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Honest to gawd, I had two adults - maybe in their mid to late 20s hold out a pillow case for candy last night. They were with two smaller children. Presumably their own... and they were in costume, but REALLY????? I was gob smacked. :eek: :eek::eek: I don't mind the teenagers, even if they aren't wearing costumes and just sort of grunt at you... but grown ups wanting candy are just ridiculous. First time I've seen that one...
Strange as if they lost their sense of perspective.
I went to a fun evening where a feminist theatre group did a fundraising evening of performance for a local women's services organization.. it was billed as a costume evening where costumes shouldn't be ****-shaming, nor have racial/cultural appropriation. So there was a haunted house of patriarchy..where there were fun skits involving guys and gals ...on "what women want", a skit of mad-scientists men trying to create the perfect woman, another skit of multi-tasking underappreciated housewife-mother who was running on an exercise treadmill in while yapping on phone issuing orders, etc. Puppet show, a documentary film on the history the comic super heroine, Wonder Woman (interesting!) and its changes as it relates to social history of feminisim and some guitar-playing songstress singing some satirical songs on gender roles.
Actually in watching the documentary I was beginning to feel "old"....they talked about Cat Woman, Bioinic Woman, Charley's Angels..other female TV populist heroines or at least central female action figures. (But Cat Woman was not, she was a sideliner in Batman's eyes.)..I remembered all this and it was part of my late teens onward!
Yea, this was my Halloween night. Had popcorn and candy in this feminist take.
Costume party at work or at co-workers party. One thing.
But out trick or treating?? Gosh depending on where I used to live, I might think HOME INVASION!!
Really though, if it was keeping up the charade for the very young kids... Three of my neighbors dressed up and took their 3 and 4 year olds around. A single father dressed as a pilsbury dough boy (aka ghost busters). He didn't ask for a candy. And a couple, wife dressed as a house cat and husband as ??? (senior moment). Neither asked for candy.
So asking for candy? WOW. went bit overboard.
One of my Grange acquaintance decided to be FLO from Progressive insurance. Had a flip hairdo, the same apron and the works. It was pretty funny. Last year, she was a tornado with toy cars, small houses, small plastic horse and pigs stuck in the tornado...
Grange... funny I've never heard anyone outside my family mention Grange. My sister is the current State Master of Maine.
Veronica
Like this? We opt out of Halloween in our neighborhood. Most of our neighbors have in the range of 1500 trick-or-treaters. People bus in kids from other areas to go door to door here. I usually get home late, and just don't want to participate in that much chaos (and giving out of things they really, really shouldn't be eating).Quote:
Originally Posted by smilingcat
Scary--home invasion. We don't get any kids...I live in a condo building and in an area where there are less children in general (I've seen the census figures for our neighbourhood.). However that could change within next 5 years. Over the past decade, Vancouver has more families with children living in the downtown. A school was built down the street from us and is completely full.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueberry
1,500 trick or treatin' kids per household?? One of sisters and her hubby with 2 young children really get into Halloween. It surprised me because it's not how we grew up. they decorate their house inside and out with Hallowe'en with many carved pumpkins. Rent a community centre rm. and throw a party for their friends and children --about 60 people and organize games, offer food and other parents sometimes offer up food also. This is several days before Halloween. Sister gets 300 kids trick or treatin' on Halloween evening at their house. So much "fun" chaos that she lassoes in another willing sister and their 3 teenage children. So these older kids instead of trick or treating, help out at party and 1 of them later gives out candy on Halloween night, while uncle is off with younger kids going door to door.
I wouldn't recommend forbidding children not to go trick or treating. It happened to a woman when she grew up. So now she makes sure her children get do some of this stuff.
No comment. I made my opinion known in another thread.
We got a neighborhood email stating that this year, the children would be starting at the top of the hill and to state whether you wanted to be visited/leave your light on. We shut the lights and went out for Mexican food!
There's a growing number of kids in my neighborhood, but we don't really see them much. Except for when I get behind the school bus when I am leaving for work and the parents seem to think it's OK to have long conversations with the driver while I am patiently waiting behind the bus.
The last year in our old house we gave out 12 bags of candy. It was one of those neighborhoods that people took their kids to because it was safe and flat. I didn't mind it, but I have been done with Halloween for a long time. Adults dressing up is wrong on so many levels, and asking for candy, well, what's wrong with them?
We weren't home for trick or treat this year, but I don't mind giving out candy when I am here (of course we do not get 1,500 trick or treaters… we get maybe 20 at the most). I have had adults come to the door… they've been with kids, but they've still asked for candy. I think it's weird, *but*…. how can I really be sure they are adults… lots of kids are bigger than I am these days and many of them look a lot older than I am perhaps accustomed to? If I think they are older I still give them some candy, because I may be wrong.
We stopped participating several years ago when we started getting van loads of kids from other neighborhoods and the kids started acting aggressively. Not the adorable little ones yelling "TRICK OR TREAT", older ones with minimal/no costumes saying "you got candy" and shaking the bag at me if they didn't think they got enough.
Same here Pax. And we are a rural area, with very fast passing cars in front. So little ones are not really around. Halloween when we were young was more of a chance to get goodies we could not afford (parents) and was a mega treat for us. Nowadays, most kids (I don't want to say all as even in America, some families are dirt poor) have more then they should ever eat. If I had kids, they would probably not trick or treating. I'd be more selective in their treats at home too. But the 2 times we opened, many years ago, it was very old teenagers, barely costumed and doing same as you.
maybe they were older brother/sister? Personally, I have a hard time judging ages. While it seems weird for older teenagers to trick or treat, it does happen. Parents though?! C'mon!!! Although... now that I think of it--once had a whole family dressed as the Star wars crew from baby yoda to papa Chewbacca (or was papa Darth Vader?) I'm pretty sure I gave everybody candy and it didn't seem weird for some reason. Seemed different somehow.
