Trick or Treaters with no costume?

[plutotek]

My wife's a pushover when it comes ToTs, but if I'm working the door, no candy if an apparent effort hasn't been made to dress up as that is part of the celebration, at least when it comes to the older kids. I'll give candy to adults that dress up, not a problem.

 

[design_mom]

I ask everyone say "trick or treat" but I don't care too much about the costume. I figure they're going as a "student" or "teenager" or something like that!

 

[PghLybrt]

I woud never refuse a kid a treat. However if you show up in a football jersey that is something other than the Steelers (or is a gruesome zombie type thing for another team) then you do get candy from a different bowl. I give full size candy, but not for them.

The kids pretty much all know this by now…all 400 of them.

 

[Laurabearz]

I figure those who neglect the standards that say a costume is necessary for trick-or-treating are the ones most likely to transgress and do mischief if they feel that they've been slighted, or even just feel that the tribute you give them is inadequate in any way. As things are now, I don't see anything positive coming from deliberately treating them worse than other kids.

Very True!

I really don't have the time or inclination to set up a bunch of rules over who is going to get handed a couple of bite sized snickers from my pumpkin shaped candy bowl.

Show up, get candy. That's pretty much how we handle it.

Ditto

Everyone gets candy, but those with costumes get 2 pieces. Last year we had a group of 4-5 kids come around. Only one had a costume - he was a giant banana. He got 3 pieces for being the only one of his friends not only to wear a costume, but also to go as a giant banana!

Yay for giant banana's! I wonder if he lost a bet...

Basically show up get candy
Now if you dont say trick or treat
or are without costume you will get a snarky comment

not truly rude but more of a
Yes can i help you or Wow you’re dressed as my favorite character

but candy for all regardless

I am going to use your line this year!! lol

 

[Becky2005]

Considering my poor son was between a rock & hard place last year with it, I just give candy. I really don't care.

My son was going as "Jason" last year and we could NOT for the life of us find the mask part when it came time to go out trick or treating. He had the other part of the costume on but of course, you basically have to wear your winter coat trick or treating here (so with no mask or obvious costume part - it can be hard to tell). He was on more than one occassion basically appear that he didn't have a costume on & he would explain the entire situation to the people (who I'm sure thought he was totally making it up but his baby brother had been playing with the mask & then didn't remember where he had put it -- we found it a couple days later hidden behind some toys).

 

[Sgt Mickey]

WOW, somebody would actually refuse individual kids candy on Halloween....

BUT isn't usually OLDER kids who usually do this anyway
The ones wwho you wonder WHY are still trick or treating anyway

 

[minkydog]

I really don't have the time or inclination to set up a bunch of rules over who is going to get handed a couple of bite sized snickers from my pumpkin shaped candy bowl.

Show up, get candy. That's pretty much how we handle it.

Me too. Most of the young kids make some attempt at a costume, but it's usually the teens who show up in baggy jeans and black tshirt. I tell them if they don't have a costume, they have to perform a song, a magic trick or stand on one foot and sing the alphabet. Then they get a handful of candy (and I do mean a handful. we don't get a lot of trick or treaters, so we give out whatever we have. I think that's worth at least one song.)

 

[LisaR]

My kids are going to a friend's house on Halloween with the intent of staying in and watching scary movies all night. However, I wouldn't put it past the group to want to run out to a few homes and get some candy. From what I can tell, the group is very nice and respectful and always says thank you. They will all be sans costumes but they have toy guns, axes, and pitchforks that they will bring with them if they do head out. Not exactly a costume in my book but as long as they are polite, I hope nobody treats them poorly.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm glad I didn't grow up on your street. When I was a kid I was usually the only one of my friends "in costume" because most of our families couldn't afford it -- my mom was a seamstress who had lots of bits and pieces left over from jobs, and I could sew from the age of 6, so I could usually scrape something together (usually the now-politically-incorrect gypsy or hobo look.) Store-bought costumes were unheard of in my neighborhood. (Of course, I've gone overboard in the opposite direction now with my own kids, since I can afford it -- I spend weeks making very intricate home-made costumes for them.)

When we hit our teen years our parents universally stopped us from going round for candy, but as young teens we did the Unicef thing and T or T'd for charity; still no costumes, just the little marked Unicef box. (Which, BTW, they still do. You can get the boxes at TRUS. http://youth.unicefusa.org/trickortreat/participate/)

What difference does it make, really? It's fun to be generous to a bunch of kids, no matter what they look like.

 

[Metsfan520]

We don't get too many Trick or Treaters so anyone who comes to the door gets something, costume or not, if they say trick or treat or not.

 

[Disney Doll]

Show up, get candy.
Life's too short to get all worked up over trick orr treating....

 

[laracroft]

I give everyone candy, but I always compliment their costume. LOL

 

[DisneyBeagle]

I really don't have the time or inclination to set up a bunch of rules over who is going to get handed a couple of bite sized snickers from my pumpkin shaped candy bowl.

Show up, get candy. That's pretty much how we handle it.

My thoughts exactly. I don't care if the kids are 1 or 21, I will give them candy. In my neighborhood we get a few older teenagers, but they are always very polite. I also don't care if adults want candy. I often offer the parents candy too.

 

[WDSearcher]

BUT isn't usually OLDER kids who usually do this anyway
The ones wwho you wonder WHY are still trick or treating anyway

They're trick or treating because the candy is free.

I was working an animal welfare event last week where we were giving out free tennis balls for dogs and free fuzzy mice for cats. People would come up and we would ask if they had animals ... did they have dogs or cats ... what were the animals' names ... and then we'd give them toys. So this one kid -- maybe 12 YO -- comes up and says she doesn't have any pets, and then she reaches out to take a package of fuzzy mice. I asked her why she wanted the mice since she didn't have any pets, and she said, "Because they're free."

 

[pixiewings71]

Everyone who shows gets candy, but those in costumes get more candy. That's it, that's the rule, and we have good candy, might be small pieces but it's all good stuff.

 

[Rora]

I will still give out candy.. maybe less to those not in costume if they look to be teenagers.

 

[SideshowBob]

In Chicago SSB had two late-teen boys show up at front door with no costumes and SMOKING .... Yikers.

Ha-ha!

 

[Frye7127]

My son is now 10 and has absolutely no interest in trick or treating this year. He only dressed up cute when I was able to dress him. otherwise he wore no costume and many times would not go out in his cute costume. He had tons of dress up stuff, too, but I never saw him in it. When he played, he locked the door so nobody could see him. It embarrasses him for some reason, and he can't explain it. Everybody in the neighborhood knows that he does not dress up, they give him candy all the same. There are some smart alecs who have something to say about him not being in costume, but still give him candy. we are a small neighborhood and the ones that have lived here for always like us know how he is. Big whoop! Give out the candy.

 

[ChristaDeVil]

Here's my theory...if you show up at my house,you'll get candy. If you aren't in a costume and have a wal-mart bag as your trick or treat bag, you'll still get candy, but I'll ask you what you are dressed as. I've had some pretty inventive kids come by in the past. The better your answer is, the more likely you are to get an extra Blow Pop.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I give to anyone and everyone. Costume or not. Child or teenager. Doesn't matter. It's fun for all and I love it. I even call over the adults that accompany the children. I don't have small children anymore but it's still just as fun for me.