I am a Halloween Grinch for the reasons you name. When I was getting kids old enough to drive coming around without any costume and when they parents were bringing them in by the SUV load from out of the area, I stopped giving.
When I was young you went to the neighborhood and that was it, we didn’t drive all over the city. And we dressed up. And we stopped when before we were old enough to drive.
I usually go out to a bar on Trick or Treat night.
Sunday?
Am i preparing for the wrong day?
I thought it was October 31, which would be Tuesday this year…
Halloween is October 31, which is Tuesday this year. Some communities set particular hours that one can Trick or Treat-- like 6 to 9 pm. Some even move ToT to a different day sometimes. Walloon’s town has opted to make Sunday afternoon trick or treat time, no matter when Halloween actually falls. This has advantages, and disadvantages, which I will not spell out for you. Check your local paper, or with your neighbors who have kids of the appropriate age, but it’s likely you’ve been preparing for the right day.
Trick-or-treat days and hours:
We actually keep three piles of candy on hand. One pile is the good stuff, for kids with costumes. One pile is the junky stuff (usually loose candy corn or something to that effect) for teenagers in no costumes. And one pile is for the toddlers who shouldn’t really be eating small candies or chocolate in large quantities; usually boxes of animal crackers or Teddy Grahams or something like that. Parents are often very appreciative when we give out toddler-appropriate candy.
I will say that there have been years when we weren’t going to be home for whatever reason (this year will be one of them, as both of us are going out with the kids) and we’ve left a basket of candy on the front porch with a sign saying “Happy Halloween.” I am please to report that every time we’ve done this, we’ve come back and there’s been some candy left in the basket. Not every child is a greedy candy-snatching glutton!
I really like that idea. We’re taking WhyBaby (a year and a halfish) out mostly to show her off. I only expect she’ll actually toddle up to a house or two, it’d be nice if they had something she could enjoy.
Mostly she’ll just be staring around at all the other kids, silently thinking “WTF”? 
Thanks for the link! I submitted Evanston, IL hours (Oct. 31, 4-7) and they should be added shortly.
We didn’t take the Ivykidlets around in strollers, only when they were old enough to toddle along on their own. Of course, the houses we hit were limited, unless we wanted to lug around a girl wearing a pink butterfly costume.
One year, we hit my MIL’s neighborhood. Ivylad LOVES Halloween, and Ivygirl had tripped and spilled her candy all over the sidewalk. In the course of helping her pick it up, Ivylad popped a live frog that just happened to be near the Tootsie rolls into her bucket.
A few steps later, she noticed it, and promptly screamed and took after her father with the orange plastic bucket.
Ah, good times. Now, Ivygirl is too “cool” for Halloween, although Ivyboy is going to wear his demon costume and scare the kids as they come to the door.
I really like this idea. I’m waiting to see how many trick-or-treaters I get in this apartment complex (last year, people were still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma). If I get more than a couple of toddlers, I may do this next year.
I haven’t gotten many trick-or-treaters over the years, but I give candy to everyone regardless of age or costume. I dole the candy out myself so no one takes it all.
I figure if the sullen teens are that hard up for candy that they’re pounding the pavement for it, then sure they can have a piece. I live in a big ol’ sub that’s excellent for TOTing (when I grew up I was thrilled when I became friends with a girl who lived in this neighborhood, just so I could come over on H’ween) so we get lots of dropped off vanloads of kids from neighboring areas. The more the merrier, I like thinking that my neighbors and I can help the kids who live on remote dead-end streets still get the full H’ween experience.
It’s so much fun to pass out the candy and see all the little ones in costume that my retired parents come 250 miles every year to stay with me for the holiday. They retired to a remote rural area and while they say they’re just coming down to visit, the truth is it’s too much fun to miss out on.
An adult does the passing out, definitely, and we always have a bowl of suitable stuff for the wee ones, those safe-t-suckers or teddy grahams usually.
Debbie Downer, is that you? Wahhh Whaannaaa…
I just saw a piece online about a neighborhood association that’s posting signs asking parents to please get out of their cars and WALK with their TOTers. Apparently many of them prefer to cruise the street alongside their kids, one eye on the road and one on their child. Absolute insanity.
The neighborhood I’ve recently moved into does holidays in a big way. Almost everyone’s house is decorated (well, not mine) and the people of our cul-de-sac are going to have a little outdoor get-together, with actual food being served, as well as candy. I’ve been asked to provide an appetizer, so I’m going to drop off a plate of spinach puffs, socialize with the grown-ups as briefly as possible, and then go have real fun with the kids!
As for candy distribution, I put the candy in the bags, so there’s no grabbing problem, and I’ve rarely seen anyone without a costume. If I did, I’d just give them a piece of candy like the rest.
Our family is a Halloween paradox. We decorate extremely heavily. I’m talking a handmade graveyard, skeletons, ghosts and bats in the trees, three giant blowups, lights. But we hate trick or treaters because they are grabby little bastards. We’ve even had kids criticize our candy! WTF! So, this year we’re giving out one pack each of candy corn and that’s it. We might even put it out in a cauldron with a “Take one - if you dare!” sign. We do love it when parents take pictures of their kids in our cool yard though.
Well, it seems to be over, and everything went fine. There were very few surly teenagers, and most of the ones out of costume were, at least, trick-or-treating with younger kids who were in costume. There were some very cute outfits and some very cute kids, and everyone was very polite. They all got heaps of candy, and i’ve even got a little bit left over.
The whole thing was a bit of a revelation in another way, however.
As i said in the OP, the only other time i’ve done Halloween was two years ago. In 2004, October 31 was a Sunday, so there was no ambiguity about what day to go out. Everyone went on that evening.
Well, on Sunday afternoon just after 4 i was on the front porch stretching, about to go out for my afternoon run. As i walked down the front steps, i saw a few kids in costumes, and i asked a couple of people across the street what the deal was. Apparently, the people in our neighborhood had reached an agreement a few years back to do it on a Sunday afternoon, even if the 31st fell during the week. One reason given was that this was easier for parents who work until 5 or 6 in the evening during the week. Fair enough. Another reason given to me was that it allowed them to avoid trick-or-treating on the same day as the older kids from “the other neighborhood.”
Well, where i am in Baltimore, “the other neighborhood” is a black neighborhood, that meets our lily-white neighborhood about a block to the east. I was a little concerned at the implications of this. I mean, i don’t think there was any bad intent; most of the folks in my neighborhood seem to be bleeding heart liberals, and many of them also opened their doors to trick-or-treaters this evening.
But, whatever the intention, the fact is that we have de facto segregated Halloween. I didn’t hand out candy to a single white kid tonight, and if i had participated on Sunday i don’t think i would have handed out candy to a single black kid. I realize that this isn’t the most pressing racial problem in America today, but it was something of an eye-opener.
Things went smoothly here, with one exception. I had been doling out several kinds of candy from a bowl to a group of children (apparently siblings). One little girl, having received three pieces of candy, said “That’s not enough” and reached into the bowl, grabbing a whole fistful of goodies. I said to her “Put that back. There won’t be enough for the other kids who come later.” Much to my surprise, the kid’s mother stepped up and said “She doesn’t have to put it back. You offered it.” I didn’t want to fight over this, so I shrugged and shut the door. Wow, what a great lesson you’re teaching, mom.
That’s just so unbelievably sad.