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#Post#: 77617--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: Rho Date: November 1, 2022, 9:45 pm
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Kudos to your DD indeed!
I handed out more candy last evening than in many years---19
Trick R Treaters. There was a group of 9 that seemed to be one
family from toddlers to either very young parents or perhaps a
Tia and Tio. Everyone in group was polite and thanked me. And
everyone including adults held bags of candy. My goodness---2
pieces of candy handed out to adults????? Well worth it to see
an entire family having so much fun.
#Post#: 77619--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: vintagegal Date: November 2, 2022, 6:10 am
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I had a bit fewer than last year. I did get rid of all the snack
cakes, and was left with the peppermint patties. ;) The two
little boys next door (about 9 and 3) came in matching cow
suits, so cute.
#Post#: 77624--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: IWish Date: November 2, 2022, 11:00 am
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On the subject of older ToTers - my 80+ year old mom told me
this yesterday. She had a much larger than normal number of
ToTers this year and was in jeopardy of running out of candy.
She sits on her front porch with her bowl of candy and waits for
them to walk up the sidewalk to her. As the evening got later
and the candy supply dwindled she started telling the older (and
I'm guessing 15-16 year olds) that she didn't have enough candy
for them, that she was saving it for the younger kids. :o Oh
my! How hurtful to just turn them away.
#Post#: 77625--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: TootsNYC Date: November 2, 2022, 11:35 am
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[quote author=IWish link=topic=2406.msg77624#msg77624
date=1667404812]
On the subject of older ToTers - my 80+ year old mom told me
this yesterday. She had a much larger than normal number of
ToTers this year and was in jeopardy of running out of candy.
She sits on her front porch with her bowl of candy and waits for
them to walk up the sidewalk to her. As the evening got later
and the candy supply dwindled she started telling the older (and
I'm guessing 15-16 year olds) that she didn't have enough candy
for them, that she was saving it for the younger kids. :o Oh
my! How hurtful to just turn them away.
[/quote]
Yeah, I almost feel that you should just give it until you run
out, and then go inside. The younger kids who come later won't
know, and it wouldn't matter if you did--you ran out.
I'd prefer that to turning away kids.
Though, I grew up in a small town, and you weren't socially
allowed to ToT after you were 12. Which left you with nothing to
do, really.
Though, you could stay home and pass out candy, which is what my
family always did.
#Post#: 77626--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: TootsNYC Date: November 2, 2022, 11:42 am
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This is going to be an Unpopular Opinion. And I wouldn't say it
to someone personally in my life. But this is an etiquette site,
and we discuss things, so here goes:
I'm not a fan of the trend of putting out a bowl of candy.
The point of ToT, to me, is to interact with people.
Grownups should answer the door, ooh and ahh over the costumes
(and ask who/what they are if you don't recognize it),
personally hand out candy, and say "Happy Halloween!"
Kids should say "trick or treat," explain their costumes and
preen in the admiration from the householder, and open their
bags for the candy, and say "thank you" and "Happy Halloween!"
(one year, my 12yo son and his friends accidentally but
cheerfully and good-heartedly called out "Merry Christmas" as
they were leaving one house, to the amusement of the woman who'd
answered the door)
I get that people can't be home always, but then maybe you're
the house that isn't participating. And it's sort of a bummer
not to be able to participate even distantly, so that's why I'm
not eager to pronounce this everywhere.
But I'd personally prefer the vibe of "we're not home and can't
give candy" to the end result of people stealing the bowl, etc.
I think there's something off about putting out candy if you're
home (which I have seen some people do). The point is the
interaction.
And it's frustrating to see thieves take the entire bowl, but
that wouldn't happen if householders were answering the door
themselves.
#Post#: 77630--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: sandisadie Date: November 2, 2022, 2:21 pm
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I agree with TootsNYC. We like to have an adult home so that
the kids can show off their costumes before getting the treats.
So far this has always worked out for us and makes it more fun
IMO. I realize that some households can't always do that, but I
wouldn't leave candy out with no one there. I just heard about
two teens who were driving around our neighborhoods and stealing
the bowls that were left with no one watching. One adult saw
them and got their license # and the police actually caught them
and their vehicle had several bowls and baskets of candy. Also
they were smoking pot. So they visited the police station. I
hope they learned something.
