Germs aside- a Halloween candy s/o

[SnuggleBuggles]

Do you let the kids that ToT at your house choose their own candy or do you hand it out?

Me? I like to let them pick because it's fun to watch their thought process. Also, I try and keep track of what the most popular candy is- I always seem to guess wrong!

This year a friend had a $1 bill in a bowl and then the candy. She waited to see who would take the dollar instead of candy. She said it took a while for anyone to take the dollar. I think I am going to replicate that experiment tonight.

Beth

[randomkid]

The dollar bill experiment sounds like fun! I told of my experience in the germ thread. But, basically, we get around 150-200 kids in our neighborhood. Parents drive their kids from neighborhood to neighborhood for some reason. Really, who needs that much candy? But, I digress.

So, I don't let them pick as it would take too long. Besides, DD has more fun handing out treats than actually trick or treating herself. A lot of the bigger kids really seem to enjoy having DD give them their treats. For the past few years, I have given out small bags of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. They are easier for DD to give out and the kids seem to like them. I go to Costco and buy the big boxes of 42 bags. In past years, I have given out 4 boxes. This year, I only bought 2 boxes and a box of fruit gummies for the little kids. We will be out part of the night ourselves, so will miss some of the kids. When we run out, we'll just turn out the lights. We also have to put out a sign or they knock anyway!

[kayte]

We go DD's godparents house every year for Halloween. They get over 5000 trick or treaters. (yes, 5 thousand) They have a party just to have a "staff" to hand out candy. It's a pretty ornate procedure. There are tables on the front walk and roped off paths. Usually it's 4 of us at a time handing out candy and one person refilling our buckets (usually for 30 minute shifts). So absolutely no picking there!!! We are throwing it into bags as fast as we can!! It lasts for three straight hours until the horse mounted policeman ride down the street --about 12 wide and shut the thing down. You can actually get a ticket for handing out candy after 9:30.

Here is a photo of one of the lines (there are two) of waiting trick or treaters last year. At peak times, it's a 30 minute wait for candy.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/4060464779_2de3f56349.jpg

[DietCokeLover]

We go DD's godparents house every year for Halloween. They get over 5000 trick or treaters. (yes, 5 thousand) They have a party just to have a "staff" to hand out candy. It's a pretty ornate procedure. There are tables on the front walk and roped off paths. Usually it's 4 of us at a time handing out candy and one person refilling our buckets (usually for 30 minute shifts). So absolutely no picking there!!! We are throwing it into bags as fast as we can!! It lasts for three straight hours until the horse mounted policeman ride down the street --about 12 wide and shut the thing down. You can actually get a ticket for handing out candy after 9:30.

Here is a photo of one of the lines (there are two) of waiting trick or treaters last year. At peak times, it's a 30 minute wait for candy.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/4060464779_2de3f56349.jpg

Oh my goodness! I have never heard of anything like that before! That's just insane!! Wow.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Holy crap, Kayte! I have never seen anything like that! I think I'd be hiding away in my house or visiting a less crazy neighborhood. :) That would suck to move there after living in a place like many of us are probably used to...lines for candy? Nuttiness! :tongue5:

Beth

[kayte]

Holy crap, Kayte! I have never seen anything like that! I think I'd be hiding away in my house or visiting a less crazy neighborhood. :) That would suck to move there after living in a place like many of us are probably used to...lines for candy? Nuttiness! :tongue5:

Beth

The people who actually live on the street get a wrist band and go trick or treating at 5:30 (an hour before the craziness begins). So GP's take DD trick or treating with the kids who actually live on the street-- about 30 or so. (DH and I go too, obviously, but don't need an armband to watch and not get candy.)

If you decide not to hand out candy, you let the police department know and they cone off your yard.

[randomkid]

We go DD's godparents house every year for Halloween. They get over 5000 trick or treaters. (yes, 5 thousand) They have a party just to have a "staff" to hand out candy. It's a pretty ornate procedure. There are tables on the front walk and roped off paths. Usually it's 4 of us at a time handing out candy and one person refilling our buckets (usually for 30 minute shifts). So absolutely no picking there!!! We are throwing it into bags as fast as we can!! It lasts for three straight hours until the horse mounted policeman ride down the street --about 12 wide and shut the thing down. You can actually get a ticket for handing out candy after 9:30.

So, I have to ask the obvious questions. Why do they get so many trick or treaters there and how on Earth do they afford enough candy for that? How many bags/boxes do they buy?

Honestly, I'd rather go to the store and buy a bag of candy rather than wait in line half an hour for a few pieces!

[kayte]

So, I have to ask the obvious questions. Why do they get so many trick or treaters there and how on Earth do they afford enough candy for that? How many bags/boxes do they buy?

Honestly, I'd rather go to the store and buy a bag of candy rather than wait in line half an hour for a few pieces!

Everybody who comes to the party beings three big bags and our friends go to Sam's and fill their car up twice. (it is expensive)

As for why people would wait in the lines... A few reasons I guess... The decorations are amazing--all with either moving things or some houses do choreographed dances on the porch every 30 minutes (the big finale on the street is YMCA--several houses blast it and everyone covers the lawns and street and sings it).

The street is all historical homes that has several big events throughout the year--Originally they did the events to get attention to the historic district-- I think that's how it got started. Now it's the "place to be" I guess. Both for the residents and their ornate parties that start with the trick or treating and then move inside and for the people who come for the trick or treating.

It is very close to a large hispanic community. A lot of the trick or treaters are from there and many walk home to large Day of the Dead celebrations. You can hear them going on through the night.

Here's what our local "what's happening" type newspaper has to say...


