The little kids in costume are lots of fun, and very polite. Some quite shy, some glad to tell you about their costume.
They usually come later, when the candy has nearly run out, anyway.
For teenagers with no costume, I just give them a condom.
They got something, and maybe it might actually help with the overpopulation problem.
One kid said “Only one? I’m 17, I can use 3 of these in one night.” I laughed, told him I didn’t believe it, but gave him 2 more anyway.
I don’t have the kids pick out their own candy because they take too long poking and choosing.
I don’t care if the parents drive the kids over. They probably live too far to safely walk, esp in costume. Even the teens - this way the parents know they’re not out marauding, or being targeted by police, or running into some other trouble. I’ll usually ask if they want to take some candy to the parents. I get the giant bag of candy from Costco and throw away what’s left over anyway, so it’s not like it’s a hardship to give them candy; isn’t that the whole point of trick-or-treating? The older unaccompanied teens not in costume, well, they get candy grudgingly. At least it helps me get rid of the rest of the Hot Tamales and Sour Patch candy that the littlest kids don’'t get.
Best costumes this year: the kid in the leprechaun costume who handed an oversized gold-foil chocolate coin from his pot o’ gold to me, Sneak Boy (black cape and eye mask), the Princess of Seattle, and a kid in a lab coat doing a Jerry Lewis impersonation from The Nutty Professor.
Omg, what a GREAT idea! Next year, Planned Parenthood, here I come!
Bart: Flanders gave us toothpaste!
Lisa: MINI-toothpaste!
Plus, BAD kids get Mary Janes.
A tween boy showed up in a robe with a cowl and a glittery plague mask. Best of the night, IMO, because I’m a geek that way. Loved it!
There aren’t any kids in our neighborhood anymore. I’d have no problem if people started shipping their kids from other neighborhoods, we have to have candy on hand just in case someone shows up anyway. It’s Halloween, it’s supposed to be a special night for kids, and the obnoxious sub-human teenagers* without a costume wouldn’t be a problem as long as they show up later and aren’t spoiling it for the kids.
*All teenagers are obnoxious and sub-human, putting a costume on them doesn’t change that.
I just give them parma violets. They don’t tend to come back.
My favorite young teen had a red shirt, khakis, and a pizza delivery bag. I told him “nice delivery uniform”, and he flashes a DiGiorno box - “it’s not delivery, it’s DiGiorno”. He got extra.
I love when parents bring in kids from other neighborhoods, because they usually seem to be from poorer or rural areas where trick-or-treating is either dangerous or impractical. One year, my parents’ homeowner’s association got in touch with a church in the projects and arranged to have those kids come up to trick-or-treat in their neighborhood. I love trick-or-treating, and think every kid deserves to spend November 1st stuffing themselves with candy.
That’s a feature, not a bug.
::makes mental note to put on costume and go to OldOlds’ house next year::
Meh, none of us really need the infusion of junk food. And I seem to have lost my taste for (cheap) chocolate candy sometime in the last couple of decades. Most years, the candy stays in the bowl for a few months until I get tired of looking at it and throw it out. (You really can’t call it willpower when it’s just lack of interest.)
I used to live in a area that was mostly rural (Jefferson, MD); we had few trick or treaters visit our house so everyone tended to give away BIG candy for the effort.
There was one neighborhood in town that was the defacto destination for everyone looking for ‘The Halloween Experience’. Probably 70% of the neighborhood went all out making a great display; the streets were clogged with pedestrians (we’d all park outside the community and walk in).
Always made it a point to yell “Nice Job” and “Thanks!” to everyone who helped make my kid’s early years a little more special.
YOW! :eek: I’ve been fortunate enough never to live in a neighborhood like that.
My Halloween was low-key but fun: I set up my grill by the front steps with firewood and lit it as dusk was setting. I then sat next to it in a lawn chair and handed out candy* to the trick-or-treaters. It was cold enough after dark that several actually stopped to warm themselves by the fire! 
*P.S. I always spring for the good stuff: name-brand chocolate candy bars. IMHO, sweet tarts, individual caramels, hard candy, bubble gun, etc. is for cheapskates.
I gotta say that Portland trick or treaters are almost always unfailingly polite. They always say ‘thank you’. The only time there was even a small wrinkle was one year when we misguidedly bought Clif Bars and one teenager said “Oh. . .Clif Bars” in a voice that clearly indicated how disappointing that was. In the past, when we’ve run out of candy, latecomers have even said “Oh, that’s okay, we’ll see you next year and thank you anyway.” :eek:
That reminds me - I have to go buy some reduced-price candy.
And why do they need candy when they are encased in bread?
Maybe they’d appreciate… I dunno, Fig Newtons?
I’ve seen this. They’re rude little shits. My friend and I were given a few pieces of candy once when we took her little brother around, but we didn’t ask for it.
I used to be one of those kids who went to a bigger neighborhood, because I liked to go trick or treating with my cousins. My aunt and uncle like the extra help from my parents. That all right with you, Stink Fish Pot? :dubious:
I don’t care who shows up or from where. I love hearing the kids rejoice. A little red ninja (my husband thinks he was Shredder) capered down our driveway to his mommy singing out, “Starburst! Yay! And they’re pink! Pink!”
After that, it’s fine with me if a teen shows up with a pillow case and an old shirt on.
I just wish I’d known that fewer kids were coming by this year than last.
Of course, as Portlanders you know they have no intention of actually showing up 
We had a few customers and then turned off the lights and hit the neighbors with our own kids. After we came back home we set up chairs and have out more candy. My kindergartener is super shy so we gave her the bowl and she did really well handing out candy. She was still pretty quiet but it was good.
I mean DAMN HALLOWEEN, GRUBBY KIDS TAKING CANDY! WHEN I WAS A KID WE GOT ROCKS, AND WE WERE THANKFUL! AND YOU HAD TO DO A TRICK TO GET THE TREAT, USUALLY PLOWING A FIELD OR DELIVERING A CALF.