How Do You Greet Trick-Or-Treaters?

For many years, we lived at the end of a dirt road high on the top of a mountain. Getting to our house was a challenge, so we rarely had visitors. That included Halloween. We went years without seeing trick-or-treaters.

Now that we live in a neighborhood again, we see many youngsters in costume. And, yes, a few older teens who just want candy. It’s fun seeing so much creativity.

I was curious how much enthusiasm you had for the tradition, so asked how you greeted trick-or-treaters. Many of you are like we used to be with nary a sighting. Almost as many are in the camp we’re in now—enthusiastic. And, yes, some of you do your best to avoid the whole thing.

And now for the best part—the comments! I read them all and here are my favorites:

The celebrators

We have friends that turn off the lights at their houses and come hand out candy at ours instead since we decorate with music and lights

Oh we are the crazies with the blow ups in the front yard. Our neighborhood encourages the behavior! I give out big candy bars!!!!

I think trick or treat is a fun tradition. Kids need a chance to make believe.

I moved to a new house last November and I hope to see a lot of them this Halloween. I also plan on decorating for the season. This is my second favorite holiday after Christmas.

Missing the action

I love seeing and interacting with trick-or-treaters, but we don’t seem to get any in recent years.

Nashville now offers so many options for kids that few, or none, go out into the neighborhoods.

Finding the action

I live in a rather rural area, and we don’t get trick-or-treaters. I will go to my daughter’s house some years to trick-or-trick with my grandson and see the decorations and other kids.

We live in a rural area and I’m always delighted to see kids (and parents) show up on my front porch. Glad they made the trek up a long driveway or over a large front yard to get to us. I usually sit on the front porch and read while waiting since we only get a few, but it’s worth the effort.

It’s great… for a while

I love seeing the little ones in their costumes, but the entire evening (doorbells, masked strangers) just traumatizes the dogs. By 8:00 I’m ready for it to be over.

Hiding

I don’t consider them to be monsters, but, I consider my dog’s peace of mind more important than giving out treats. So I don’t.

Only night of the year we turn off the porch light and ignore everyone. With 4 Sibes and a Malamute in the house, it’s just easier to ignore everyone this one night of the year.

Best backup plans

No trick or treaters here, but I buy treats “just in case” then eat them myself!

My favorite part is the day after Halloween when my co-workers start bringing in their leftover candy.

My two favorite stories (Couldn’t chose just one)

My dad’s birthday is Halloween. We live in Philadelphia and the weather is usually nice enough that most of us on the block sit out on our front steps to give out the candy to the little goblins. My dad loves to tell the kids that it’s his birthday, and see how many he can get to sing Happy Birthday to him! He will even bribe them, telling them they get 1 piece of candy, but they can have 2 if they sing to him! He’ll be 71 this year, and all of the neighbors will be out, laughing at his shenanigans, and having more fun with him than the trick or treaters are having!

When hubby and I moved into our first house, I would start off the evening greeting the younglings, oohing and aahing over costumes, rewarded with toothy grins when I correctly guessed a character. When the ages of the treaters started to creep upward as the evening progressed, Hubby would join treat detail. Necessary to note here that Hubby was serving in a security detail in the Navy, so his normal uniform was camouflage. He would hide under a bush, and if a teenaged trickster would try to take extra candy or wind up his arm to launch that roll of TP, a hand would shoot out of the bush and grab an ankle. Over all the years we lived there, we were never vandalized. Not sure if it was the full-sized candy bars we were giving away, or “the thing in the bushes”.

New surveys every month

Thanks for the interaction and great stories. I post a new survey every month and love reading the results. If you want to participate, take the current survey and be part of the fun.