I live in a suburb, lots of different types of neighborhoods within a few miles of each other. Lots of people come into my neighborhood to trick or treat. Most of the homes on my side of the block decorate and hand out candy.
I do not give candy to anyone who is clearly and adult, dressed or not. I also tell them, that I don't give candy to adults. For example a group of kids under 12 all dressed up, then the mom or aunt or grandma who is dressed puts their bag out, they usually (in my neighborhood) clearly pushing 40 or older. I tell them Halloween Trick or Treat candy is for the kids. I've done this for the last 7 years in my current home, I've yet to have anyone confront me about it.
Older teenagers in my neighborhood usually put effort into their costumes, I always compliment their costumes and give them candy.
People in their early 20's, well it's hard to tell their age so they probably get candy from me too.
I also tell the older kids that have no costume, to put some effort into it.
I know this sounds mean to some, sorry.
I don't know what to think of the adults asking for candy. Could it be a "family joke" sort of thing?
I really don't get Halloween as a holiday for adults, but some people clearly enjoy the costumes, and that's fine with me. There is a long history of adults enjoying costume parties, so it's not unusual -- just not for me. I've been to a few adult Halloween parties wearing a lame and minimalist costume. Didn't really enjoy them.
I live in an apartment building and there's a signup list at the front desk for those who welcome trick or treaters. Sometimes I sign up; sometimes I don't.
What is curious is trick or treating children going into business establishments in a downtown core area.. it happens in downtown Vancouver. Since we live there...we've seen the children go into restaurants...a mini-grocery store.
I am the eldest of 6. I was required to accompany my younger siblings via trick or treating to the door on the street. Youngest sibling is a decade younger than I. Therefore I was trick or treating (sort of) when I was 17 yrs. I realize nowadays families have less children, so the phenomena of seeing much older siblings vs. near babies is more rare. Unless it may be a blended family.
Here's my take on the feminist Halloween evening where there were adults in costume and where I went. I normally don't celebrate Halloween.
That looked like a wonderful event!Quote:
Originally Posted by shootingstar
Excellent idea! Take it further and be that weird lady who hands out crappy stale popcorn balls to the older people. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Muirenn
Well I think kids who don't live in neighborhoods should still get the opportunity to trick-or-treat, and friends should be able to trick-or-treat together regardless of whether they live within walking distance of each other.Quote:
Originally Posted by Muirenn
Now, if we're talking about kids hitting multiple neighborhoods on different nights, that's entirely a product of this goofy scheduled trick-or-treating on nights other than Hallowe'en proper, and AFAIC the adults reponsible for that, are getting what they deserve. :cool:
Like, where you are, they bus kids from suburban neighborhoods to urban ones? Or vice versa? Just trying to get a picture of what you mean!
I would say they're bringing kids from urban to urban (we're single family, but more densely developed than average). There are plenty of other good options for trick-or-treating, but our neighborhood gets talked up as a destination. In part, our neighborhood association did it to itself (hiring off duty police to ensure safety) - but what were they supposed to do when the city wouldn't do anything to crowd control and a kid got hit (just after the cops went off duty - they stay longer now)? People bring their kids here (as I understand it) because they can hit a lot of houses quickly (without a lot of walking, and with most houses giving out candy). I'm sure some don't have an option, and I do want kids to have a place to trick-or-treat. My point was that, as a resident of the neighborhood, the whole things is a bit disruptive and overwhelming and I, therefore, choose not to participate. To be a Halloween grinch, I have better things to do than stand at my door giving out bags of candy for 5 hours. Our neighbors had a final count of over 1900. That's excessive by any standards.
As we were coming home from picking up takeout food (late - after 9), we saw a group of teenagers (?) wearing jeans and hoodies, and carrying plastic grocery bags. No idea how old they actually were, but they seemed to be hitting every single house (even those with the lights out).
I don't care how old they are......cuz i ate it all before they came :D
lol!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by rebeccac
older kids (teens) not from my neighborhood gets "lump of coal" and only one piece.
Kids from the neighborhood get the more desireable candy. I would even ask what they want. And usually I give them extra.
My neighbor decided to be generous one year, he told the second or third kid of the night "take what you want", the kid dumped the entire bowl into his bag and ran away. Trick or Treating done at that house in five minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by smilingcat
WTH??? I've heard of people leaving out a bowl of candy on their doorstep with a sign telling them to take "just one"....yeah right. I can't even imagine over 1000 kids coming to my door, if that happens we are leaving for the night. Interesting to read how different everyone's experience has been. I LOVE getting the kids and I make up little individual bags and maybe put a little sticker or toy ring or something similar inside some years. I couldn't do that if we had such numbers. Last year I was in Florida and saw for the first time more kids going door to door....not walking, but being driven by their parents. What is the fun of that? My folks live in a country club neighborhood, so most of the kids were from other areas. The irony was, most of the older folks who live in that area close up their house and go away for the night, they don't want to be bothered with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
One story I saw on the news before Halloween which was rather disturbing... they did a survey which indicated that a bigger percentage of kids trick or treating preferred money over candy... MONEY! :eek: Who in their right mind would start giving out money? That's not trick or treating that is extortion...can you just see the thugs going door to door for money?? And what if you were only giving nickels and they wanted quarters...even if you gave out dimes and you had 1000 kids...(going to my pocket calculator) $100 right there. I guess you might spend that much on candy, but I could see it getting out of hand.