I live in a county divided.
I’m not talking about politics, here, though it is divided along party lines too. No, I’m talking about a much more serious and deep division that shows no signs of healing.
When to conduct trick or treating.
The more urban third of the county has official trick or treating hours on the Sunday afternoon before Halloween. The only time they have trick or treating on the actual day of Halloween is when it happens to land on a Sunday. But even then, t or t hours are safely in the sunshine of the afternoon.
In the more rural, though growing more suburbanish, part of the county where the Kanes reside, we’re traditionalists on this point. We throw caution to the wind and — I suppose callously in the city slicker view — send our children out into the street to hold-up the neighbors for treats on Halloween and in the dusky hours of about 4 to 7 p.m.
I did the afternoon scene once when visitng a relative. It was lame. It was warm. It was bright. There was absolutely no opportunity for dark, spooky fun.
But the advocates of afternoon t ot t say the safety concerns of having kids running around excited , not paying attnetion and perhaps with low visibility costumes overrides any concerns about traditions and mood.
So what do they do around your house? And what do you think is right?
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Never heard of going NOT on the day. What the heck??
My neighborhood starts about 6:00 and goes to maybe 8:00. There’s a lot of elem. school age ones. And usually (see, I’ll say that and tonight it won’t happen) they’re good about if your porch light isn’t on, they won’t knock.
And for the most part, when you open the door, mom and/or dad are at the end of the driveway, so you fuss over the kids, wave at the parents (most of them I know) and you’re done.
Since it’s a Fri. night, there may be less kids, bec. there are a lot of parties.
What can I say, Kath, it’s a nanny state over there in the east county.
Someday when I’m a dad, my kids will go out after dark.
Assuming trick-or-treating and candy aren’t outlawed by then.
Dusk till dark. That is the only trick or treat time. Its easier to hide the mistakes in my zombie makeup at night.
How disturbing. “Official trick or treat hours.” What a bunch of dorks. The Little Fireflies trick or treat until the last porchlight is off. I won’t let them in until they’ve filled their sacks.
Will the next generation of children have any independence or freedom at all?
If you know anyone over the age of 60 ask them what Halloween was like when they were a kid. It used to be even bigger then! Have you ever seen the Halloween scene in “Meet me in St. Louis?” Little kids playing unsupervised around a bon-fire and stealing any wood or furniture they can find to fuel the fire! In the 20′s, 30′s and 40′s the streets were filled with burning piles of leaves AND the kids wandered around, unsupervised, trick or treating way into the night. My father says he used to go into stranger’s homes for home-made cider and popcorn balls. People would turn rooms of their homes into “haunted houses” and children thought nothing of doing an unsupervised tour.
Arrested development! It’s the goal of modern parents to keep their kids dependent until into their 30′s!