Trick or treat--Before or after dark?

[EMom]

I read an article about "proper" Halloween etiquette, and the author said everyone knows little children TOT before dark. WHAT??? I have lived in small towns, cities and suburbs.....apartments and houses....and kids of ALL ages wait until dark to TOT.

They may start the second it turns dark, but they wait. If a child shows up during daylight hours, it's an oddity here. The moms in this area have been gritching, because with the change in daylight savings time coming in November instead of October, dark will now come at 7:30 instead of 6:30 and that will delay TOTing by one hour. It's fine this year since Halloween is on a Friday, but it wouldn't be too peachy on a school night. We always counted on it being dark at 6:30 and TOTing then.

"Who wants to TOT when it's not dark?" is the feeling of everyone I know. Does this differ in other parts of the country? Is it common to TOT during daylight hours?

 

[Hoodie]

A lot of places have gone to daylight for safety reasons. Personally, I don't think there's a big advantage in that because they are now TOT during rush hour, which seems pretty stupid.

Personally, we've always gone in the dark and plan on taking the kids in the dark.

 

[Kathi OD]

We've lived in several different places and never have had children come to our door before dark on Halloween.

In most cases, people, even the parents of little ones, aren't even home from work much before dark. I can just imagine the response of corporate American if every employee decided to leave work early on Halloween because TOT needs to be over before dark.

 

[trip]

It's not common in our area to TOT in the afternoon.

I have my light on from 6-8 and give candy out for that time perior only. If someone would come before I would give out candy but if anyone comes after 8 I don't answer my door (yard light is off).

 

[NMAmy]

Every community I've lived in has a set time--usually 6:00-9:00. The little kids usually come earlier and the bigger kids later.

Trick or treating in the daytime does seem weird. A lot of people aren't even home from work.

 

[freckles and boo]

Our trick or treat hours are 4-8. I would rather the kids come in the afternoon, but there are many people who just aren't home that early. I am a grinch and like to get it over with.

 

[Stitchfans]

We have some that are out right after]school. Guess they want to get an early start to get more candy.

 

[Tricia1972]

Trick or Treating hours are set by the city in all of Central Wisconsin. Our city is scheduled for 4-7 PM.

We don't have the option of sending our kids after dark, though it's getting pretty dark by the end.

 

[mickeyfan9194]

I guess they can come before 6:00 if they want to, but all they'll get is a barking dog answering the door. I don't get home from work until 6:00 Monday-Friday, so no candy before then. Sorry.

 

[EMom]

Trick or Treating hours are set by the city in all of Central Wisconsin. Our city is scheduled for 4-7 PM.

We don't have the option of sending our kids after dark, though it's getting pretty dark by the end.

Get out! Government mandated TOT hours? And I thought MY town had lots of covenants and restrictions!

We're sticking with "DARK" even though DST will make it late at 7:30. We'll have a cul de sac party and if any kids come down the CDS wanting to TOT, we'll have candy on hand outside for them. When our party winds down around 7:15, we'll take our kids out TOTing in the dark.

Honestly, if a kid rang the doorbell at 4:00, they'd probably be told, "I'm sorry. I don't even have my candy ready yet. Come back when it's dark." But if the city sets the hours and everyone knows it starts at 4:00, I guess that's different. I wouldn't start that early.....Too many people not home yet.....Not enough candy to doorbell ratio for me.

 

[aprilgail2]

Kids start as soon as they get home from school around 330-400 and continue on until 9ish- no lights on lights off rule around here.

 

[Hoodie]

I guess they can come before 6:00 if they want to, but all they'll get is a barking dog answering the door. I don't get home from work until 6:00 Monday-Friday, so no candy before then. Sorry.

That was my thought.

Definitely limits the candy stash by going early.

 

[mjkacmom]

I've lived in this town for 40 years (my entire life), and ToT starts after school, and lasts until 8 or 9. There are tons of kids out, but they tend to stick to either streets close to the 5 elementary schools, or main streets.

 

[puffkin]

In our area TOT is pretty much in the dark or at least dusk. Most people wouldn't be home anyway in the afternoon. I usually flip my light on around 5 but we usually don't get many kids until after 6 when it starts getting dark.

I remember watching ET as a kid and thinking it was so weird that they TOT in the daytime. It just isn't done that way around here.

 

[mjkacmom]

They may start the second it turns dark, but they wait. If a child shows up during daylight hours, it's an oddity here. The moms in this area have been gritching, because with the change in daylight savings time coming in November instead of October, dark will now come at 7:30 instead of 6:30 and that will delay TOTing by one hour. It's fine this year since Halloween is on a Friday, but it wouldn't be too peachy on a school night. We always counted on it being dark at 6:30 and TOTing then.

Funny, moms here have been complaining for years that it's nuts that daylight savings time is right before Halloween, and then kids end up ToT in the dark. By the time it's dark, ToT is almost over!

 

[mamamary]

"Suggested" hours for TOT in my part of Maryland is 6 to 8 pm. I'm a SAHM and I have never had anyone come before 5:30pm.

Growing up in Brooklyn, NY we went trick or treating right after school. We went from around 3pm until 5 or 6pm. Seems weird to me now that I went during daylight hours but that's just the way it was. My parents still live in Brooklyn and now kids really don't even come to the door. They instead go to the areas where there are stores and trick or treat there.

 

[Ilovemylife]

Here, Trick or treating hours are done from 4-6pm. THAT is when you trick or treat, not whenever you feel like it.

Our light goes on at 4pm and off at 6. You get out later than that, too bad for you.

This year, ToT will be during daylight, just because the time change was pushed back a few weeks....in the past, it's been in the dark.

 

[ameraumi]

Yup, we are another one where the town's set ToT hours. I thought everyone did that.

Anyways, our town has it set from 5:30-7:30 tonight. We get them by the carloads in my neighborhood so they start right at 5:30.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Here, the town always restricts ToT from 5 to 7pm ONLY....and the town decides which day it will be. This year it will be on Saturday. They felt it would be safer & parents would be home from work unlike on Friday.

Years past when they've done it during the week, first kid doesn't show up until 5:30 because either parents aren't home yet to take them OR people aren't home yet to give out candy. Parents end up having to leave work early to take kids. Not every employer can allow everyone to just leave to go home.

 

[JoJo's Mom]

I thought TOT in daylight was only on TV and in the movies!

If your town has rules, then you follow the rules I guess. However, I would think that doing it in the daylight would take away from the whole atmosphere of it? Halloween is known to be dark and spooky. How can it be spooky in the light?