Trick or Treat has been ruined by greedy parents!

[Allie Fox]

I live in a rural area and the actual neighborhoods are few and far between. During Trick or Treat hours, the roads in those neighborhoods are packed with cars and people walking around. The police always have extra officers on duty to patrol, monitor and hand out candy from their cars. Within the last few years, hay rides have become popular with several families riding around together behind a 4-wheeler or pickup pulling a trailer.

The worst was a few years ago when Honey Boo Boo came trick or treating with a camera crew behind her.

[alex]

Im always jealous of U Guys having all this haloween fun, would like to make it one year to the States for that time of the year, but some pics of U Guys would be great

[Mego Magyar]

At least where we live...

When I was a kid you trick or treated within your own neighborhood and that was it.

This is absolutely the last year we will even TRY giving out candy. We had over 800 kids...it was ridiculous. They were being shuttled in by the carloads, even from neighboring towns. We were giving candy to kids that don't even live around here. Many didn't even bother to wear costumes, or were much too old. Some were even to young. Parents taking candy for babies still in strollers who don't even have teeth yet?

Give me a break.

It a shame greedy people ruined what used to be a fun tradition.

That happened here back in the late 80's and we had the same reaction and we've sat in the dark until it over ever since.

[TrekStar]

Well I ran out of Exlaxes Chocolates earlier than I thought, guess I'll have to buy more next year.

There was one person I saw that was giving out cans of Coca-Cola, no kidding, sorry but that's pathetic,
I thought candy was the treat for the kids?

[Earth 2 Chris]

^My daughter got a pudding cup and an apple sauce cup last night.

Chris

[EmergencyIan]

I'm in NYC. We got one set of kids last night just before 8pm. I did eat dinner out, so I may have missed a set or two of kids, but we never get many. Many years, we've gotten none. However, I did see many kids out last night in my neighborhood. They went into stores and restaurants.

- Ian

[Rallygirl]

We live out in the sticks and haven't seen a trick-or-treater in at least a decade. I always have a package of full-size Hershey bars just in case, but we have never needed them.

[Duncan]

A couple stories fr Halloween:

My daughter and her friend come home saying, "There were some guys in a white van trying to give out candy." You didn't take any, did you? "Yeah." OK...are you crazy? I think I'm calling the cops. "Well, it was a Jeep, not a van." Hmm... "And they were teens...and they had just pulled out of a driveway. Actually, I think it was my friend's older brother." Whew. You're grounded. She knows how to push my buttons.

A few minutes later, our friend's daughter and her friend come by with hot dogs. "There was this house at the end of this creepy little driveway, and they were closing up to go inside. They emptied their candy bowl into our bags, and gave us the 4 hot dogs left on the grill. Anyone want one?" Interesting night.

[dr_cyclops]

Ellensberg, WA. has a down town trick or treat. This is my second Halloween here, and the first time working down town at the time. Since our home address is not on the radar, my wife and I were going to do a trunk or treat at the family church. She get's called to work over the weekend and there went the trunk or treat, up in smoke. Monday comes and I got a bunch of candy and gift bags to take to the barber shop with me. All day I'm worried that I may have to take too much of it home. After all, it's from 3:00 pm to 6:00pm and the shop is only open until 5:00 pm. I shouldn't have worried. Got somewhere between 50-70 TTers. Everything went. Took nothing home. Not only that, I had a very profitable day. It was a great Halloween!
Now that I know the stakes, I'm already planning to step up my game for next year.

[megojim]

We had a good flow for about 2 hours. Lots of kids almost all were in costumes but if they show up with out costumes they must either say the Pledge or sing the National anthem, otherwise no dice . . . . happy to report the 3 or 4 that did this new the Pledge all the way through.

[SKotK]

I lived in an upstairs condo with an internal entrance for the last 6 years, so no trick-or-treaters ever. It made me a little sad.

This year, I'm living in an apartment complex in a nice little neighborhood with a lot of kids around. I was hoping we might get some trick-or-treaters...but unfortunately the one group that showed up were knocking on my neighbor's door right when the pizza man arrived at my place. By the time he'd left, the kids had skipped my door. I shoulda chased them down with my bag of treats!

We had a good flow for about 2 hours. Lots of kids almost all were in costumes but if they show up with out costumes they must either say the Pledge or sing the National anthem, otherwise no dice . . . . happy to report the 3 or 4 that did this new the Pledge all the way through.

I think my approach for costume-less kids would be a little different:

"Okay, kid: These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise...you take it from there."

--SKot