Halloween Candy Question

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Haha! I know! I kind of still don't believe it, even though by now many other people have said the same thing; "thousands!".
It just sure doesn't seem like thousands of people would flock to our small town just to trick or treat. I guess I'll find out if they're all exaggerating soon enough!

We have decided to stay in our neighborhood because the downtown thing sounds crowded and crazy. (we are going to drive by to check it out but trick or treat here) I asked a mom at the bus stop if anyone even trick or treated in the neighborhood or if they all went downtown. She said that people do trick or treat here, but that because we're toward the back of the neighborhood we don't get that many, probably only around 80.
80??? That seems like a lot to me!

We need to update each other after Halloween!!

 

[lovin'fl]

My two DDs are 13 and this will be the 1st year they aren't trick-or-treating (going to a friend's house to help give out candy there)...though many kids they are in school with are still going as are kids my DS's age of 15 (way too old I think). In past years, when they were trick-or-treating, if we were in OP's situation I would gladly donate a bag of candy. But if my kids weren't going to T-o-T I would not donate a bag.

A side note: Sometimes I buy some really small sized candy (like those Hershey miniatures) and give that (and not a big handful either) to the kids that are too old, not dressed in costume or are rude. I buy the Halloween sized candy for all the other kids and they get a handful of those.

 

[Jennasis]

I live in RURAL North Carolina. Let's just say, that if I hear someone knock on my door on a dark Halloween night, I'm answering the door with our loaded shotgun...in other words, nobody comes by.

That said, there is a stretch about 1/4 mile long on the main street in town where there are about 25+ houses. Each year they do a HUGE trick or treat. There's a DJ, dance parties and on and on. That's where everyone goes. Cops come out and direct traffic. It's huge. I have no idea how those houses (BIG, old historical type homes) afford the yearly shindig, but if I were asked to donate a bag of candy I would do it in a heart beat.

 

[LCoulter]

I grew up in a neighborhood where many others carted their kids up to for trick-or-treating so we got between 500-700 kids, depending on the weather. I'm sure there were years when my parents wished they had some help buying some of that candy but they somehow managed, even when money was tight.

When I married we moved to a small town where many of the rural kids would trick-or-treat in town so we would get about 400 kids. If we lived in the rural area without any trick-or-treaters or at least few, I would have been happy to donate some candy.

Now we live outside a large city and get about 130-150 kids.

 

[Erin1700]

Do you know anyone on that street? I think I would buy a few bags of candy and ask to sit out with them. I would feel weird just supplying candy.

 

[Hannathy]

But my DH isn't going trick or treating. DD is going trick or treating and I'm more than willing to supply the requested bag of candy. No worries.

DH gets to have his opinion and I have mine.

huh? Who said anything about your DH going trick or treating? I said if you don't donate I don't think it is right to send your child trick or treating.

 

[Maridw]

I used to live in Off-base Military housing and we would always get kids that did not live in our neighborhood. My DH & I never had a problem with that. We knew that the area was a very safe place to trick or treat for kids mainly because the military police patrolled the area that night.

We moved to a house in town and unfortunately we only ever had like two trick or treaters the first year we moved here. And that was because we decorated the yard that year. Since then we don't get any kids at all.

I would gladly donate a bag or two of candy if that is what everyone does. Our local mall has a trick or treating there on Halloween night and that is where we will be taking our granddaughter.

 

[marcyinPA]

I too know first hand what it is like to have a lot of trick or treater's, and not all from our neighborhood. We easily get between 600-800 kids in a 2 hour time frame here. I am not kidding!! We live in a city neighborhood where the homes are close together and there are kids everywhere, being dropped off by the van full. I would kiss the feet of someone who offered to help me with candy to hand out! I buy the cheapest stuff I can find- usually Tootsie Roll mix in the giant bag- and I give out one little piece per kid. Most years, especially if the weather is nice, I run out of candy in an hour and have to turn off my light.

My son trick or treats with friends in a suburban neighborhood and has for a few years. (he has a friend who lives in the neighborhood). They get far fewer kids than our neighborhood.

If I were asked to contribute a bag of candy- I would. My kid is taking from that neighborhood, so why not? In your case, you have an entire group of kids trick or treating in a neighborhood that isn't theirs. I think it is a nice gesture of the the girl scout leader to provide to the residents. A bag of candy will run you what- $3.00 on sale? That's cheap entertainment for your daughter for one night

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

huh? Who said anything about your DH going trick or treating? I said if you don't donate I don't think it is right to send your child trick or treating.

I said in my very first post that I was gladly supplying candy. My DH has a different point of view. Just because he thinks differently doesn't mean that I won't provide the candy. I'm not quite sure what DH would do if obeyed everything that came out of his mouth.

