Trick-or-Treaters

[gbstack]

So how many Trick-or-Treaters are you expected this year?
Do you hand out candy or turn out the lights?

We average around 200 each year. We use to give out full size candy bars but we will be cutting back this year.

 

[pb4uski]

Zero - maybe 1 since our neighbor's GF and GF's young daughter moved in with him over the summer. We live in a very rural area that is mostly empty nesters and no young families. Nonetheless, we have a small supply of Halloween candy on hand just in case (but candy that I like ).

We previously lived in a neighborhood where we would get 20-30 trick-or-treaters a year. We enjoyed them.

 

[Meadbh]

I was never allowed to do this as a kid so I do not have fun memories associated with it. I have always turned out the lights or arranged to be out for the evening. No issues in a condo building, although we do have some little kids here.

 

[Brdofpray]

In my former life (at work), I was in charge of our three day Halloween, educational extravaganza at our local park. This event attracted 3-4 thousand people, was a huge money maker that was totally weather, and volunteer worker dependent (30-40 actors, and support personnel per night). This took two months for setup (scripts, props, sets, food, etc.) The stress and headaches were intense. This event was always the weekend before Halloween. After 30 years of this, I find myself no longer enamored by Halloween. Hence, we turn the lights out, go out to eat, and generally avoid this night. Bah Humbug!

 

[Sarah in SC]

I've never lived anywhere as an adult that allowed trick-or-treating or where there were kids around. Our first house was on an island that had a big party for all the kids, and the place we live now is waaaay out in the country with a gate at the end of the drive.
I did trick-or-treat as a kid, a few years on horseback, which was cool.

 

[mn54]

we will probably get around 50 kids this year. will hand out candy bars and toothbrushes. hope that they will eat the one and use the other.

 

[F4mandolin]

It was great as a kid. Not a big fan now of this made up holiday. It's starting to take over in the UK as well in recent years. We have a 6 foot chain link fence around the property to keep dogs (and me) in......evil people out (and deer). We hide on the night.

 

[travelover]

Lights out, me on the roof with a bucket of ice water.

 

[harley]

Is a person still a Scrooge if it's Halloween instead of Christmas?

We get 0 kids here at our house, since there just aren't any young enough kids around. But the nearby town of Berlin (MD) has a fabulous traditional Halloween, with the Funeral Home turned into a haunted house and a large number of the residents really putting it on. People come from all around to do Halloween there.

We buy a bunch of candy and go hang out with friends who live there to supplement their supply. Sometimes we just wander through the town handing it out as we go. It's a lot of fun, and IMO one of the few fun things kids get to do anymore. We've pretty much killed childhood in the name of health and safety, so what little bit is left should be celebrated. JMO, of course.

 

[NanoSour]

Spent $60 on halloween candy. Just hope it doesn't go to waste or to my waistline..

 

[FIREd]

So how many Trick-or-Treaters are you expected this year?

I expect none. Our neighbors are mostly childless, young professionals.

 

[gozer]

In my old neighborhood we had 300-600 every year. Last 2 years in the new neighborhood we had zero. We will plan for 100 just in case.

We don't have the density in the new neighborhood to justify lots of kids running through. Only about half the lots have completed houses with people living in them and we don't connect to the neighborhood behind us yet. Our few kids, probably go elsewhere.

Speaking of elsewhere, that was a big problem in my old neighborhood. Other neighborhoods, church groups, apartment complexes, whatever, actually bused/van pooled kids into our neighborhood and dropped them off for a couple of hours for the big candy grab. People that lived on the first couple of streets near the entrances often had more than 1000 kids, and got a birds eye view of the kid drop off/pick up cycle and its traffic related issues. The last two years I lived there deputies parked at the entrances to try and deter this. Some people just drove deeper into the neighborhood to do the drop off/pick up. That's when my number went above 300.

 

[KB]

I get between 100 and 150 kids on Halloween. I live near an Elementary school so there are plenty of families with kids in my neighborhood. Plus, it is considered a safer neighborhood since we have 24 hour security in the subdivision and plenty of street lights.

Trick or treat only lasts about 2 hours so it's over pretty quick. The worst part is having to crate my dogs during that time so they don't scare the kids at the door by barking at them.

 

[Fishingmn]

I would guess 50-80.

I couldn't help myself and opened the 150 piece bag of candy 2 nights ago - hope the numbers work out by the 31st.

 

[chilkoot]

I'm careful to buy candy that I like, since I'm usually left with it (For the last few years that's meant Twix mini-bars and Skittles mini-packs). Usually two bags is more than enough. Only about a half dozen groups come to the door, despite all the lights being on. The neighbors report the same thing.

 

[Jack_Pine]

All our neighbors are on 5+ acres, no sidewalks. We get one family each year with three kids. They are almost growing out of it.

We too buy candy we like but I take it to work the next morning........(they will eat anything)

 

[REWahoo]

All our neighbors are on 5+ acres, no sidewalks.

Same here. In the 15 years we've lived out here we've never had anyone show up.

We get one family each year with three kids. They are almost goring out of it.

I hate those bloody costumes...

 

[MuirWannabe]

I hate those bloody costumes...

Really? I believe this forum has come to expect more quality out of you than taking such an easy swing at such an obvious fastball down the middle. Standards please....

 

[REWahoo]

I can only swing at the pitches I'm thrown.

 

[scrabbler1]

I live in an apartment building (60 co-op apartments) which has very few kids. I have not had any trick-or-treaters since the 1990s. I make sure to buy snacks I like eating which means I get to eat all (or most) of them when I get no visitors. (YUM) Any leftover snack bags I take with me when my dad, my ladyfriend, and I drive to my brother's place for Thanksgiving.

 

[sengsational]

I was always the one left at home to answer the door. And to pass the time, I recorded the data:

So it looks like we'll get 20 to 30 kids. The neighborhood is "aging out", I think. More of our kids come in cars now (a big load of 6 kids piles out of a van), whereas before they'd all be on foot.

So I just looked. DW bought $18 (plus tax) worth of candy. That comes pretty close to $1 per kid. She got mad at me when I asked her why she bought so much. Her answer "I was at Sam's".

 

[Walt34]

Attendance has gone down significantly as the neighborhood ages but we still buy several bags of the bite-size candy bars. In years past I took the excess to work.

Come to think of it, this year I'll probably take the excess and drop it off at the gate anyway. They'll eat anything.

 

[RockyMtn]

25 to 30....if it doesn't snow.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I only get about a dozen neighbor kids and their friends as I live on a dead-end street of 16 homes sandwiched between a golf course and a park, so not a proper walkable neighborhood. I bought 3 dozen Kit Kat bars to be on the safe side. I'm sure I will scarf some of them before I take what's left to the office.

 

[Sue J]

Our end of the street is has very few kids but a few blocks down there are more children. So if the weather is decent we get maybe 20 - 30.

Our city is having Trick-or-Treat on Sat from 6pm-8pm.