Halloween

[caseydog]

It is Thursday night, 8:45 PM. Not one trick or treater. We live in a nice neighborhood, houses are decorated, porch lights are on. Anyone else having trick or treaters in your neighborhood?

Neighborhood trick-or-treating has pretty much died off around here. I don't bother to buy candy that I'll end up eating myself. The big mall near me has trick-or-treating, with the stores giving out candy to the kids. I wonder what Williams-Sonoma gives out? Or, the Godiva Chocolates store?

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

We haven't had kids here for years. I think, more and more, parents are opting for the events various places put on.

I spoke with my niece, and she has a 5yo and lives in a typical city suburb housing development. They neither went out nor got any kids. Why? They had trick-or-treat events at his school, at a shopping center, and at the zoo, a different event every day or so, so they didn't feel the need to take him out.

On a side note, it's always a little weird in Ohio, because a lot of the cities/towns/villages (including ours) follow Beggar's Night, and it's not always on Halloween, though sometimes it is (this year it happens to be) and it straight-up confuses the hell out of me, and I'm from here.

 

[Morning Glory]

because a lot of the cities/towns/villages (including ours) follow Beggar's Night, and it's not always on Halloween, though sometimes it is (this year it happens to be) and it straight-up confuses the hell out of me, and I'm from here.

Never heard of Beggar's Night - pray tell more?

 

[TastyReuben]

Never heard of Beggar's Night - pray tell more?

I don't even understand it myself, but it's basically trick-or-treat, but (frequently) held on a night other than Halloween. I think it had something to do, at one time anyway, with Halloween being seen as too rowdy/too anti-religious, so they moved the kiddie portion (the candy grab) to another night.

We never participated in Halloween (religious reasons) when I was a kid, and we lived out in the middle of nowhere, so we never had kids stopping by, so Halloween wasn't ever much on my radar until I became an adult.

Look what I found: Beggars Night - Wikipedia

 

[Morning Glory]

I don't even understand it myself, but it's basically trick-or-treat, but (frequently) held on a night other than Halloween. I think it had something to do, at one time anyway, with Halloween being seen as too rowdy/too anti-religious, so they moved the kiddie portion (the candy grab) to another night.

We never participated in Halloween (religious reasons) when I was a kid, and we lived out in the middle of nowhere, so we never had kids stopping by, so Halloween wasn't ever much on my radar until I became an adult.

Look what I found: Beggars Night - Wikipedia

Got it. We don't have it in the UK (yet).

 

[Mountain Cat]

No trick or treaters, but I didn't expect that up here. (There wasn't any candy here, if they did show up. They'd have gotten an apple. And only the first four or five.)
1) it was a blustery rainy, chill-inducing night.
2) I'm rural. There are NO children living on my road whatsoever. A few adults, chickens, and I do hear cows lowing down the road.
3) My driveway is long. It may be flat, but it is long.
4) We had two community in-building (warm) events this past Saturday for people to bring their children to.

I do seriously miss trick or treaters. It's a real fun idea, and probably still prevalent in apartments and condos where kids don't have to walk that far. I lived in a condo once. I was startled with the number of kids parents dropped off... and over the time I lived there, I was startled by the number of kids too lazy to climb to the second floor to knock for trick or treats - an upstairs neighbor resorted to yelling down: "Hey, I've got candy, too!"

At any rate, whether you celebrate the Hallows for kid-fun, or for a party, or for spiritual-religious purposes - I hope yours was good!

 

[MrsDangermouse]

There were a lot of children out trick or treating around our estate last night, but there's an understanding that if the house isn't decorated then you don't knock - so we were left alone

 

[Mountain Cat]

There were a lot of children out trick or treating around our estate last night, but there's an understanding that if the house isn't decorated then you don't knock - so we were left alone

Not everyone who wants trick or treaters has decorations outside.

Basically, the rule was (when I lived where there were kids coming around) - turn off your outdoor lights in the front when you 1) run out of treats, or 2) don't want to participate to begin with.

 

[cookieee]

That is the same here. They never showed up at all in this neighborhood. Last night was a school night. Wonder if that had anything to do with it.

 

[cookieee]

DH just talked to some of the neighbors. None of them had any kids come to their door either. They just agreed, next year they will set a bar up in front of their house and the grown-ups will go door to door trick or treating for drinks. lol Good idea!!!!!

 

[caseydog]

DH just talked to some of the neighbors. None of them had any kids come to their door either. They just agreed, next year they will set a bar up in front of their house and the grown-ups will go door to door trick or treating for drinks. lol Good idea!!!!!

I know people who have done that. They say it's a blast. They do it after the kids should be inside for the night. You walk the neighborhood and stop at participant's homes for a cocktail. I live in the buckle of the bible belt, so it is probably not legal here, but it sounds like a good way to have some fun and get to know your neighbors.

CD