When I was little we went "Begging" I dont remember Trick or treat until much later. Our public scool (in Chicago) Playgound was very active and we had a bonfire at night and paraded around the neighborhood to Sears then back again to parade thru the warming house and everyone got a sack with candy and a popcorn ball

Not my childhood, but my kids's.....we lived way out in the country, so we'd go to my DMIL's house in town, as would all the cousins, to get the kids in costume together. There were 9 all together and sometimes some friends. We'd have chili first, the all go trick or treating together. Sometimes, it was absolutely crazy, but so much fun

Remember we had a weiner roast in the back yard, and a big tub filled with water for bobbing apples. Walk around the block with a boy. wow!

One of my elementary school classmates' birthday was near halloween. The weekend before the holiday, her parents would throw a huge halloween party--costumes, apple babbing, eat the marshmallow on the string, etc. and invite the whole class (that was unusual--most only invited the boys or the girls). Of course, that meant we all had to have 2 costumes, one for the party, and one for the school party, so no one could guess us there, either.

Apparently, in my area, we had a few different customs. For one, trick or treating started right after school. We'd be out for hours and hours collecting. Another was Mischief Night--the evening before Halloween, kids go out in the neighborhoods and do mischief--some harmless (tossing dried corn on porches, TPing, ringing doorbells), some less-so--soaping car windows, tossing eggs at homes or cars. One year, we were driving home from somewhere in the dark on Mischief Night. A few blocks from home we found ourselves on a street where we could see a very large group of older teens ahead. We couldn't turn around, but were worried about what they would do. Just as we were coming up on them, a tiny ghost arose from the street, right in front of our car (on a string, over a tree limb). It was the cutest prank, and all the more funny because we were expecting something horrible like getting egged.

When I was a kid we called it "Halloweening". We would go from house to house and ask if they wanted any singing. All of the Halloweeners in those days had a little tune to sing or poem to say. The goodies back then were mostly coins, rarely treats. If you really wanted to make a killing, you could go to a local bar, which were plentiful in those days, the patrons would usually be good for a coin or two each. Not all of the kids had the nerve to go to the bars, me included.

Our elementary school used to have cake walks, and my mother always contributed a cake.

Back then there was NO fear about candy, bad guys!

Parents would drive us to town, and we'd get to soap the windows of local stores.

It was allowed BACK THEN! Heaven forbid if you did that now! That was in the forties!

Church would have Halloween party, and you get to go behind sheets and feel eyeballs (grapes), etc

We would go trick or treating and when we got back home, Mom and Dad would tie an apple stuffed with nickels, dimes, pennies and quarters on a string and secure it at the top of a doorway. We had to try to bite the coins out with our hands behind our back, hoping to get the quarters. It wasn't easy because the apple kept spinning. The trick was to try and get it up against the door jam and bite. (I'm sure they washed the coins before stuffing the apple) LOL

Trick or Treating alone with my friend in first, second, third and fourth grade in San Pedro, California. We made up our own costumes or our parents bought flimsy cheap ones. We also used pillow cases. We had so much fun. The only precautions I remember is my mom made us bring the candy home to look for razor blades in them.

In contrast....my kids I took around the neighborhood. No way would I let them go alone. One big reason is too many cars. So annoying that parents feel the need to drive their kids trick or treating in other people's neighborhoods making it dangerous for everyone. People also spend way more than they should on their kids' costumes. Me included this year...bought Lauren a cute Marine costume that was way too expensive. At least she will be wearing it 4 times, not just once.

I remember trick or treating in the 90's back when most kids still did it! We used to take pillow cases around and fill most of it. It makes me sad now that I haven't had a single trick or treater since I've become an adult. I recently moved to a new neighborhood though so i'm hopeful they trick or treat here since many houses are all decked out in Halloween decorations.

I bought a whole bunch of full sized candy bars because I remember the "cool" house with the big candy when I was a kid, and I want to be that house now. :)

We always were lectured about razor blades, etc. We weren't allowed to eat any candy until my mom took it to her room and inspected it all. It took me a few years to realize her "safety inspections" were just an excuse to look at what we got and claim the good stuff for herself, lol.

When my kids were in elementary school, many years ago, the lady who drove the school bus lived several blocks away.....and she always made candied apples for the kids.
She would tell all the kids who rode her bus where she lived.
She said she did it because she loved the kids like they were her own.

I remember one year when I went trick-or-treating I carried an extra mask in my candy bag, If some place was giving out something really good, (like full-sized candy bars!) I would walk out of sight, change masks, and return to the house that had the good stuff.

I always had a homemade costume. They are so expensive now.

Like Glenda it was homemade costumes for us too. The moms of the neighborhood would take us trick or treating.They would walk on the road and we would run through the yards. The dads stayed home & passed out the candy. We all loved going to the "Bachelors" house because they gave out full sized boxes of Cracker Jacks....

We had Mischief Night here too. We'd go out and do the usual bad stuff -- soap up the car windows, throw TP on the bushes, toss eggs at things, ringing doorbells and running. Dumb stuff. I don't remember anything that was true vandalism. Finally, it got out of hand and the police put an end to it.

We also had home made costumes. I would rummage around the house and come up with something. We always got full size candy bars and managed to fill two grocery bags full!

In my parents home town when you said Trick or Treat -- you had to do a trick in order to get a trick. It was usually sing a song.

I had 150 kids tonight. I am tired from answering the door.