# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 391
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7804 "2023-11-01T13:43:41Z")
I was still giving out last year’s candy. Tried to get rid of all of it but I was one kid short. Had anyone else come ring my door they’d have walked away with the remaining lot. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7805 "2023-11-01T14:00:33Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > We have a shitload of candy left over. It was cold and insanely windy this year. We had far fewer customers than last year. We had fewer and I over bought. It will take awhile but it won’t go to waste. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7806 "2023-11-01T14:04:51Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My gf always buys some candy “just in case”. We’ve _never_ had a trick or treater. Never. I haven’t had any here in years. But, some years ago, when I’d stopped buying candy because I hadn’t had any in years, a group came by and I didn’t have anything for them and had to go scrounging for some rather sad-looking apples; which they seemed disappointed by. So I went back to buying a bag or two of candy, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7807 "2023-11-01T15:42:01Z")
You caught me. I snuck a Milky Way this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7808 "2023-11-01T15:43:53Z")
Our neighborhood in SF was inconsistent, trick-or-treater wise. We could get 20 or more kids, or none at all, and the weather didn’t seem to be a factor. Never quite figured out what the variable was. Now that we’re in a 55-and-over community, there are no trick-or-treaters. But somehow a giant variety pack of Reese’s products mysteriously showed up in our pantry anyway. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7809 "2023-11-01T16:28:38Z")
Lightest Halloween ever for us. We opened the door 2 times, and one of those was just one kid. I went out at about 7:30 to get the mail and the street was just as quiet as any other night. Gone are the days of the doorbell ringing after we have turned-off all the lights. We speculated as to why: 1) all the neighborhood kids have grown-up and moved away, 2) those with little kids simply went somewhere else (school function, other family, to neighborhoods decorated more festively), 3) choosy moms don’t want their kids knocking on strangers’ doors. Yeah, we have a bowl of mini chocolate bars from Costco left over. Oh, yeah! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7810 "2023-11-01T17:25:06Z")
There’s a block party near me that is just a sea of small children. I bought $65 worth of candy in addition to the candy at my friends house. It was all gone before the party ended, even with rationing. I got to yell last call for the first time since I left my bar job. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7811 "2023-11-01T17:44:37Z")
I saw 3 kids last night, and all of them looked like it was their first time ever trick or treating. So now I either gain 20 lbs or flog all the leftovers to my students. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7812 "2023-11-01T18:41:52Z")
I’ve noticed a proliferation of candy bars, which are not my preference. My kid’s haul was mostly chocolate, and he doesn’t eat candy, so I was stuck with second best. I like the sweet hard candy, the gummies, etc. Last night I discovered my husband had been holding out on me when he presented me with a bowl of nerds, sour worms, and sweet tarts. Oh, the ecstasy! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7813 "2023-11-01T20:29:16Z")
As we did again last night, we often have minivans pull up across the street on Halloween and disgorge hordes of not-from-our-neighborhood kids. Last night we passed out a freakin’ 134 small bags of M&Ms. Just 2 bags were left at the end of the evening. I’ve heard of Devil’s Night and the like, but it was never a thing where I grew up, nor where I live now. Usually I get about seven hours’ sleep a night, and that works well for me. I can usually fall asleep without any problem, and far more often than not, I can fall back asleep if I wake up before the alarm goes off. I purposefully don’t look at the clock, though, so I don’t start worrying about how much time I have left before I _have_ to get up. I like some Billy Joel songs (“Don’t Ask Me Why” and most of the _Turnstiles_ and _The Stranger_ albums), but “Piano Man” is 'way overplayed IMHO and was always depressing. If I never hear it again for the rest of my life, that’d be OK with me. And see: [Cartoons at Random](https://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/random/share/2904811) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7814 "2023-11-01T20:32:48Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I like the sweet hard candy, the gummies, etc. Those are the ones I don’t like. And they usually languish for weeks and eventually get tossed. Since we moved into our condo (with gates) we’ve never had a trick-or-treater. My sister used to buy bags of candy, but we ended up eating it. Not good. I first heard of Devil’s Night when I read Joyce Carol Oates’s _Them_ back in the 70s. But I grew up Catholic (Catholic school through 8th grade), so I knew about Dia de los Muertos (I grew up in Los Angeles), and Nov 1st was All Saints Day (and a holy day of obligation) and Nov 2nd was All Souls Day. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7815 "2023-11-01T21:11:27Z")
We had about 80. We handed out glow sticks, mini choco bars, and let the kids pick put a little toy from a huge bowl. Bottles of water for the adults. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7816 "2023-11-01T21:23:05Z")
Halloween: 49 kids, up from 38 last year. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7817 "2023-11-01T21:37:20Z")
Zero kids at the door, like every year. I did some a few clusters in the adjacent neighborhood, so the tradition hasn’t died out. We could easily forget about Halloween, for all the effect it has on us. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7818 "2023-11-01T22:55:15Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Last night we passed out a freakin’ 134 small bags of M&Ms. Just 2 bags were left at the end of the evening. > > I’ve heard of Devil’s Night and the like, but it was never a thing where I grew up, nor where I live now. Not if you’re giving out M&Ms. Give out Bit-o-Honeys next year and Devil’s Night will be a thing where you live. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7819 "2023-11-02T00:46:09Z")
One of my neighbors stopped by this afternoon, to give me a jug of sweet cider they’d made from their apples. She said they’d gotten a lot made so were going around giving some to the neighbors. She also said she had family coming to visit this weekend. I gave her quite a bit of the candy which nobody had come for last night. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7820 "2023-11-02T20:59:17Z")
A bird’s body bobs up and down just a little bit while it flaps, no way am I going to deal with that for an entire trip. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7821 "2023-11-02T21:10:48Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Now that we’re in a 55-and-over community, there are no trick-or-treaters. But somehow a giant variety pack of Reese’s products mysteriously showed up in our pantry anyway. It’s a Halloween miracle! Our dog enjoyed calmly looking at everyone who came up to the door. She’s getting mellow in her old age. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7822 "2023-11-02T21:26:56Z")
Re, having some VIP in my home for several days. It ain’t gonna happen in my small 1-bedroom senior apartment. I’m not ever going to try to be ready. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/7823 "2023-11-02T21:50:55Z")
Guests? We don’t have no stinkin guests! But if we did, yeah, a few hours to make this place presentable, especially the sleeping areas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=390) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=392)