Let’s Discuss Your Halloween Strategy
Happy Halloween! This is the one night each year when the under-18 population of the Park Cities significantly spikes. I’m wondering if you go into the evening with any sort of strategy or ground rules. Do kids who appear to be older than, say, 13 get turned away? Are you opposed to giving candy to those who aren’t wearing costumes or who can’t muster the energy to say “trick or treat” clearly? Is there a set time that you’re going to turn off the porch light and stop answering the door, regardless of how many sweets are left in the bowl? Comments are on.
As much as a grown man, not dressed up, with no children asking for candy irritates me….I don’t turn anyone away. I don’t know that person and their story so what’s a few pieces of candy? Now….after 9PM, you will find my lights off, doors shut and blow ups deflated. It’s a school night, that’s my tv time and my kids will be in bed. That’s something I don’t compromise on. 🙂
I won’t turn away any kids, but teenagers without costumes carrying grocery sacks irritate me. And there are always a few who try to take large handfuls of candy. I’m flattered that non-residents pick my street for trick or treating. How lucky we are to give all the kids, neighborhood or not, an old-fashioned, safe, and fun Halloween.
LB: I’m with you haha! I DVR the stuff that hasn’t been deemed age appropriate and wait for 9-9:30 when our son goes to bed. Anyhow, This will be our first Halloween in the Park Cities and we’re excited! Everyone have fun and be safe!
As much as I used to not like the teenagers coming to my door, I now think why not let them have some good clean fun, too?
Our son and friend’s kids had a blast! We met up with some friends and their kids and started our journey around 6:20pm. I was happy to see our local school’s crossing guards was brought in to help direct traffic as well as some teenage volunteers. It was also nice to see Highland Park PD out keeping watch as well. Anyhow, I wanted to say Thank you to everyone that handed out candy and those who helped make sure the kids was safe.
What’s wrong with turning HP Village into a “Trunk or Treat” festival. It’s where the parents dress up the trunks of their cars and hand out candy to the youngsters. It’s close monitoring of the kids; They know who is handing out candy, and it keeps it close contained preventing traffic accidents and the children feeling that they are not terrorized for the holidays. Think of the business HPV would have and the business’s involved. Let alone Mom and Dad picking up a few things at the local shoppe.
At 9:00pm, I put a salad bowl full of candy on the porch and shut the door. A half hour later all of the candy was gone and so was my salad bowl.
Scooter – I would not attend a trunk or treat at HPVillage. That really only works for younger kids (there are many churches within 10 miles that do this already) and I don’t quite get the idea of doing it when we are already such a close knit community. If you don’t know the people whose doors you are knocking on to get candy from….then you have a whole year to meet and greet! 🙂 Not trying to be rude but everyone knows everyone around here and I also would rather not go hang out in the HPV parking lot. I do not knock on doors of folks I don’t know…that’s a whole ‘nuther post.
Meredith, I put a bowl out while we took our youngest out for a little bit and you’d have thought I’d put red meat out for rabid dogs. I knew it would happen but you just hope you will be surprised…..