Best Halloween
Swiss Avenue
The wonderful thing about Halloween on Swiss Avenue is that it's sort of not Halloween. On Swiss the night has evolved into something quite beyond Halloween, a phenomenon particular to the place and time. It's a strange admixture of American Halloween, Mexican Day of the Dead and who knows what else. There could be some Latvian Independence Day going on out there, and nobody would be the wiser. Or mind. Starting at dark and lasting until 10 p.m. or so, the big houses on Swiss always offer a wonderfully warm welcome for all comers. Pickup-loads of kids, some in costumes, some wearing quinceañera gowns (mostly girls), pile across the lawns in search of loot. It's a whole new kind of holiday in protean form. Not to be missed.

(http://www.dallasobserver.com/bestof/2007/award/best-halloween-747989/)

ETA-- I will say also that the cost of the candy is a drop in the bucket compared to what is spent on house decorations! DD's GF bought a system last year to coordinate the lights, moving skeletons and things and his fog machines to the halloween music. And when they bought the house, the previous owner offered some of their decorations as part of the sale of the house.

[wellyes]

That is so, so generous. In spirit it reminds me of the old sitcom Roseanne where they'd almost always so something fun for Trick or Treaters - haunted house, a little skit, just something to make it memorable. Except this is real life, and also SO much grander in scale. Very cool of them.

We let kids pick. Why not? I find it entertaining. The predictable things are popular.... anything full-size, anything peanut butter. The one that surprises me is how popular the little boxes of Nerds are.

[JTsMom]

We're usually gone for most of night, so the majority of the time, it's a free for all. When we are here though, I always let the kids pick. I try to group types of candy in the bowl though, so they can see what there is more easily.

I usually do some non-food treats as well, and surprisingly enough, that's usually the first stuff to go. I think the kids figure they are going to get a hundred pieces of candy, and this is their chance to grab something different. Second most popular- chocolate stuff. I buy all of the more popular brands of stuff- Snickers, Hershey, Reeces, etc. Just no Nestle'.

[randomkid]

Everybody who comes to the party beings three big bags and our friends go to Sam's and fill their car up twice. (it is expensive)

As for why people would wait in the lines... A few reasons I guess... The decorations are amazing--all with either moving things or some houses do choreographed dances on the porch every 30 minutes (the big finale on the street is YMCA--several houses blast it and everyone covers the lawns and street and sings it).

The street is all historical homes that has several big events throughout the year--Originally they did the events to get attention to the historic district-- I think that's how it got started. Now it's the "place to be" I guess. Both for the residents and their ornate parties that start with the trick or treating and then move inside and for the people who come for the trick or treating.

It is very close to a large hispanic community. A lot of the trick or treaters are from there and many walk home to large Day of the Dead celebrations. You can hear them going on through the night.

Here's what our local "what's happening" type newspaper has to say...


Best Halloween
Swiss Avenue
The wonderful thing about Halloween on Swiss Avenue is that it's sort of not Halloween. On Swiss the night has evolved into something quite beyond Halloween, a phenomenon particular to the place and time. It's a strange admixture of American Halloween, Mexican Day of the Dead and who knows what else. There could be some Latvian Independence Day going on out there, and nobody would be the wiser. Or mind. Starting at dark and lasting until 10 p.m. or so, the big houses on Swiss always offer a wonderfully warm welcome for all comers. Pickup-loads of kids, some in costumes, some wearing quinceañera gowns (mostly girls), pile across the lawns in search of loot. It's a whole new kind of holiday in protean form. Not to be missed.

(http://www.dallasobserver.com/bestof/2007/award/best-halloween-747989/)

ETA-- I will say also that the cost of the candy is a drop in the bucket compared to what is spent on house decorations! DD's GF bought a system last year to coordinate the lights, moving skeletons and things and his fog machines to the halloween music. And when they bought the house, the previous owner offered some of their decorations as part of the sale of the house.

OK, that sounds like fun! I was just picturing people lining up for candy and couldn't imagine why they would do that. Now, it makes perfect sense. I might actually go to that (if I lived there, that is - lol!).

[lizzywednesday]

Last year, I let the kids pick their candies, mostly because I overbought, so I figured a kid who took more than one (most only took 1 candy, but they're mostly under 5 around our neighborhood) would be helping me out!

This year, we're leaving a bucket on the stoop because we're going to one of my friends' houses for a party ... I'm sad about missing out on seeing all the kids' costumes but I haven't spent a lot of time with this friend since her daughter was born, so I'd rather have the visit!

[newg]

I think this year we are going to hand out candy. Pretty much to keep the spread of germs down.

[gatorsmom]

Since DH and I love to walk around with the kids ToTing, we leave a couple of big bowls of candy on our front step and let them help themselves. Most of the kids in our neighborhood are pretty good about not dumping the entire bowl in their bag, LOL. We're coming home after going out around our neighborhood and then going to a kids' party, so I'll refill the bowls again when we leave.

[bubbaray]

One of us hands out the treats. We get 300+, which I thought was overwhelming enough. 5000 and I would be in the looney bin.

[mommyp]

We always hand it out. I guess it will help somewhat with keeping the germ spread down. DD is still young, so we're just going to a few of the immediate neighbors, I'll probably pick something for her if they want to let us pick it out. I don't really know how many kids we'll get, it's our first Halloween in this house/neighborhood. I bought a lot, just in case!

[kristenk]

We hand it out. DD, DH and I prepped treat bags earlier today. Bags for little kids have Halloween bubbles, Halloween stickers, pretzels mini-bag and a snack sized mini M&M bag or a snack-sized skittles. Bags for big kids are the same except there are a couple more pieces of candy instead of bubbles. We don't have too many bags prepped. Maybe 29?? I have no idea if we'll have too many bags or too few. Some years, we'll have 10 ToTers at most and other years a whole lot more. I think that the last time Halloween was on a Saturday, we didn't get too many kids at the house, so I'm sort of counting on that again.