Trick or Treating for Halloween

Do children go trick or treating door to door in your neighborhood? Do you have treats available? What treats do you have on hand?

My immediate neighborhood has very few children. The last 7 years there have been fewer than 5 kids coming by. I admit the day took me by surprise a few times so I gave money. The kids were young enough that the money disappointed them.

This year there seem to be more kids in the neighborhood so I purchased a baG of mini snickers/3 musketeer bars. Figure I won’t mind eating the leftovers.

Now to try to figure out what day they might be out and about!

American style Halloween has become very popular in the UK in recent years. So much so that it has pretty much displaced our own Bonfire Night , on 5/11, which has been a celebration here for centuries. I reckon Bonfire Night and its traditions will have disappeared within another generation - as current children who have only know Halloween grow up and have families of their own.

There used to be some trick or treating on our estate, 7 or 8 years back, but there are now few young families living here so we havent had any kids round for a couple of years now. We keep the lights at the front of the house off to deter any that might come by.

I’ve lived in the same house so long that two generations of kids have come and gone. When lull years began, I bought snack size potato chip bags or cookie packets, something I could use for my own bag lunches if they weren’t needed.

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We are two blocks from a large regional high school and the bottom of our property that faces a major sidewalk path is a bus stop. We get kids of all ages and even adults who still enjoy the holiday. Being an entertainment family, we admittedly had gone overboard while our son was young. Now that my kid, nieces and nephews are older the celebrations were moved to my bros lodge in PA. Now that I’m free from a work schedule pumpkin carving will commence on Sunday. The family costume theme this year is bands of the 80’s. Should be fun. So, yes to dressing up, yes to candy from Aldi day of then the wknd in PA singing, dancing and eating until we drop.

This year I bought Reeses cups, mini choc bars, granola bars and dried apple chip bags.

My 80’s costume isn’t a stretch🎸
Rooster

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I wish I had thought of the potato chips or cookie idea. We have not had a trick or treater in the many years that we have lived at our current home but I always buy a bag of candy bars just in case someone comes. I am certain the year I don’t is the year they will come. I would rather eat chips or cookies. I’ll have to remember that for next year. Duh! I can’t believe that never occurred to me.

Anyone dress up their pets?

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Me too!

Brilliant!

I remember my first year renting a house with a sidewalk out front. Growing up, we lived off a very long driveway and nobody ever came. I was SO excited. Probably more excited than the kids! We only got a few but every year after I had to work and don’t get home until after dark. One year, I left a bowl out knowing the first kid would take all the candy but they stole my bowl too!

Now we have a baby so we will take her around to the neighbors and I’ll leave a cardboard box of candy on my step haha! I try to buy stuff that we like but not love so hopefully we don’t eat it all!

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We have a lot of children living in this area but sadly trick or treating is barely done around here. I always get candy and if we’re home on Halloween itself we do get a few but the big trick or treating day is the Sunday afternoon before Halloween when parents go up and down the street with their very small children.

I feel sad that so many kids won’t have the experience. I still remember the excitement of being out and about after dark and how thrilling it was. It was an otherworldly feeling with the familiar daytime neighborhood cloaked in the mystery of night. You didn’t know what might be around the corner but holding the warm hand of a parent made you brave.

And the candy was fun too!

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I lived the majority of my life in the city (Philadelphia). As kids, trick or treating was great. We used pillowcases and had to return home 2 or 3 times to empty the cases, After trick or treating the cousins, aunts and uncles would all gather for cider, fruit and nuts and the candy exchange. Mom was crafty and made each of us a themed box to store the candy. Of course, mom and dad each got their cut of the goodies.

As an adult in the city, I would buy many bags of fun size candy as we had lots of trick or treaters. This was especially true once churches/youth organizations began transporting kids from unsafe neighborhoods to safer ones to enjoy the fun.

A few years back I moved to the burbs. The houses are all on 1/2-3/4 acre lots, the driveways are long and there are no streetlights. Many of the local kids go out with friends who live in townhouse developments to increase their take. So I’ve taken to giving out the full size bars to the few who brave the long dark walk (the first few years I was dumping handfuls of candy into bags as the evening went on).

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I know trunk parties in school parking lots are more common today but I don’t get to see costumes that way unless I become a stalker…

Sad whats happened to a trick or treating really. I wonder what this year will be like.

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In santa Cruz I would get around 60 kids . I would spend 80 dollars or more on candy.
. Kit kats , Hershey, twix, and more . I would have the kids line up single file and name their costume. Then give them a handful of candy . I always hated when I was young and you would get one little piece of candy . Where I live now I have 0 chance of a trick or treater . I will miss Halloween.

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I always buy a big bag of mini Snickers at BJs this time of year, because I have a great old timey recipe for what I call “Halloween cookies” although the cookies themselves are part of my Christmas repertoire. It’s a peanut butter cookie with a mini Snicker bar hidden inside, one of the most popular ones I make but also the simplest. But of course I eat a bunch of them as is also, in between the two holidays :wink:

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Anyone remember receiving homemade treats? When I was a teen a few neighbors gave out popcorn balls, candied and caramel apples. Can’t do that anymore. One lady would come to the door with a bowl of dimes…she didnt have kids🎃 but her house was decorated spooky and we loved that.

Due to my age and medical concerns, I didn’t adopt again when my last rescued greyhounds passed on. But I did have costumes for them. Greyhounds are very placid, so they didn’t object to their getups. My avatar hound had a long blonde wig and a crocheted granny square coat with more blonde hair hanging from it, to be an Afghan Hound. Another one had a plastic coat decorated with decals of the letter “e”; she was an e-racer. But I was most proud of the Dame Edna Everage costume. Lavender wig, black foam eyeglasses festooned with sequins, lavender taffeta and tulle dress and long toeless gloves. He was a Drag Racer, and was runner-up in a Petsmart costume contest.

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Erica, that is outstanding. I can picture your gang in their gear very well. Any recent pixs? Would be fun to see. Bless you on four legged friends compassion.

Yikes! A couple of radio sports talk shows were doing worst treats and all three were voted the worst behind candy corn. I know I wouldn’t eat any of it.

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