Trick-or-Treaters

[padlin00]

We have maybe 20-25 homes in the hood, average about an acre each, nothing else nearby. When we moved in 30 years ago we had a lot of kids but they all grew up and left. After dwindling to almost nothing, the older folks are moving out and younger families moving in. The last few years were at 20ish.

 

[Nodak]

I don't expect any, there are no young children in the apartments and the building is secured. In the mid 70s when I lived in a house there would be 100 or more. As time went on and the neighborhood aged it became fewer and fewer. By late 90s there were 2 or three that would show up. The last 10 years at my house there were no trick or treaters. I think a lot of that is due to more organized things for the kids and possibly to people not wanting to trust candy from strangers.

 

[ABQ2015]

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.


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.

Similar to this OP's former neighborhood, I get 300-400 kids. I live in a nicer downtown neighborhood with lots of senior citizens and few children but we are surrounded by poor neighborhoods with more children but that may not be safe for trick or treating. Most of us get a big kick of seeing the kids in their costumes and many are quite generous giving out full size candy bars. I'll be shopping this weekend to get the largest bags of "good" candy that I can find at the best price.

 

[donheff]

We will get mobs of them. They come from all over the area to Capitol Hill (DC) and work their way up side streets like ours to East Capitol where everyone goes up and down a one mile stretch. There are literally thousands of trick or treaters on East Capitol.

 

[Dreamer]

We will average 30-40 children. We turn our light on and sit on the sidewalk, if weather is ok, so kids don't have to climb our steps in their costumes. We used to get 60 or more, but it has declined in more recent years. My DH passes out the candy now and I go with my DD and granddaughter and her friend.

Halloween was probably my favorite holiday as a child. We were quite poor and I could hardly believe that people I did not even know, would give me such treats! I have such good memories of Halloween!

 

[Dawg52]

Lights out for me too. They don't call me Scrooge for no reason.

 

[Jack_Pine]

We used to have a special treat for those with "lights out".

 

[killingme]

I live in a very rural area but when I first moved here we would get twenty to thirty now, for a variety of reasons, the community has gone to trunk or treat...car gathered in a parking lot. I think it misses the point of All Hallows Eve and the fun of going from house to house though we still get five to ten.

 

[ohyes]

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

That is so funny! Love it and wish I had thought to do that over the years...and remember where the data was kept.

We will be out of town this Halloween.

Friends who live in the wealthier subdivisions talk about the cars and cars full of kids that come in from other areas to do their trick and treating. Those friends spent way more on candy. We were always lucky enough to live in areas where they probably expected not-so-great candy, so they went other places--though we always included lots of chocolate.

 

[Sesq]

We will get at least 100. I am usually out with my kids and my wife mans the door. We buy 4-5 big bags. There is usually some left over that I deposit at work. I am in a newer subdivision where they have been building houses for about 14 years. The last phase is being built now. The first year we were on the edge and didn't get too much traffic. Now we are in the middle. Lots of kids.

I contemplate switching to full size bars when we payoff the mortgage (next year, I think). But who knows. My kids 5&8 are in prime years.

One year my wife came with and we left the bowl. It was quickly scooped. Can't say I was too surprised (nor cared really).

 

[imoldernu]

Our CCRC is in a relatively well to do neighborhood. In the early years, we used to get 50+ kids... Two years ago, some local do-gooder put up a little sign at the end of our street, telling kids not to bother the "old folks"... Last year three little kids from families who had parents in our community. Sad.

Anyway... such memories... good, bad and funny.
The good... circa 1945... an Indian family moved into the neighborhood about a month before halloween... In those days, our WASPY neighborhood was passively bigoted, and the kids basically shunned the new family children. The father, who was very wise.. gave out dimes on halloween, and the word spread like wildfire. For about $5 (a fortune at the time) our neighborhood became integrated. bff

The bad... Old Mrs Willoughby, the recluse who lived on the corner, was our target. Bag of "stuff" set on fire at the door step... ring the bell and run. Wait for the stomp-out... Still have conscience pangs.

The funny...
travelover said: "Lights out, me on the roof with a bucket of ice water."
Now I know who you are, Kenny Cheetham... That was you on the second story porch who poured the water all over innocent me and Johnny MacQueen, ... 70 years ago.

 

[Janet H]

We get several dozen kids typically and some years have rigged up some large spiders that "climb" up the porch wall when the doorbell rings. The kids are rarely scared by this but their adults (who are generally standing a few feet behind) have been known to shriek in horror - good fun.

