Our county discouraged ToT, but still had no idea if people would show up. I kinda thought not, thinking they would assume that houses would not be participating. But I wanted to be prepared just in case. And I think we only got like 25 kids last year.
We put candy in zipped Halloween goodie bags last week and figured we’d either put the tray of them out on the bench or hold it out the door.
We got 1 adorable shark…and the UPS guy.
@Marilyn I really like what the mom in your neighborhood did. I hope a lot of people colored and posted their picture. Her way, she is in control of the content of treats and the amount and safety was pretty ensured.
We definitely had a lower amount maybe 1/2 of normal. Also, as usual, many probably not from our neighborhood - noticed because of the increased street traffic parked with lights on or going super slow down the boulevard. I’m fine with whoever comes as long as they are well behaved and fun!
I put out a card table with like treats - so that would encourage less touching. Refilled when necessary and greeted everyone while standing at the door on standing on our porch. Maybe 100 kids???
I’m happy for those who made it work to do typical TOT with slight twists or those who made stay at home celebrations.
I have young adults, so no longer hand out candy anyway. Last night I noticed our neighborhood was unusually quiet. It might have been a combination of people staying home, fewer porch lights on and our area coordinating trick or treat times so there was no double dipping going to more than one town.
My high school senior missed trick or treat in first grade because she was in the hospital. She survived both her illness and the trauma of missing TOT for one year (but I did have to come up big in the candy area once she was released).
I don’t understand people who are so gung-ho about trick or treating that they are willing to put themselves and their children at risk for exposure. We all have enough risk as it is in daily life.
There must be some Halloween version of Scrooge - if so, I guess I’m it lol.
I napped through the first hour. The few times I looked out I saw several small and large groups walking down the sidewalk, but the numbers were way down. The street is usually jam packed. I don’t know how many houses participated. I went out on the porch to meet the pizza delivery guy, and I could see one light on.
However, this is the first morning that the newspaper didn’t print a bunch of pictures and have an article about our neighborhood event.
I was glad to see so many people participating in my neighborhood. Only one family in my cul de sac has a child still young enough to go out and yet we all were out there with candy on tables.
A neighborhood close to mine decided that because of the pandemic this year they would move TOT to the afternoon instead of evening??? Can’t understand how this made any sense.
Downside of not participating in Halloween—no candy. First time in 21 years we did not celebrate in the old ‘hood (no kids in our current community). We forgot to buy candy for ourselves. Boo.
We weren’t in the mood to carve our pumpkins this year, but we did put out some decorations, not as many as usual. We put a patio table in front of the front steps where we were going to lay out candy, but at the last minute we found some cardboard tubing for a candy chute. We got maybe 75 ToTers from 6:00 to 7:30. Normally our neighborhood would get hundreds over 3 hours, particularly on a weekend night. On my run this morning, I saw a couple of driveways with tables loaded with candy and signs urging people to take some.
All the kids and parents wore masks (well, one exception for the parents). It felt safe, but I have to admit it might not have if we had gotten the numbers we normally do. I’d like to believe all the kids who were not trick or treating were doing super-safe Zoom parties, but I’m afraid some, like our neighbors across the street, were attending small parties with a few “safe” families. Unfortunately, it’s exactly those types of informal gatherings where public health officials tell us the virus is spreading, as folks let their guard down with family and friends and don’t wear masks or physically distance. Of course, the kids who were trick or treating might have ALSO attended a maskless party. I think we did the right thing handing out candy in a safe fashion, but I don’t know.
We, along with many of our neighbors, chose to put a firepit on our drive way and set up candy tables near where the driveway meets the road. Our neighborhood has been experiencing turn over the last few years and we have had an influx of young families which I think led many of us to deciding to carry on with ToT this year.
Fewer large groups this year, and only 100 or so total children but it was nice to see the solidarity of our neighborhood as each family set up their fire-pits, waved to one another from a distance and enjoyed seeing the little ones get a huge kick out of FREE CANDY! Most families also brought along their pets for the walkabout, so it was fun to see all the pet costumes as well.
@ChoatieMom head to Target tomorrow where the Halloween Candy is likely on sale. We bought ours late in the week and there were a gazillion bags still on the shelves.
We had grown up trick or treat. We started at 4:00 because once the sun set…it got very cold (like in the 20’s cold) and since we spent our time outdoors, we ended earlier than usual too.
