# There should be a trunk-or-treat \*after\* Halloween **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 31, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309 "2026-10-31T23:54:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/1 "2026-10-31T23:54:29Z")
So once again, we prepared in case we got a whole bunch trick-or-treaters, and instead we just got one group of four kids. So most of this 110-piece bag of miniature candy bars will go back in the fridge. I’m sure I’m not the only one this happens to. But the solution is simple: every elementary school should host a trunk-or-treat on one afternoon in the week **after** Halloween, where those of us who have Halloween candy we still want to get rid of can have one last (and hopefully sufficient) opportunity to distribute our leftovers to kids. And the kids can wear their Halloween costumes one more time too - win-win! Seriously, why not? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/2 "2026-10-31T23:59:29Z")
Because I’ll have eaten all the candy by then. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/3 "2026-11-01T00:10:43Z")
Left over Halloween candy is my supply of dessert until early in the new year. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/4 "2026-11-01T00:10:48Z")
Well, like I said, this (on the giving end, that is) would be for “those of us who have Halloween candy we still want to get rid of” and if you’re not one of those people, that’s no problem. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/5 "2026-11-01T00:38:28Z")
Sign me up. I spend all November guiltily raiding the leftover Halloween candy. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/6 "2026-11-01T01:27:45Z")
Why do you hate Christmas? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/7 "2026-11-01T02:30:10Z")
I just with the (IMO) stupid parents/churches/stuck up town leaders would just agree that trick or treating is the 31st only. No daytime trunk or treating, no “fall parties”. just house to house like God intended. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/8 "2026-11-01T04:23:03Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > we just got one group of four kids. Beat you. We got one group of **two** kids. I bought two bags of Reese’s cups and one of York peppermint patties, and we gave out eight pieces. Does anyone know if food pantries will take it? I’m going to call our local one on Monday. (For some reason, my wife doesn’t think we should keep it.) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/9 "2026-11-01T05:16:14Z")
If the candy is individually factory-sealed, they probably will. Some dentists in my area have purchased unwanted Halloween candy, and shipped it to overseas soldiers. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/10 "2026-11-01T05:16:20Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Seriously, why not? Because under the current system, I have co-workers who bring leftover candy to work. Why do you hate me and want to deprive me of candy? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/11 "2026-11-01T06:35:21Z")
Huh, I was feeling smug about having correctly estimated my $30+ (ulp) expenditure on Halloween candy with only about 12 individual pieces left over. The three sour fruit packets will be consumed by me and the mini chocolate bars will be taken to the office for coworkers. Tonight I had a few Spidermans, a Princess Tiana, a monarch butterfly, a Sonic, some serial killers (? I guess) with alarmingly realistic-looking bloodstained knives, and others I can’t recall. (The majority of costumes nowadays the children have to explain to me anyway, bc I am old and clueless.) Probably about 30 kids all told, it’s a kid-friendly neighborhood with good sidewalks. I’m glad ToT is still a thing, even though I was useless at Halloween decor this year, didn’t even get a jack o’lantern carved. Still, the candy is the important part! ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/12 "2026-11-01T14:48:38Z")
We had ONE gaggle of people last night. About ten kids, plus parents (maybe other supervisor type people) in one big clump. Which was fine, but they came at 5:15 p.m.! The sun hadn’t even set, what the hell was wrong with them, don’t they know the rules? We had to hurriedly hunt around for where we’d drop the bags of candy and rip them open. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/13 "2026-11-01T15:19:37Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Which was fine, but they came at 5:15 p.m.! The sun hadn’t even set, what the hell was wrong with them, don’t they know the rules? We had to hurriedly hunt around for where we’d drop the bags of candy and rip them open. As long as I can remember, parents with little kids (like, six or younger) in our neighborhood have trick-or-treated with them while there was still plenty of light. I made sure I had the candy ready by 5pm. Also, what are these ‘rules’ of which you speak? 😁 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/14 "2026-11-01T15:29:27Z")
Halloween, as named by those callow, upstart Christians, or Samhain, as some of us still call it, is the night when the veil between the living and the dead is most thin. The _main_ purpose of the ancient Trick or Treat ritual is not for children to have spooky fun and get candy, it’s meant as a deterrent to keep spirits of the dead on their side of the veil so they will not haunt the living. Afterward, the placated spirits rest, no longer attempting to cross the veil until the following Samhain. Any invocation of the Trick or Treat ritual after Samhain may rouse the spirits from their slumber and tempt them anew to cross the divide and haunt us. 😱 ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/15 "2026-11-01T15:33:30Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Also, what are these ‘rules’ of which you speak? The way WE have always done things, naturally! ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/16 "2026-11-01T17:43:16Z")
The school I work at does this. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/17 "2026-11-01T18:03:44Z")
As long as the wrapper isn’t too Hallowe’en-specific: Stocking stuffers. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/18 "2026-11-02T00:07:05Z")
Good for them! I may suggest it to my son’s old elementary school. Of course, maybe I should just offer the leftover candy to him first. (The Firebug is 19 and in college now, but he’ll be home for a visit this coming weekend.) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/19 "2026-11-02T00:11:28Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > As long as the wrapper isn’t too Hallowe’en-specific: Stocking stuffers. That’s a good idea! In my specific case, I’m limited by the number of stockings there will be at our Christmas get-together, but that might be a good solution for others. I think the only Halloween-specific candy in the assortment I bought are some pumpkin-flavored Reese’s cups. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309/20 "2026-11-02T00:20:41Z")
Sir, this is an Arby’s. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-should-be-a-trunk-or-treat-after-halloween/1034309.md?page=2)