# My nephew is not allowed to go trick-or-treating **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 8, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214 "2004-10-08T16:11:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/41 "2004-10-08T19:11:13Z")
Maybe she could just take him around to relatives and such? That’s what my parents did when I was little-because until I was five, I REFUSED to go around door to door. Then my mother started taking me up to my cousins’ to go trick or treating, and we always had a blast! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/42 "2004-10-08T19:20:27Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Oh. One of _those_My nephew isn’t going to learn about the Tooth Fairy either. Tell her it’s in the Bible, right next to the nails in the palms. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/43 "2004-10-08T19:51:16Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Some may think it’s dumb, but I can tell you it was greatest day of my life as a young kid, with the possible exception of Christmas. It even beat my birthday, hands down. I still remember the pure joy I felt being in school that day, knowing the wait was over and the day had finally come. There was a countdown on the chalkboard the teacher updated, saying how many days until Halloween, and it’s burned into my mind the image of there being no days left, from the absolute pleasure it gave me to see that. That was over 25 years ago, and I can see that chalkboard like it was this morning. > > Denying your kid this activity could very well be denying him some of the most fun he will have as a child. My six year old son is like this. Halloween is IT! Its the big holiday of the year. He is SO excited for Halloween. He loves everything - the scary lights, the candy, the dressing up. He has been talking about Halloween all summer. We carved a pumpkin on September 30th. And, while getting candy is party of it, it isn’t a huge sugar fest - at least not any more than Easter or Christmas. They get to eat a few peices of candy the night itself, and one peice a day until I throw the rest out. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/44 "2004-10-08T19:55:19Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > My six year old son is like this. Halloween is IT! Its the big holiday of the year. He is SO excited for Halloween. He loves everything - the scary lights, the candy, the dressing up. He has been talking about Halloween all summer. We carved a pumpkin on September 30th. > > And, while getting candy is party of it, it isn’t a huge sugar fest - at least not any more than Easter or Christmas. They get to eat a few peices of candy the night itself, and one peice a day until I throw the rest out. I always thought the best part of Halloween was the dress-up, rather than the candy. What could be more fun than dressing up and freaking your friends out with your costume? Once we had our candy, Mom always used to tell us to choose five pieces total of what we liked best, then threw everything else away. Seems like a big waste now, but regardless, Halloween was never a sugar-fest for us, either. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/45 "2004-10-08T20:19:13Z")
[The Devil’s Night](http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1053/1053_01.asp), by Jack T. Chick ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/46 "2004-10-08T22:01:25Z")
Thats what I thought when I saw the title, over zealous christians. I started my son t&t ing at age 5. I’m one of the few church people who do that I know personally. My church is actually getting together small bags of candy and putting tracts in them to hand out. How neat :rolleyes: He usually gets about 100 pieces in the hour he(we) is out. I check them thoroughly, wrapper-wise and all. He gets to eat about 10 pieces; some kinds he doesn’t like, and some aren’t wrapped well. Wouldn’t it be cool if people handed out tofu instead? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/47 "2004-10-08T22:06:45Z")
> [@vanilla](#): > > Wouldn’t it be cool if people handed out tofu instead? 😉 So you’re going for that egg-wash look to the house, are you? ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/48 "2004-10-08T22:14:15Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > So you’re going for that egg-wash look to the house, are you? _snort_ ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/49 "2004-10-08T22:15:57Z")
Ha! Tofu is too squishy to hand out, really. But it would be healthier. But then kids would avoid our house. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/50 "2004-10-08T23:00:36Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > She’s a good person and I do like her, but she can be a bit overbearing sometimes. She also totally buys into the fear that the media imposes on us regarding germs, illnesses, crazy psycho killers, etc. - in other words, anything she reads, she’ll believe. If someone was to tell her that house dust caused cancer, she’d have air filters coming out the wazoo, and would probably make everybody wear masks to boot. Everyone else had good suggestions, but over protectiveness is bad. We’ve had two cases where kids of overprotective friends went off to college and freaked out. (We’ve got one through already, so I can be smug. 🙂 ) I assume the ToTing would involve his mother or father going with him, right? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/51 "2004-10-08T23:13:44Z")
