In our first year in our new home in 2004, hardly any kids came, but 2005 onward we go through two very large candy bags from Costco, and even then we usually run out. I did actually open the door and I didn't confiscate any candy. I looked outside tonight and there were cars lined up around the corner with kids trick or treating while their parents observed from their cars. I think the parents see a new housing development and think "Rich! Lots of candy!" (which, of course, is far from the truth). One kid came dressed as Obama (actually, he was an African American kid), so I gave him an extra piece of candy (I was sorely tempted to say "keep the change," but I bit my tongue). Many of the kids wouldn't say "trick or treat," but would instead say "Happy Halloween." Even Halloween is changing.
Update: I little girl with her family came to the door. She was eating her box of "Nerds." She said "I'm eating tiny little turds!"
3 comments:
That's funny. Here is my Brussels halloween neighborhood experience. Last year was my first year in Brussels. I was told they don't trick or treat here, so I didn't have candy and wasn't prepared for any trick or treaters. I got two little British kids knock on my door. I felt so awful to not have been prepared, so I went and raided my kids room to find a few pieces of candy to give them and apologized for not being ready. So this year, I wasn't going to be caught off guard and went and bought a bag of candy. I also decided to make and effort to invite kids to my door by decorating it and posting a sign out on the street saying that trick or treaters were welcome. My kids laughed at me and told me that no one would come and that I was wasting my time. But I was excited anyway and built up a great looking scarey door with cobwebs, skeletons and bats, flashing lights and scarey music anyway. It looked great. It had been dark for two hours already and I was feeling sad because not one trick or treater came by. It was around 8:30 p.m. when my door bell rang, and there stood 5 little french speaking kids all dressed up like ghosts and dracula. They were so cute saying "trick or treat" with their little accents. I was so happy to have some trick or treaters! Then my daughter just held out the bowl of candy and their eyes got really big as they start grabbing handfuls. I then realized what was happening and said....only two..only two pieces please (hoping that I might have more kids come by.) Then they all looked at each other and started saying...deux, deux. So I started saying Oui, deux.
And that was the extent of my French use for the evening and they were my only trick or treaters. But! I went all out for them and they did stop and look at my decorations for a few minutes, oooing and awing...as I am sure, I am the only house that had any Halloween docorations at all to look at. I wished I had let them each take more than two pieces...but they were candy bars...not just stupid little hard candies! I used to hate getting hard candies and suckers, because I am not a hard candy lover. I like the hard core chocolate! So that is what I give out. And that was my halloween experience at my house. So Alan...it looks like your volumns of kids well made up for my many no-shows. And I certainly didn't get any little politicians show up like you did.
Do you guys remember setting up trading posts after we hauled in all our trick or treating candy? We would all have our little corner of the room with our candy dumped out on the floor. I would organize my candy into hard candy piles and chocolate piles, and start trying to trade off my hard candy and see if I couldn't get more chocolate bars. I think Snickers and Milkyway were my favorites.
It's finally raining here in northern California. We haven't had rain in 5 or 6 months so we are happy to have it. We did have a nice sunny break on halloween during David and Steven's last HS cross country meet. Steven finished 12th in his race, 5th for his school. By night time, the rain had started up again, so only the brave or desperate were out trick or treating. Michael went out for a while with an umbrella until he was wet and cold and decided he was done.
Our ward had a trunk or treat party last weekend which was fun and that is where we do our halloween celebrating.
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