I was sad to leave my neighborhood (well-established older part of Nashville, Sylvan Park) as they bring the kids in by the carloads to go up and down our streets. The parents sit out on the lawns (the parents also dress up. One year my husband went as Cosmo and I as Wanda, with our son as Timmy from the Fairly Odd Parents, as an example) and the kids play in the yards as they walk along, everyone gabbing and having a good time. I was really sad. Until I heard that our block, where I moved, closes down the block to traffic and it's basically a block party! Hurray! It's another older, well-established part of Nashville, so it's very family oriented in both areas. Can't wait!!!!

Teresa, do you mind sharing where they are on sale? In the past I've always lit yard torches, opened the front door and made a ghoulie-type of scarecrow behind the glass door. I've been here for years, and it seems we get fewer and fewer kids. One year I was caught unaware (I didn't think anyone was going to show up), so I passed out some plastic ''drink'' monkeys (does anyone remember those from the 1960's? They hung on the edge of your glass by the tail and were different colors so you could identify yours.) They were a huge hit, as they weren't anything anyone had seen. Halloween is just sad around here! So sad in fact, it's a great time for us to go out of town...

Claire - Michael's Craft Store has the glow bracelets tubes of 15 each for $1. That is as cheap as I used to get them online for!

They also have the yard stakes for $2.99 each. I've seen them at hardware stores (Menards) in boxes of 10 to 20 on clearance in the fall. The one I have is a 12" stake. The solar cylinder is about the diameter of an orange juice can and only about 2" long. I am amazed at how much lite it gives off. Of course there are larger ones available in sets. I like the small ones because I was able to buy the first one individually at Walmart's garden center last fall for $1. They come in white, black, silver, copper and bronze.

Here we still have the old fashioned trick or treat type Halloween. There is a costume parade down Main sTreet, ending at the chamber of Commerce parking lot where "treat bags" are handed out to the kids. They always contain a toothbrush from the town dentist, some candy from the grocery store, stickers and spider rings from the Chamber, and who knows what else.

Then come the trick or treaters, from right after the parade at 5 until 8 pm. I get them by the hundreds and I do mean hundreds because we're very rural and the kids all come into town to trick or treat with their friends. I used to have over 500 but the past few years that has dwindled to about 300. Elery and Dave stayed at the house last year giving out candy while Amanda and I took the kids out trick or treating. Funny how there was no candy left, LOL.

Annie

Thanks Teresa! I'm gonna' go find some yard stakes...

My niece lives in Waconia, Minnesota - a very old town. The streets are still abut 6 cars wide from the horse and buggy era.

First, everyone in costume is in a parade which is following a couple of police cars and a fire truck. Then they backtrack throught town as everyone on Main Street opens up their stores and businesses and hands out treats. Her husband is a fireman and the fire station brings out a truck and families get to have their pictures taken on it. And the fire station cook makes special homemade treats to serve with coffee and punch. I bought 3 cases of "Blondies" that Costco had on clearance for .97! These are industrial sized boxes. Not a baker nor a lover of sweets, I had never heard of them but they are a blond brownie with white chocolate chips. This is my donation to the Waconia fire department! This is western Minnesota and there are some large developments going in out in that part of the state. Plus everyone that grew up there in the last 160 years comes back for the event. This event draws hundreds of people.

I live so far into the woods that we haven't had a single trick or treater in the 8 years we have lived here!

Don't miss it, don't care either way. Never been big on Halloween, I guess.

Linda

Lucky you - being out in the woods is good too!

I never had any when I lived up at the lake. Now that I'm back in the burbs of a metro area I still have some. My addition is out in the country so it is limited to a degree. Last year I had two big hay ride flat trailers full of kids show up. Loved it and they took care of most of the candy I had to pass out. I'm guessing there was 25 plus kids on each ride. Pulled by a John Deere tractor of course. LOL

My group is talking about have a big party this year. It's been years since we have had one and we think it time.....to do the Monster Mash again. LOL!

David

Love Halloween!! I don't get as many kids as we used to....there were about 150 in past years....but there has been a push for the event to not last as long so the radio station put on a drawing....kids could enter and the phoning started at 8 and if you were home you maybe got a prize. Good prizes like a TV or a bike or a computer game....so the kids want to be done by 8.
I love to see the kids in their costumes....some wonderful....others as little as possible....just gimme the candy!!
I used to do a flying bat and the noisy ghost etc....but now I just do the lighted pumpkin....and lots of candy!
Linda C

I must say that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. Saying that, I enjoy seeing the kids have such fun...especially the little ones. Five years ago we had 20-30 trick or treaters and last year...none. The neighbors on our small street (5 houses) have gradually darkened their porches in the past few years and last year ours was the only one decorated with the lights on. This year, I think we'll follow suit and just give it up.

Halloween is my favorite Holiday. I wish we got more Trick or Treaters here. Most ever was 12, least was 2. We tell the neighbors to be sure to bring their kids by, and we make up a bag with lots of treats in it since we get so few. I love to see them all dressed up and having fun.

Full sized candy bars for anywhere from 100-150 trick or treaters here. (Costco) Last year we ran out. The holiday here is very family oriented and the kids are mostly really polite. I think a lot of the kids who come are from outside the neighborhood, but I don't mind one bit. In fact, I have some friends who are just moving here from Bulgaria, and I'm going to recommend they hit up a few houses in our neighborhood with their 2 year old son as a fun way to practice limited interactions in English and to teach "Thank you!"

We always get less than 30 and mostly less than 15. We live on a dead end and I think a lot of people don't bother with our little short strip of street. I always overbuy though, just in case!!