#Post#: 77631--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: Hmmm Date: November 2, 2022, 2:26 pm
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I agree with you Toots. I've never really understood wanting to
set out a bowl for the entire night. We have set out a bowl
towards the end of the evening when we just wanted to get rid of
the rest of the candy and we new it was going to be the older
kids out any way. But I love oohing over the costumes.
#Post#: 77637--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: DaDancingPsych Date: November 3, 2022, 6:49 am
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I agree with Toots, too. However, the kids don't want me to
interact. As the homeowner, my "treat" should be that I get to
enjoy seeing the costumes and laughing with the children a bit.
The kids just stand there impatiently. They barely answer my
"and what costume are you wearing?" I'm lucky if I get a thanks.
I didn't treat this year for this very reason.
I work with teenagers. I asked them how teens like to celebrate
Halloween and they all enthusiastically said that they like to
trick or treat... and not just beg for candy. This group of
teens told me that they love dressing up and going door to door.
And then with a touch of sadness, they confessed to me that some
home owners tell them that they are too big and will close the
door in their face. If you come to my door, you deserve a treat
(heck, I typically have too many anyways.) I would much rather
have an enthusiastic teen then a grunting grade school child.
#Post#: 77639--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: Aleko Date: November 3, 2022, 6:53 am
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[quote]What a trial to go thru. :( Thank heaven for your strong,
oak door.
How was Halloween? Quiet I hope.[/quote]
Sorry for late reply - very busy here!
It was blessedly quiet. I didn't hear more than one group of
children, and even they I think were just waiting to be ferried
to a Halloween party. Drizzly weather may have helped discourage
children from coming out,, but in any case trick-or-treating has
been heavily discouraged over here by schools, police, and every
other kind of officialdom for years. It was only introduced from
the USA a couple of decades back, and nothing similar was ever
traditional in southern England.
The American tradition seems to be a very mild and genteel
descendant of the traditional northern English 'Mischief Night',
in which, well into living memory, children roamed the
neighbourhood stuffing combustibles up drainpipes and setting
them alight, shooting porch light bulbs out with catapults,
smashing the (glass) bottles of milk on doorsteps, pushing
lighted squibs through letterboxes, tying fireworks to dogs'
tails, rigging devices to front doors which flung ashes when the
door was opened, removing garden gates and throwing them into
ponds, and many similar merry pranks. In 1948 the Chief
Constable of the city of Leeds advised householders: 'Take off
your gate and hide it. It may seem a bother but it's less bother
than picking it out of a pond later.' This mayhem was eventually
suppressed; but there is a deep-rooted streak of recreational
vandalism in the British character, and nobody wants to
encourage it to re-surface.
#Post#: 77656--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: peony Date: November 3, 2022, 8:38 pm
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[quote author=Aleko link=topic=2406.msg77639#msg77639
date=1667476421]
[quote]What a trial to go thru. :( Thank heaven for your strong,
oak door.
How was Halloween? Quiet I hope.[/quote]
Sorry for late reply - very busy here!
It was blessedly quiet. I didn't hear more than one group of
children, and even they I think were just waiting to be ferried
to a Halloween party. Drizzly weather may have helped discourage
children from coming out,, but in any case trick-or-treating has
been heavily discouraged over here by schools, police, and every
other kind of officialdom for years. It was only introduced from
the USA a couple of decades back, and nothing similar was ever
traditional in southern England.
The American tradition seems to be a very mild and genteel
descendant of the traditional northern English 'Mischief Night',
in which, well into living memory, children roamed the
neighbourhood stuffing combustibles up drainpipes and setting
them alight, shooting porch light bulbs out with catapults,
smashing the (glass) bottles of milk on doorsteps, pushing
lighted squibs through letterboxes, tying fireworks to dogs'
tails, rigging devices to front doors which flung ashes when the
door was opened, removing garden gates and throwing them into
ponds, and many similar merry pranks. In 1948 the Chief
Constable of the city of Leeds advised householders: 'Take off
your gate and hide it. It may seem a bother but it's less bother
than picking it out of a pond later.' This mayhem was eventually
suppressed; but there is a deep-rooted streak of recreational
vandalism in the British character, and nobody wants to
encourage it to re-surface.
[/quote]
Oh, my. That makes TPing people's houses look good by
comparison.
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