It's a Halloween miracle!

[ThrottleJockey]

My wifes uncle used to own this house and he was a REALLY mean drunk.....needless to say, no one comes up our driveway. Besides, after our independence day ritual of setting off tannerite and my new years eve mag dumps, shooting every opossum and raccoon we see, etc...I suspect they know better. I followed my daughters through the neighborhood carrying a shotgun and a Bible, bitter clinger.

 

[NapalmFTW]

In the border towns between IL and IN in Lake county, you get the cars with IL tags pulling up and discharging their "kids".

 

[Hoosierdood]

My town has a population of roughly 325. We handed out about 175 bags of candy before we started turning people away. They come out of the [STRIKE]trailer court[/STRIKE] ummm, woodwork when there is free stuff involved.

 

[OkieGirl]

Got back at all the "extra" kids tonight...gave away those dreaded healthy treats. Pretzels and Fruit Snacks!

 

[actaeon277]

I love Halloween. Used to get kids brought to my neighborhood because it's only one block. The kids can walk in relative safety around the block, back to the starting point.
Ever since 9/11 though, it's dropped to just a couple of kids. The amount never came back up.
This year I think I had 10 kids. More than the last 3 years added together.

Used to decorate the house and everything.

 

[SaintsNSinners]

My daughters got 12 pieces of candy. That's it.... apparently every street around us was devoid of life.

 

[Naptown]

cause you gots the good ****.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Some people take the trick or treat way too seriously. Anytime someone gives something away, the mentality is that you need to get as much of it as humanly possible.

I can sympathize though. Some people live in neighborhoods full of a-holes who scowl every time they see a child.

 

[snowman46919]

I guess kids that live out in the country who have no neighbors just don't get to go trick or treating. I will remember to tell my kids next year no candy because we don't have neighbors.

 

[Bunnykid68]

that rule was around when I was a kid... way to long ago

No kidding? I hadn't learned of it until about 10 years ago while taking my kids out.

 

[eldirector]

Took my little girl in to see my sister in the 'hood. She had maybe 50 or so trick-or-treaters, but only a dozen or so kids live on her block. Not too bad, really. What irked her were the few adults (and I mean 40+ years old) in no costume, but going door to door. One was obviously drunk. Nice..... The little kids were awful cute (and polite), though.

My in-laws batten down the hatches at dark. In past years, church buses (the 50+ seaters) have bused kids into the Median Kessler neighborhood. No costumes. Just gaggles of kids with their Wal-Mart bags. Their "handlers" stand on the corner, smoke, and holler at them to "knock again!".

My little one had a blast visiting just a couple of neighbors, and then greeting the other kids at the door for the rest of the evening. She ate her one sucker (that's all she wanted), and the rest in on my desk at work!

 

[ghuns]

The latest Freakonomics podcast has some insight on this topic...

Freakonomics Radio

 

[Lagrange]

I raised my kids in the country. Our nearest neighbors were over half a mile away. I would take my kids into town and walk them around a few blocks so they could experience the holloween "thing". I always bought candy...kept the porch light on...nobody ever showed up.
We had no trick or treaters show up last night. My kids are grown, I dont have grandkids, but I enjoy seeing the excited faces on those little ones.
Funny thing is, my kids would never eat all of their holloween candy. I cant remember how many times I would find a small bag of treats that got "stashed" away and never finished.

If you want to make fun of the kids, knock yourself out. They are practicing a long tradition. If you want to think of it as an extension of an Obama policy good for you.

 

[PapaScout]

I guess kids that live out in the country who have no neighbors just don't get to go trick or treating. I will remember to tell my kids next year no candy because we don't have neighbors.

This. We go to a small community near us so the kids can dress up in their costumes and enjoy the occassion. This year my youngest has finally outgrown trick-or-treating so I can stop being a burden on society.

 

[IndianaResident]

I raised my kids in the country. Our nearest neighbors were over half a mile away. I would take my kids into town and walk them around a few blocks so they could experience the holloween "thing". I always bought candy...kept the porch light on...nobody ever showed up.

Seconded. Maybe I've just never seen it from the predominant side on this board, but when I was a kid living far from any neighbors my parents took us to a neighborhood(s) and walked us around.
I never felt like I was an intruder not did the people giving out candy seem put out that there were droves of kids in costumes pounding pine.

 

[seeker1321]

When I was a kid we lived on a dead in street with only about 10 houses, so my mom would take my brothers and I over to one of the sub-divisions for us to do our trick-or-treating. Now I live in one of those sub-divisions The house we have been blessed with is much nicer then where we grew up, so I don't mind the kids being driven in so much. We didn't get that many kids this year must have been the cold wind and little bit of rain. Last year we had a lot more kids.

One thing I do to keep my cost down, is the day after Easter I go to the store and buy up a few big bags of candy at 50% off. Then I bring it home put it in a box in the top of the closest until Halloween.

 

[THard6]

we had about 6 children... all in all we spend nearly $40 in candy.. well next year i think i'll just buy $1 candy bars for the 5 i'm predicting will show up!

 

[Oliver]

My town has a population of roughly 325. We handed out about 175 bags of candy before we started turning people away. They come out of the [STRIKE]trailer court[/STRIKE] ummm, woodwork when there is free stuff involved.

Gotta say you're off base a bit. I grew up in a trailer park, and can absolutely tell you there is no better place to go for Halloween. I mean where else has housing so close together with residents who are willing to spend their last dime on decorations and candy for a holiday? I would literally have to come home to empty another pillow case most Halloween nights.

 

[mlzoiss]

No kidding? I hadn't learned of it until about 10 years ago while taking my kids out.

Turning off the lights doesn't work when a little over half of the trick or treating hours happen before dark. We had at least 10 houses on our route with a bowl of candy on the porch while they're gone.

And we had a couple hundred trick or treaters, we went overboard on decorations though. I don't understand all the old grumps on the forum, the kids look forward to this all year, mine maybe even more than Christmas. Yeah we had a bunch of older kids, but the little ones are so cute. Especially my 2 year old, just learning how to say trick or treat. Who cares if they come from other neighborhoods? It's only once a year for 3 hours.

 

[rw02kr43]

candy

Last year we had just moved in to our new house. I came home and had a huge bowl of candy. I turned on our light and sat outside. No one came. I stood out in the yard a bit and still no one came. We live on a somewhat dead end street. I say that cause the road doesn't really end, it just turns to dirt. I walked out into the road and looked back at the house. Can't see the light. So, I hooked up our dog and took my big bowl of candy out around town and gave it away. Only when I got home did I think how bad that must have looked. "Hey kids look, a puppy!!. Now have some candy." I wasn't trying to be creepy at all. Just wanted to give away candy.
This year, no one came all night. So I have 2 bags of kit kats to eat.
Jason