# I only had 1 trick or treater **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 1, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505 "2012-11-01T00:42:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/1 "2012-11-01T00:42:10Z")
I’m pretty disappointed and a little hurt. I was looking forward to giving out candy and asking the kids what they dressed as. I bought 4 bags of candy and only gave away a few pieces. Hours in my apartment complex to trick or treat are 5-9pm, and it is almost 9pm now. Sucks. Looking out the window I don’t even see anyone in costume trick or treating in the neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/2 "2012-11-01T00:46:59Z")
We have only had 4 small groups come by. This is the first year I’ve lived in a house not with my parents (dorms and apartments otherwise) and it’s a pretty nice neighborhood, active, schools nearby. Figured we should put out some jack o lanterns and hand out candy. Looks like my coworkers will be enjoying the 4 bags I bought instead. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/3 "2012-11-01T00:51:47Z")
We’ve had two. Trick-or-treat ends in ten minutes. We took our daughter around earlier in the evening, and didn’t see a single other kid. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/4 "2012-11-01T00:52:08Z")
I never know how many to expect. I have a big bowl of candy, but so far we’ve only had the two little boys who live on the corner, and it’s almost 7 p.m. now. I’m starting to wonder if I should have just dumped half the bowl into their bags, but they came by at 5:30 and I thought we were just warming up. Maybe if no one else comes, I’ll run over and leave it on their doorstep at 9 tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/5 "2012-11-01T00:59:49Z")
I think we’ve had 1 trick or treater here at our place in the last 30 years. That one lone guy got a can of tuna. ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/6 "2012-11-01T01:00:26Z")
InternetLegend, it’s the magic of Candy Fairy! ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/7 "2012-11-01T01:01:55Z")
Our power was just restored earlier this evening; I’m in New Jersey, so my wife and I weren’t expecting too many kids to come a-knockin’, but even I was surprised when no one came by the entire evening. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/8 "2012-11-01T01:10:13Z")
We only had a couple of groups here, but people may have made alternate party plans in light of the weather’s uncertainty. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I think we’ve had 1 trick or treater here at our place in the last 30 years. That one lone guy got a can of tuna. How about at work? Do the residents get to trick-or-treat around the cell block? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/9 "2012-11-01T01:17:01Z")
Three here. Some years we get a few more, some years we don’t get any. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/10 "2012-11-01T01:31:53Z")
We’ve had about 30 kids, only maybe a dozen I recognize from the neighborhood. No teenagers so far, either - I’m guessing since TheKid graduated all that knew her from school figured she wouldn’t be here (and she’s not). The dog treats she made to give out have been a hit, though. Very well costumed canines around here. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/11 "2012-11-01T01:37:55Z")
We gave out peanuts, pretzels and pencils, to a reasonable number of kids (if potentially down from other years). It was cold and windy, and then it started not quite raining. We did have a costumed canine early. I was annoyed by both kids who said they couldn’t have peanuts–one got a pencil instead, the other kept the nuts, because Mom yelled it was OK from the sidewalk. Eureka’s rule of Halloween etiquette–beggars shouldn’t be choosers. I was irritated by the number of kids who didn’t say trick or treat or thank you. I laughed at the kid who was really excited because he got a pixie stick–since it wasn’t a pixie stick, it was a pencil. ---
**Author:** ![cardinal\_fang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal_fang/32/15316_2.png) [@cardinal\_fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardinal_fang)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/12 "2012-11-01T01:42:40Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Our power was just restored earlier this evening; I’m in New Jersey, so my wife and I weren’t expecting too many kids to come a-knockin’, but even I was surprised when no one came by the entire evening. Note that [Halloween was rescheduled](https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/new-jersey-halloween-moved-monday-christie-article-1.1195121) in New Jersey. You might have better luck Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/13 "2012-11-01T01:46:31Z")
We haven’t had any. The zombie’s in the front yard, the gargoyle’s in the tree, the jack-o-lantern is in the window… And its raining. And there aren’t that many kids around here anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/14 "2012-11-01T01:52:06Z")
We only got one too. Out and about, I only saw less than a dozen groups. In this same neighborhood when I was a kid, it was crawling with people, so it’s extra noticeable to me now as an adult. Every year has been less and less, but this was crazy low. We have lights and sidewalks, so you’d think we’d have had at least a few more. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/15 "2012-11-01T01:56:25Z")
This is our fifth Halloween in this house, and we’ve never had a single visitor. My daughter is almost three this year, so we took her out for the first time tonight. It turns out there’s a neighborhood 15 minutes or so away that is where everyone goes. We’re in a rural area, so it makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/16 "2012-11-01T02:14:15Z")
Our deli participated in the Main Street give away, so I got to see hundreds of kids this year. Spiderman was popular and so was Dorothy. Almost everyone was so well behaved. I was impressed. ---
**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, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/17 "2012-11-01T02:23:00Z")
> [@Bomb Killed Them](#): > > How about at work? Do the residents get to trick-or-treat around the cell block? Where do you think he got that can of tuna from? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/18 "2012-11-01T02:30:28Z")
A group of 15 or so went through our complex, but that’s it. Halloween is huge nowadays, but masses of kids roaming far and wide for candy seems like a thing of the past. When do you suppose the “golden age” of trick or treating was? ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/19 "2012-11-01T02:33:00Z")
About a dozen trickers came by house and the last was the most adorable two and half y/o Tinkerbell (I think). She took one piece from a big bowl. I offered her another and she said, “this one’s for mommy!” I said, “what about daddy”, and she took another piece. Then I said one more for you and she took one more. Needless to say I was charmed… she walked off and said thank you and Happy Halloween! in only the way a 2 1/2 y/o can. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505/20 "2012-11-01T02:33:30Z")
Last year was our first in this neighborhood, so I stocked up on treats. Not one single ghost, goblin, witch, or werewolf. I took the girls out around our neighborhood, and they each got two pieces of candy, so I let them enjoy our unused treats. Lesson learned. This year, we went to another neighborhood about a mile from here, got treats from about a dozenlovely homes, and came home. I left the Big Teenage Boy at home, with instructions to scrounge if anyone knocked. (Not really. I had some wrapped cookies just in case. But tuna and Mac & cheese would have been awesome.) No knocks again, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-only-had-1-trick-or-treater/639505.md?page=2)