I just cancelled my Wal-Mart candy order. All of this is just too much.
I have a long cardboard tube that some fabric was shipped on. I’m sure somebody could use it for a trick or treat slide but I don’t know who.
I’m turning off my porch lights and putting up signs near entry points that there is no TOT this year. Our County health department is “strongly discouraging” trick or treating because of difficulties maintaining social distancing on porches and front doors, ensuring that everyone answering or coming to the door is properly masked, and the touching of high contact surfaces like doorbells and candy bowls.
I rejected the idea of setting out some sort of candy bowl because there is no way for parents to know how careful a neighbor has been in handling the treats, and the children coming by are likely to put their hands in the bowl and rummage around. And given that they are picking up candy, those little kid hands have either already been in the kids’ mouths, or are going to end up in their mouths at various points during the evening. So I really don’t see how the communal candy bowl is in any way safe. Basically, I see it as a good way for a kid to come in contact with all the germs on the hands of all the other little kids who have come before, while leaving their own germs behind. One problem with trick or treating is that there are always kids coming in from other neighborhoods- the pitfall of living in a safe & walkable suburban tract where all the neighbors love putting up Halloween decorations.
Overall probably not a particularly high risk of transmission of a mostly airborne virus, but enough to make me want to bow out of potentially hosting the super-spreader candy bowl.
I mentioned to a neighbor who has two small children that my house would not be open this year – and she was completely on board. She’s not doing TOT this year and actually was under the impression that the health department had prohibited (rather than merely discouraging the practice).
Only about 1/8 homes handing out candy in my neighborhood. Now I don’t feel so bad. TorTs down by at least 50%.
We usually have hundreds and hundreds of kids on our street ToTing. No one rang our doorbell.
We put a card table out on the end of the driveway and put the candy on it. Our entire cul de sac did the same. Honestly the kids seemed to come in very small groups or with siblings and it seemed pretty safe to me. We got about 40-50 kids which is about half as many as usual.
Only two of the houses on our cul-de-sac had their lights on. I thought there would be more. I expected to be in the minority in not participating. We saw small groups of trick-or-treaters, but far, far fewer than usual.
I guess I would just say that we got through it- the 2020 version of Halloween. We just weren’t in the mood, so we set out a folding chair with a bowl of mini candy. We had to refill it twice, and turned the lights off and brought the chair and bowl in at 8:15. That’s about when things normally wind down in our neighborhood. So- that’s done.
Our house is so far off the main drag that we never have any ToT kids. We went to our Home Depot today, and it was buzzing!! They had candy stations throughout the store manned by staff in all sorts of costumes! This must’ve been well advertised - lots of kids!! Kids were given a store map so they could follow the goodies. 
Our neighborhood was pretty normal, kid-wise. Small groups. Kids with non-related kids were in masks for the most part. We had candy on a table spread out and kids took one. I sat about 10 feet behind the table and wore a mask when people were there. My kids went around and they report most houses had candy on a table or blanket and a couple had chutes.
My younger kids went with 1 friend each. They all wore masks the whole time. I had them arrange to go with friends they sit by in class or at lunch, so are part of their circle at school already and we didn’t add another person who would be a “close contact”.
Our neighborhood’s coordinated effort worked. Although most kids did not wear face masks parents did. The groups were families for the most part until older kids came. We all put tables near the sidewalks. Some of our neighbors had fire pits they sat around. We had camp chairs pizza and wine. We sat far back so we could see and talk to the kids. The time was set to end at 8 and that was when we closed up. We had nearly the same number as in the past. I think it was because the neighborhood email had stressed safety.
We got about five groups tonight. Pretty average for our neighborhood. DH made a chute to send treat bags down with a tray at the bottom. I’m glad they came!
I think we had 4 groups. Set a table out. The first groups were very young kids and they thought it was fun to pick up a treat and seemed to be more interested in waving and being dressed up. They also came during the 5:00 hour so light out. I think they probably went to a few houses and called it quits. Cute. After dark had one group of 4 teens.
Shut off the light, moved the table, goodnight.
Our streets were deserted until about 6:30. Then it picked up in spurts until 8. A normal year is more like 6:00-9:00. Gave out 60 full size bars and a bowl of fun size. I was prepared for twice that.
Parents said that a lot of houses weren’t participating. I was happy to sit outside and greet the kids, but it just wasn’t as much fun as usual. Much more sedate.
I had a table set up in front of the house and I’m guessing a good many did that as well. One of the last little girls to come asked me where is everyone getting all these tables??
We had a great night! Bundled up so we could sit behind our treat table in the driveway. The other houses that were open did the same. We felt it was much more festive, with lots of colored lights, decorations and candles, and much more social than normal, when we sit inside, hand the kids the treat bowl when they ring the bell, and off they go. Tonight we got to chat more with the adults, and nobody was in a great rush. I think we will do it the same way in future years and hope others do too! We didn’t have as many kids but we did give out all but one of the treat bags I had made. Everyone was traveling in a small group of family or just 2-3 friends. We sat a good distance behind our table so it didn’t feel unsafe in the least. So glad we participated!!
We’re at the end of the cul-de-sac, so we generally have fewer than a dozen trick-or-treaters. Tonight we had 5, two different neighbor families. DH has started hitting the candy bowl hard. ; )
My wife also set up a treat chute - we have 4 steps down from our front porch, so she was 6-8 feet away, with mask. About 50% of the normal volume.
Our neighborhood had a noon party, with a grilled cheese truck.
A few random groups, then the large one, with all the kids I know. My guy friend and I took the dog out and I brought candy with me. I left it at homes where I knew the child and they hadn’t visited. Lots of people had tables outside. I have way too much left over, and it’s not something I like.
One mom in the neighborhood dropped a note on the porch a couple of days ago with some little pictures to color. She asked people to put them in a window that could be seen from the street. She took her girls on a walk this afternoon and gave them a piece of candy each time they found a picture. I hope a lot of houses participated!
This is the same mom who asked people to tape up pictures of decorated eggs at Easter for her girls to do an Easter egg hunt.
We got two adorable (separate) princess trick-or-treaters, at 6:00 and 6:10. Now what to do with the 28 full-size candy bars that are left over… (we have had as many as 100 kids, but lately more like 30 as our neighborhood ages).