This year we're handing out something called "Glow in the dark Cheetos" but usually we give out tootsie pops as no one is especially tempted by them if any are left over.

 

[mpeirce]

Maybe 50-80 depending on the weather (last year was COLD and we only had about a dozen kids go by).

We dole out full size Hershey bars.

We sit out at the end our driveway and hand them out. I also tend the enclosed fire pit I haul out. This has become pretty common around here.

 

[Sarah in SC]

We get several dozen kids typically and some years have rigged up some large spiders that "climb" up the porch wall when the doorbell rings. The kids are rarely scared by this but their adults (who are generally standing a few feet behind) have been known to shriek in horror - good fun.

This year we're handing out something called "Glow in the dark Cheetos" but usually we give out tootsie pops as no one is especially tempted by them if any are left over.

Must find these Glow in the Dark Cheetos.....

Dang, just looked them up...only the bags glow! I was really hoping it was the cheeto itself. Rats!

 

[sengsational]

Must find these Glow in the Dark Cheetos.....

Dang, just looked them up...only the bags glow! I was really hoping it was the cheeto itself. Rats!

If they did exsit, you could eat a few, then you'd be ready for the upper GI study...you'd fluoresce!

 

[sengsational]

That is so funny! Love it and wish I had thought to do that over the years...and remember where the data was kept.

It's on slips of paper in an envelope that goes in the candy caldron until next year. Includes kid counts, number of times the doorbell rang, weather, and day of the week.

For a while, when the neighborhood was young I took pictures of the kids, then, with a borrowed projector from work, showed previous years' shots using an automated slide show on a queen sized sheet, er, I mean projection screen outside.

 

[ABQ2015]

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.

I get my cats inside and close the cat door. The door bell and noisy kids bother them but there is just too much traffic outside. Also my vet has warned me to keep my cats in, especially black cats, just in case some weirdo decides to use them for a Halloween ritual.

 

[Janet H]

Must find these Glow in the Dark Cheetos.....

Dang, just looked them up...only the bags glow! I was really hoping it was the cheeto itself. Rats!

I live close to large nuclear facility - maybe mine will be different

 

[CoolChange]

We'll likely get 5-8 groups if we stay inside, 10-15 if we put the fire-pit at the end of the driveway to attract them. I have been known to have cinnamon and peppermint schnaps available for the parents (my neighbors) who actually make it down to my end of the neighborhood.

 

[sengsational]

We'll likely get 5-8 groups if we stay inside, 10-15 if we put the fire-pit at the end of the driveway to attract them. I have been known to have cinnamon and peppermint schnaps available for the parents (my neighbors) who actually make it down to my end of the neighborhood.

I'm planning to hang in the driveway with the neighbors and have 3 of my homebrews on tap and a big sleeve of sample cups. These aren't my best beers (they're the ones that didn't get drained at an earlier festival), but I figured it would be nice to give the parents something to trick or treat for, hehe.

 

[ikonomore]

We have about 75 kids.

We do full size candy bars and I set up my outdoor projector screen up and play It's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Neighbors and kids love it. I enjoy doing it also.

 

[Walt34]

I live close to large nuclear facility - maybe mine will be different

Could be. Does Homer Simpson work there?

 

[tryan]

When the boys were little it was a nice social outing. Houses were decorated, parents walked with the kids. Some friends down the street handed out adult beverages for the parents (trick or treat ?).

But now that group is older so we will have maybe 10-20 kids come (vs 70-80). My kids will stay home and pass out the candy.

Growing up, if you ran out of candy by new years, you didn't run fast enough. The last couple years my kids carried candy into the new year.

 

[braumeister]

We used to plan on 50-60, but usually got only 30-40. So we always bought candy we liked, and enjoyed the leftovers.

Now nine years in this house, and we haven't seen one yet. No sidewalks, no streetlights, no nearby neighbors. The quiet is delightful.

 

[Gumby]

Like sengsational, we count the kids every year and have noticed a declining trend. We're still in the 40-50 range, but it was well over 150 when we moved in 21 years ago.

None of the kids who ring the doorbell actually live in our neighborhood, but it is a very safe area in the center of town, full of old homes with big front porches, close together and close to the street, so people will drive here from outlying parts of town to let their kids trick-or-treat. The young wife always dresses in costume to hand out the candy.