Ours was busier than usual! I didn’t buy as much candy as I usually do because I didn’t know what to expect, and ran out a little over an hour in. My neighborhood gets lots of drive ins from other areas and it seemed like that was most of the people out there. I used a candy chute from my porch to a small table on my walk.
I have to say, after years of having all of the drive-in families and some accompanying frustrations (parking, trodding on plants, smoking, asking to use our bathroom), everyone this year was incredibly polite and grateful. I actually think it was my favorite Halloween since my kids stopped going. The kids and adults were all making efforts to be respectful and distanced, and watching adults or big sibs helping the little kids figure out the tube was really cute. It really seemed like everyone was just super grateful to be out trick or treating. And seeing everyone on their best behavior was really refreshing and a pleasant surprise.
NO kids came to our door. I had bought some candy so now I’ll have to eat it all.
< slips a hand, palms up, toward @orangepurple >
This morning as I went for my regular walk I saw plenty of houses with their “socially distanced” clothesline candy or staked in the lawn candy or even piled on a table near the mailbox… we definitely had fewer kids.
I have to say it - I love TOT!
I understand those who have had issues with vandalism, excessive partiers, etc. in their neighborhoods. Boo to that for ruining it for others. I get it.
As for teens- please folks there are so few things now where teens can just have good clean fun. What does it hurt if they TOT? Unless they engage in bad behavior, they aren’t taking anything away from the younger kids. This year especially. The high school kids here have no fall sports, no homecoming, no school activities etc.
As for costumes - H and I were discussing TOT, which we both loved as kids. But…he admitted he NEVER liked wearing a costume. It just isn’t him. When a teen shows up at my door in jeans and a hoodie - so what?
As for kids being driven into the neighborhood - how about being grateful for living in the kind of neighborhood people drive into, not out of? Folks in my neighborhood grumble about this every year but I like to point out that there are neighborhoods near ours which are not as fortunate. They might be unsafe or people there may not be able to afford to give out treats. I will not begrudge the kids who live there a candy bar. Please.
We put candy in ziplock baggies and set them out on a table in the driveway. Sat in chairs wearing masks with the dog 10 feet behind the table. Neighbor on one side passed out candy at her door like normal. Young couple on the other side of our house had an unattended bowl set up on the driveway. We gave out 120 bags of candy. In the heydey we had 200+ trick or treaters each year. Been down recently though as there are more empty nesters (with some houses turning over to young families). But this year we were down from that.
Groups were smaller than in past years. Typically had several groups of 20+ each year. This year there were no groups bigger than 10. And was common to see 4-5+ families out together. This year it was 1-3 families with most just what appeared to be one household.
@FallGirl I agree with you. Whether our drive-in TOTers’ neighborhoods aren’t safe, or if they go there just fine and just want more candy, anyone who’s making the effort to bring the kids out, I’m glad I can be a part of a special night for the kids (and teens) no matter where they live.
@FallGirl Most years I agree with you. I have zero problems with people driving to my neighborhood even if it means I have to tons and tons of candy and be swarmed by people until I run out. There aren’t many safe neighborhoods here - either crime or too rural. (BTW - I also hated dressing up!) I don’t mind if kids don’t dress up. For all I know their parents didn’t have any $$$ to buy a costume. $100 of candy (mix of cheap and chocolate, definitely nothing full size) typically lasts me from 5:30-7:00, so we don’t have problems with older kids. I only have a problem with coronavirus! We hated to bow out this year; but in my area, mask compliance and the general attitude toward social distancing is poor. I value my health more than TOT.
An online friend left a bowl of treats on her front doorstep. Stuff like Cheezits and Rice Krispie Treats. Her door camera captured two teens without costumes digging through the bowl and then scoffing. He looked at the camera and said, “Try to do better next time.” Guess who’s never passing out candy again, ha. (she posted the video so I know it’s legit)
We left a bowl on a table at the end of our driveway and we sat on our front porch. We only got 3 small groups. The boy we know on our street and his parents, the twins who live behind us and their mom, and a mom and little boy who we hadn’t seen before. And no one else. We turned off all the lights and brought in the candy around 8. Our neighborhood is mostly empty nesters and teenagers who don’t seem to be interested in trick or treating anymore. The whole time we’ve lived in this neighborhood we’ve never had a ton of trick or treaters, so I certainly wasn’t expecting more this year.
The three groups we got all came before 7…
Well said, @FallGirl !