 

[Traveliz]

I live one house off a main popular historical street that gets 100s of treaters. No one at the rural church my neighbor goes to believes her so she started having a party that night. She provides dinner (sub chips etc) and her friendS come with candy. Everyone takes turns passing out candy and she keeps track of how many treaters. Last year it was 2200. I totally understand the concept of what is going on and I think it's fine.

Liz

 

[MichelleinMaine]

We have had 6 trick or treaters in the 16 years we've lived in our house. It was only recently (ha!) my kids learned most kids in town go to a specific neighborhood to ToT.

I felt guilty NOT contributing somehow, so I would buy some candy for my friend to hand out at her house. She moved, and I had to ask 3 other semi-friends in that neighborhood who didn't think I was nuts for offering.

Ironically, it was my dental hygenist who agreed to take some help with the candy bill.

So- I would willingly chip in.

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

In our last house a lot of families would come to our neighborhood to drop their kids off for trick or treating. It was CRAZY!! Then we moved out to a rural area and haven't had a single trick or treater since we moved in. In fact I now know where all those kids came from in our last neighborhood. LOL We never asked for donations it was just part of Halloween. But every place is different and if this is what they do, then just go with it. A bag or two of candy is a lot cheaper than what you'd normally buy so it sounds like a deal to me.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

We're in one of those neighborhoods. Miles and miles and miles of neighborhoods interconnecting, all but the very oldest have sidewalks. Plenty of streetlamps, houses are nice but not too far apart.

We get kids from 2 or so parishes (not our own) kids from a town south of us and kids from all the outlying rural areas.

Normally we hand out a LOT of candy, a lot of it to peoeple who don't have to give out candy to their kids because they live in rural areas or in areas that aren't quite as safe as ours.

I enjoy doing it, and it's fun to see happy kids in their costumes!

If I lived in a house that had no trick-or-treaters and were asked to help subsidize another area (especially if my kid was going to that community) I'd gladly donate and help someone who might have a difficulty with the high price of candy be able to give out "the good stuff".

 

[ksjayhawks]

Sounds like everyone in the area--school district--comes to that town to trick or treat. Than could mean several hundred kids, not just the ones that live in town. So, yes, I would contribute a bag or two of candy and think nothing of it.

 

[dja14]

We live rural and everyone in the little town and anyone rural goes into town, one big church does a big trunk or treat and then a few houses on a couple streets have their light on. There will easily be a thousand kids (and their parents) in the church parking lot, it is basically just a line you follow around.

I hate it and we are down to one kid who is 11 and we told her this is it. It is not really fun, she just wants candy (who doesn't right?) I love how excited they are but everyone drives around and it just isn't a fun night like we always had growing up

I would be happy to donate a bag or two if a few more houses would open up. Candy is so expensive. I mentioned it to a church lady a couple years ago though and she looked at me like I was nuts So I have no idea who buys all the candy at the church either. Last year they kept it in the their bus, that't how much they used.

 

[diamondpixienc]

Think of it this way...

If no one is coming to your house then the bag you donate takes the place of what you would give out.

Exactly!

 

[pyrxtc]

The next town over is where everyone goes trick or treating here. This is the first year I have seen them ask for bags of candy to distribute for the people who live there. I will gladly do it. We only get 3 or 4 kids at my house.

My two DDs are 13 and this will be the 1st year they aren't trick-or-treating (going to a friend's house to help give out candy there)...though many kids they are in school with are still going as are kids my DS's age of 15 (way too old I think). In past years, when they were trick-or-treating, if we were in OP's situation I would gladly donate a bag of candy. But if my kids weren't going to T-o-T I would not donate a bag.

A side note: Sometimes I buy some really small sized candy (like those Hershey miniatures) and give that (and not a big handful either) to the kids that are too old, not dressed in costume or are rude. I buy the Halloween sized candy for all the other kids and they get a handful of those.

I will gladly hand out candy to anyone who wears a costume. I don't think you can really ever be too old to go, as long as you are behaving yourself and ask nicely then I will hand you some candy. I know there area bunch of kids that are still quite young but look older so would you not give to them ? My neighbors son was only 11 when he hit 5'9" and still plenty young to go out. Halloween is for everyone, heck, I enjoy trick or treating too and had a blast doing it at Disneyland in full costume. I wear a full costume on halloween night too as well as to school for the parties in my kids class.

 

[snoopy5386]

Update OP?

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Update OP?

Candy was donated but Halloween was cancelled. The Masons do the parade and the candy collection/distribution. No power still in most of the town and the lodge is being used as a warming station. The girl scout troop will go down tonight to assist at the lodge. DD will go along with either myself or DH or possibly all 3 of us. So we will need to wait until next year to see what happens. No big deal though. I ate the other bag of candy while sitting in the dark.

And the town didn't reschedule Halloween. The schools aren't opened yet as the high/middle school still doesn't have power and some of the roads are still impassible. Guess we'll have to wait until next year.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I'm sorry, I can't even comprehend this situation. Honestly, I have no frame of reference for living in a rural area where a situation like this would come up.