A bit late, true, but I’m interested.
In our neighborhood (Bay Area) we got no one. Neighborhood social media before Halloween pretty much agreed that it made no sense for kids to go out this year. I guess with few houses giving out stuff even those not worried didn’t think it was worth marching their kids around for a house a block or less.
How were things in your neighborhood?
I’m waiting for the big candy sales myself.
Fellow Bay Area resident here. Nobody stopped by for trick or treats either.
Just as many as the last 10 years, none.
We had a couple. I initially thought there would be no trick-o-treating. But then I heard co-workers talking about delivering candy through a long tube… and I thought, “what’s so dangerous about walking around outdoors with your little brother and your father?”
So we set out pumpkins, and I put a table outside the door, and put three chocolate bars in a bowl, with a sign that said, “take one, and say ‘happy Halloween’”.
And from time to time (and once shortly after a kid actually said “happy Halloween” loud enough for me to hear) I put on a mask and added enough chocolate to bring the bowl back up to 3 chocolate bars. I never got within 30 feet of the kids. Well, through the closed door, I guess.
We gave away 6 chocolate bars. Most years we get more like 12 kids. But it’s been such a crappy year, I figured I could do a little something to bring some fun to a child.
We got about 15 kids, I guess in 5 groups or so.
Usually I leave a bowl out so I have no idea how many kids come. But last year the bowl seemed to get ravaged so this year I wanted to sit and watch.
I put red bulbs in my garage light fixtures and put on a sorta creepy mask and sat in my garage with Halloween music playing (as per Alexa). About 10’ into my driveway I had a table with a black tablecloth covered in Skittles.
I lasted 90 mins. It got too cold and too boring. I’m sure every kid who wanted candy got some.
There were a handful of trick or treaters walking around, and one who knocked on my door. I didn’t answer. People, can we try, maybe, to knock out this fucking virus already? That would be great.
We weren’t home for most of it. We normally don’t get any kids up here on the second floor, anyway.
The young couple who have the ground floor unit usually spend the night on their patio where trick-or-treaters can walk right up to 'em. They weren’t out there when we got home.
The most we’ve ever gotten, about 70 trick or treaters. I set up in a chair in front and had a table by the sidewalk that had bowls with individually packaged baggies of candy that we put together days ago. There was a regular bowl and a ‘no nuts’ bowl. Waved at anyone who came by and said ‘Happy Halloween.’
The weather cooperated. Seems to be about the first thing that’s gone right in 2020.
I didn’t get any but I haven’t gotten any since the former neighbors’ kids got too old to trick or treat in 1999 or 2000. Literally none of the neighbors within walking distance have ever had children of any ages as long as I’ve lived here.
Interesting. Where are you located? We usually get at least 50 kids.
NW side Chicago
We got around a dozen kids all-told, which is about usual for us (Halloween not really being a traditional holiday here but it is slowly being assimilated. And we’re more a student suburb than young family suburb). All our sweets were packaged, used tongs to hand them out, etc. All participating houses were listed and mapped on the neighbourhood discussion app, so it all went fairly smoothly.
These were the pumpkins we set out:
https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/123361423_3469796566461853_7721685149112652106_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=2&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=layIEhWS6YkAX-R918i&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=367d5f15e5a04afb5e204596137ea6ca&oe=5FC5479A
As I mentioned elsewhere, we got twenty this more – more than in most years.
We put out sanitized ziplock bags of goodies on a table outside our door. The kids were honest and only took one each.
Not a one this year.
Of course we’re so rural that the last trick or treaters I remember in the neighborhood was back in 1963, when I was 6 and was driven around the area with two other kids who lived a half mile away.
We always took our kids into town for Halloween after that.
I’ve lived with my gf 15 years, and she was in this house 15 years before that. Not a single TorT person in all that time.
Ten years ago someone stopped at work with their five year old in a cute costume. We had no candy. There was beer in the refrigerator, but that was about it. I figured I’d put a dollar in their bag, but a ten was the smallest denomination I had. Kid made out.
I posted about our experience in this similar thread:
We had more than usual.
Got around 50 but no really young kids , everyone was 6 or older .
Usually we have the candy anyway just in case but this year we didn’t pick up any, didn’t even think about it until last Saturday, and it wasn’t worth going out this year. Had a couple of Peppermint Patties sitting in the fridge so me and the wife shared them.
We usually get 200 or more kids. This year we got about 50. I set up a chute so we could slide candy to them. Toward the end I was shoving handfuls at each kid to try to get rid of the extra candy.
Our major source of entertainment while we sat in the cold was trying to guess when the neighbors across the street would take their kids out. The town recommended that trick or treating go from 6 to 8pm but it was dead by 7. Lots of people closed up well before 8. The neighbors took their kids out at 7:50. They must have been disappointed to find most houses dark. There was no reason for it. They were home, the kids were dressed, and they had set up a table with bags of candy so they didn’t have to be home waiting. They baffle me.
This. For the first 5 years that I lived by myself, I’d buy candy and turn on my lights but I got an average of 1 party a year. Then, I didn’t buy candy and kept all of my lights off even the indoors ones and sometimes even went out for the evening to make sure I didn’t get any awkward knocks.
But this time I didn’t even bother with that, and I still got no trick or treaters.