Due to our DS/DIL wanting to celebrate T-day at the cabin, we’re still in Maine for Halloween, so we won’t be going back up to our old AZ neighborhood to catch up with our neighbors and pass out candy like we usually do. Instead, we’ve been invited to a private party of the regulars at our favorite bistro on the lake that is forever closing as of Halloween Eve. The owner needs to empty the place of what’s left of its food/alcohol inventory and has invited the “family” to partake. I think there will be more boo-hoos than boos. (I’m wearing a tee shirt that says, “I’m Just Here for the Boos.”) Maine won’t be the same for us after this place closes. It’s where we’ve connected with the town, its retailers, its city workers, its select(wo)men, etc. There’s no other place like it around the lake. Without it, our time here will be very different.
On the way out, I saw this creepy witch hanging there. She’ll go outside on Halloween. And we want to eventually get glowing red eyes for our attic window
My next door neighbor and I have passed out our Halloween candy together for around 20 years, ever since our last kids were old enough to trick or treat alone. It’s our tradition! Over the years, the number of kids has varied. In recent years, the numbers have ticked up - I’m pretty sure people come into our neighborhood to trick or treat, but we don’t care, as long as the kids are respectful. This year, it will be ridiculously warm, so I’m expecting a lot of kids. Luckily, CVS sent me numerous excellent coupons & I purchased a lot of candy over the past month.
We give full-sized candy bars (and also always keep one container of non-chocolate candy for those few who don’t eat it. I personally cannot imagine life without chocolate.) We usually tell some of the older kids to come back again later to get any leftover candy. We also used to give adult beverages to the parents but don’t do that anymore.
We have one measley bag of candy, just in case someone comes. I’d say in the over 15 years we’ve lived here, we’ve had less than 50 trick or treaters - Probably less that 20.
I’m one of the few non-Halloween fans, just don’t get the appeal. I do not like being scared, and find skeletons, spiders, et al not aesthetically pleasing. We did light decorating when son was young and used to carve three pumpkins annually - parents especially were impressed in our old town because very few people carved by hand even then.
We used to have anywhere from 60 to to 120 trick-or-treaters at our old suburban Chicagoland house. I was usually home alone answering the door (if weeknight) because husband was either still at work or taking son around (in the costumes I made, fyi).
Here in San Diego, we’ve gotten at most a dozen people. An acquaintance throws an annual party because his street is very popular with up to 1000 kids. I’ve been a couple of times but don’t really enjoy the crowded scene. So husband has started going by himself, and I’ve hidden away from the door since I am not comfortable answering the door alone. No particular reason, just don’t know the neighborhood or kids as well, and there are some very badly behaved middle schoolers around.
I still remember Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF with the old half pint milk carton wraps. But my dad was never a fan of Halloween because he said it was the night of pogroms in the old world before All Saints Day. Maybe some of that sense still lingers with me.
As I write this at 4:30, no one has shown up, usually by this time there would be a wave of really young kids, then kids after school, but no one so far. It is warm here in NJ, it hit like 80, and it is clear, but so far nothing. In the past we had pretty large groups of kids, it would be like the younger kids, school age kids then older kids after dinner.
I wonder since towns started doing events where they have people with the cars with the candy in the trunk and kids doing that, if people have pulled back from trick or treating. There are kids in my area, so I wonder if these kind of events are ending the Halloween day thing.
I love Halloween and we have a very fun neighborhood with lots of younger families. The weather is fantastic so I’m prepared to handout 600+ pieces of candy.
We’ll start off at home and handout to the littles then turn off the lights, leave a note on the door and hangout with other families to hand out candy in the cul de sac.
