treat thing...but the neighborhood kiddies have fun with it, so I'm game to make the best of it. When I was a kid, my mother didn't want me to go trick or treating, as we lived in a big city, but I talked her into it once or twice...didn't really care for it myself, or enjoy it like my friends did. I did go to a couple of parties though, better idea then and now, IMO.
 

Since we live way out in the country, numbers of kids aren't an issue. There are perhaps a dozen youngsters within a mile or so, and only about half of them come around. We have a bowl of Hershey and Kit Kat bars ready, and we'll give each a nice handful. What is left over, we will snack on over the next few weeks.
 
There aren't a lot of trick or treaters here. We go to best buddies house a few towns over. He lives in a neighborhood where everyone has known each other for years. Much more fun and socializing. We leave for there before the trick or treaters come around.
 
I have 40 pieces to give out. Its 4:00 and no one yet. Its a fading tradition, I think. We went through the same experience as Bob describes many years ago. Car loads of people. Two years ago, I had under 40. Last year, under 20.
We always enjoyed the little kids. I know many of the parents, so I'm giving it one more year. In my heart, I always felt it was a bad idea. Even before contaminated treats. What does "Trick or treat" teach the kids. Begging at the least. Extortion at the worst. You never know what's behind a neighbor's door. People may be having a fight, be seriously ill, or even dyeing. I think people and the community are having more organized parties, and the technology revolution has given the teenagers better things to do than throw toilet paper around. Happy to see it fading, not to mention "Mischief night".
 
We have purchased tons of fun size bars, we will sit outside and our neighbors do also we socialize and hand out candy till around 9PM. I was once a kid and people gave me candy, it's my turn now.
 
This years final count at 9pm, 25. All pretty much cute little kids in costume being shepherded around by groups of adults.
Notably absent for the first time, older teenagers. The oldest I had this year were about 11. Maybe a couple of 12 year old girls.
 
When my son was a boy I took him around. It was towards the end of the night, before I got home that my wife said an older teen came to the door, no costume and a creepy look on his face, just holding open a bag. She said he was just intimidating, standing there looking at her. Once we saw how our neighborhood got swamped with kids from other parts of the city, it was time to quit. It was fun when it was kids from the neighborhood and when we were younger, but the thrill is long gone. I had fun with it, playing scary music out the window and scaring kids with a hideous mask. Now it's a nice evening out with my wife.
 
Bobw235 said:
When my son was a boy I took him around. It was towards the end of the night, before I got home that my wife said an older teen came to the door, no costume and a creepy look on his face, just holding open a bag. She said he was just intimidating, standing there looking at her. Once we saw how our neighborhood got swamped with kids from other parts of the city, it was time to quit. It was fun when it was kids from the neighborhood and when we were younger, but the thrill is long gone. I had fun with it, playing scary music out the window and scaring kids with a hideous mask. Now it's a nice evening out with my wife.
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Yeah. There's definitely a down side to it. You don't need that. Tonight was good at my house. Little kids. Everyone very polite. I think I'm done with it though. Old guy on wobbly legs running to the door, holding the candy in one hand and holding himself up with the other. My wife not here to share it.
 
I didn't get too many trick or treaters this year, I gave out my 12 bags of fun sized candy bars and shut down for the night. By that time it was older kids from other neighborhoods coming around. Everyone was polite, so all went well. Hubby kept the pup in the bedroom down the hall, but the door was open the whole time and he didn't fuss with the door bell ringing or anything like that. I decided not to actually lock the cat in the basement this year, as he's older now and pretty much leaves when strangers come to the door anyway, so he voluntarily hung out in the basement.
 
debodun said:
Or are you like me - barricade the porch steps? My mother used to give out Kennedy half-dollars. I don't give out anything - then I can't be blamed if a kid gets poisoned or otherwise injured from "doctored" treats. It seems to me that more parents are having private or neighborhood indoor parties these days for their kids and friends rather than having them go door-to-door for candy.
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Yes I do. A few years here and there I didn't, either was elsewhere or felt ill, but usually I do.

The kids that dress up and go to for trick or treat get so excited about it! I love being a part of that.

I had a kid last night dressed like giant eyeball...how we all laughed! Another tiny one was a jack-in-the-box, just so cute! If those 2 were the only ones, it would have been enough.

I just hope I'll have alot more nights like that and hope you all will too.
 
We had the cutest bunch of kids come through, about 50 or so. Then at 10pm, we went to a neighbor's costume contest party. I won 1st place, $100!!

The rules were:

1. It had to be original.

2. It had to be at least 50% handmade.

3. It had to have something to do with a hot topic on the news.

4. It had to be somewhat frightening.

In light of the Iran nuclear deal, I went as a barrel of radioactive waste.
 
Lots of kids at our house. Almost all escorted by one or more adult which is nice to see. Some of our littlest could barely walk but cute as they could be. I was young once and folks were there to give us candy, it's our turn. Nice Halloween experience.
 
Pookie said:
We had the cutest bunch of kids come through, about 50 or so. Then at 10pm, we went to a neighbor's costume contest party. I won 1st place, $100!!

The rules were:

1. It had to be original.

2. It had to be at least 50% handmade.

3. It had to have something to do with a hot topic on the news.

4. It had to be somewhat frightening.

In light of the Iran nuclear deal, I went as a barrel of radioactive waste.
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Love it, Pookie. I guess we're not going to get a picture? If I did that, it would be spelled "waist"!
 
AZ Jim said:
Lots of kids at our house. Almost all escorted by one or more adult which is nice to see. Some of our littlest could barely walk but cute as they could be. I was young once and folks were there to give us candy, it's our turn. Nice Halloween experience.
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Yeah. I had a couple of cuties too. The whole pigtails tied up in bows thing. There are still some fun things in life as long as I'm I'm hanging around here.
 
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