> [@vanilla](#): > > Ha! Tofu is too squishy to hand out, really. > But it would be healthier. > But then kids would avoid our house. > 🙂 “Now Johnny, Cindy, what did you two get from that nice Mormon woman’s house?” “I … I dunno, momma. It’s … white and squishy and kinda wet and–” “You just give that to me RIGHT now. Give it here and go play in the living room!” ::finds husband:: “Call the cops, tell them that woman’s gone to the birds giving semen to children!” ---
**Author:** ![ms\_mom67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@ms\_mom67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ms_mom67)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/52 "2004-10-08T23:38:50Z")
What about your local churches?? Here in VA they are all the place, and allot have a party on Halloween. At least those are safe places to get candy and have a good time. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/53 "2004-10-08T23:48:02Z")
My mum didn’t let us go trick-ot-treating because it was ‘an American holiday imported by retailers bla bla bla.’ We moaned as kids, but I never notice Halloween as being a big deal now. Guy Fawkes, on the other hand, was mega-fun. Do people celebrate that in the states? ---
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/54 "2004-10-08T23:51:35Z")
> [@manx](#): > > Guy Fawkes, on the other hand, was mega-fun. Do people celebrate that in the states? No. But I wish we did. 🙂 Our day to play with fireworks is July 4th. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/55 "2004-10-08T23:55:58Z")
Man, you guys are missing out! As a kid I’d go to big neighbourhood/school organised nights, with a big bonfire and a whole heap of excelent fireworks. Eventually the govt banned rockets, but it’s still great fun now. My birthday is two days after Guy Fawkes, so I normally have a few sparkley things. (And this year, for my 21st, I’ll use the last of my carefully horded sky rockets.) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/56 "2004-10-09T00:00:47Z")
I know I loved t&t-ing when I was little. We usually used to have a party our friends in the neighborhood at our house, and then the younger kids would go out trick-or-treating together. You got to wear a costume, walk around the neighborhood with flashlights, and you got candy. When you’re 9 years old, that’s about the best kind of evening you can have, perhaps barring Christmas. I think a lot of the restrictions nowadays stem from paranoia about being out after dark. It’s really too bad, because some communities try to remedy the situation by holding ‘event’ type parties for the kids in some central area. For instance, last Halloween happened to be driving through my local junior college, just to take a shortcut, and found that a large ‘event’ type party was being held for the local kids, with jammed traffic into the college, guys waving flashlights to guide the hundreds of folks who needed to park there–in short, just about the furthest you could get from the fun, intimate holiday we enjoyed in our childhood. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/57 "2004-10-09T03:53:40Z")
Whats weird is I asked the school secretary if this year, on the Friday before Haloween, they are having a H party at school. She said it will be a Harvest Party with no costumes. What the heck? What fundamentalists got hold of them? I’ve heard of complaints about Holidays being renamed (Christmas is now Winter break, to be politically correct;non-religious, but not the other way around. Weird…) 🆒 :o orange smilies for Halloween ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/58 "2004-10-09T04:31:16Z")
I’m with the good **Rev** on this. Halloween was second only to Christmas for us. And it was mostly for the dress-up and the experience rather than the candy – really, once you ate the Peanut Butter Cups and the Dum-Dums, you were basically left with crap anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/59 "2004-10-09T04:34:13Z")
> [@Kaspar Hauser](#): > > I’m with the good **Rev** on this. Halloween was second only to Christmas for us. And it was mostly for the dress-up and the experience rather than the candy – really, once you ate the Peanut Butter Cups and the Dum-Dums, you were basically left with crap anyway. Damn, your neighborhood must’ve sucked if those were the only good things you got! ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214/60 "2004-10-09T04:38:31Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > [The Devil’s Night](http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1053/1053_01.asp), by Jack T. Chick Hey! I was only kidding about\*\* SATA , , ,no!!..WHAT? . . . . . .NO!. . . NOOOOOOOOOO!\*\* > [@VANILLA](#): > > Wouldn’t it be cool if people handed out tofu instead? EEEW! Not that would be Satanic! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-is-not-allowed-to-go-trick-or-treating/268214.md?page=4)