When I was a kid we used to go all the way down one side of the street, about .75 miles, then all the way back. We'd run home and dump our candy and pick out all the icky stuff and give it to my mom to pass out to subsequent trick or treaters. Then we'd run out the door and do the next block over. It would take quite a while to do all that. It was quite an adventure. And we did it by ourselves, no adult supervision. THOSE were the days!

When my kids were little, they used to go with an adult (dad, stepdad or me) for about 30-45 minutes -- maybe do 20-30 houses. That's enough! I used to hide their candy after about 3 days and inevitably they'd already forgotten all about it. After making sure they HAD forgotten, I'd take it into work where the adults devoured it in no time flat.

I know that might sound sorta mean, but you know, it seems like every time I turned around, my kids were acquiring more candy. There was always candy coming home from school for something or another. I just had to limit it.

May,

I don't think you sound mean. Probably because I do the same thing. Instead, after culling it of the candy he doesn't want (that goes to work and is eaten very quickly), I keep it in a bucket and he has a piece a day in his lunch. Usually lasts to Christmas. Then there is the Christmas candy. Which lasts until Valentines. The Valentine's candy lasts until Easter and then we're done until Halloween. Oy. Since my sweetie pie is underweight, I don't feel too badly about letting him have it.

:)

We love Halloween and can't wait for the kids to come and ring the doorbell. We decorate our porch to the hilt and give out king sized candy bars. Little kids and teenagers along with the parents are all welcome. We have sooo much fun decorating and the kids really do appreciate it. We had one trick or treater dressed as Dracula about 11 years old say thank you for what we do and don't ever stop doing it! NancyLouise

NancyLouise, I absolutely agree, a kid is never too old for free candy. I pass out candy to the varsity football team, if they're in uniform, LOL, or to the father carrying his 2 year old and many of the kids are taller than I am. As long as they have a costume, it's all good for my house!

Annie

Love Halloween here too!

When we first moved to Philly we got 100's of kids! REALLY!!
It was a very child heavy area of the city and we lived in row homes so it was easy to get pillow sack after pillow sack filled in just a few blocks.
Frank would take out our little monsters and I would hand out the loot.
Then one year I noticed something very unusual...carloads of kids would be dropped off. These were not local kids.
Many of these kids were not even in costume yet they would get sassy, rude and distructive. The adults would sit in the car and wait for the kids to do the block...not even get out to walk with the kids or come up and say hello...nothing!
The next year I gave out less...instead of the bags of treats I handed out one or two peices. I have to be honest-these kids were simply rude and obnoxious and it left a bad taste in my mouth about how there were raised.
And I'll say it again....I do not care what color you are, what neighborhood you live in, what nationality you are, what religion you practice ect...if you do are going door to door and cussing and yelling at people giving you candy then I want nothing to do with it.
The next year I did nothing. Got my own kids a few small gifts and together we watched some scary movies with the porch light out. Still we had unruley kids pounding on the door all night-geez get the hint!!

Fast forward to last year...finally in a very SMALL neighborhood loaded with kids. I got some decor and some treat bags as well as little toys for kids with nut issues.
I had about 100 kids and it was like the good ole days of parents walking up and saying hi and in many cases introducing themselves as we were the newbies. I even had a few folks give me their phone numbers with offers of invites to get togethers and all in all it was a great night....and it was a light misty rain all evening so I can only imagine what would happen on a pleasent night!!

So far this year my house is already decked out and I even got one of those strobe lights that play creepy sounds.

For treats I plan on making bags up for the 6-12 age group. The smaller kids will get teddy grahams or goldfish bags and the teens will get soda. This year I will also have a few adult bevs on hand for the parents who stop by.

I better start shopping huh??

Cheers!
Susie

Wow, this brings back memories. We must've lived in a really good Halloween candy neighborhood when I was a kid because I remember carloads of kids being dropped off to trick-or-treat on our street. I have no idea if they were rude or polite, I was just a kid myself at the time. I guess that sort of thing still goes on? I haven't seen it in years but like I said, I live on a quiet dead end, not the spot the drop offs would likely come to.

As long as they have a costume, it's all good for my house!
I'm with you Annie! I'm not wild about the 15 year olds showing up in their normal clothes though, usually much later than the "real" (little kid) trick-or-treaters. It's a bit nervy IMO. Now, if they were in costume, ok! But they really never are. I've learned to turn off my porch light when they start showing up. All the little kiddies are back in their snuggly homes by then I think.

We don't get any but I don't think neighborhood thing is popular here much.
WalMart and some of the big churches do trunk treats and those are very popular.
When I was young, I did all my sprouting at once and in seventh grade was 6'. Which I still am :-)
That was my last, sad year to go trick or treating. I received several nasty, hurtful comments from the ones handing out candy that made lasting impressions on my psyche for many many years. I was still a kid.

BB, I'd have given you candy at my house, Ashley had a girlfriend who was nearly 6 feet tall in 6th grade. Now, Ashley is 5'1" and weighs about 98 lbs., she could still get away with trick or treating if she wore a mask and costume! The 5th grader next door is taller than she is, LOL.

Nope, I treat 'em all, even the adults who are out with small children. Some turn down the offered treats, but most young 20-something Dads will take a Snickers bar and grin. They'd probably rather have a beer at that point, but I do draw the line somewhere, LOL.

I love Halloween. Any social or religious connotations are long gone, and it's become a true child's holiday, just an excuse to dress up and get candy. No gift shopping, no card sending, no special meals unless you feel like it. Just a bunch of kids, having a good time, pseudo scared and on a sugar rush, and a crockpot full of sloppy joes for the kids before trick or treats, and for the adults after.

Annie