Halloween traditions in your neck of the woods

jebba · Oct 25, 2010

As a reminder that I live in the South, there was an article in the paper about whether parents are taking their kids trick or treating on Saturday or Sunday. Apparently some folks believe that trick or treating on a church day is a no-no.
 
Lots of churches sponsor these things called Trunk or Treat where church members go to the church parking lot and kids trick or treat from car to car.
 
Any interesting or weird Halloween traditions where you live?

4boysmom · Oct 25, 2010

We never have beggar's night on a weekend night. Not sure about the thinking--that kids will get into less trouble on a school night???
 
Major screw up a couple years ago--many of the 'burbs are city proper services, 'burb school and mailing address. The 'burbs chose on night for beggar's night, the city proper the next night. No one knew when it was so we had kids both nights.
 
At what age do you think kids are too old? Not uncommon for high school kids here. That's just plain too old!

RaisingArizonainNH · Oct 25, 2010

They do a Tailgate Trick or Treat in our town.. many people like it because we are rural ( no sidewalks or streetlights and most of the houses are spaced farther apart than suburban neighborhoods.) A friend who was from the South introduced the idea about 6 years ago. I let my kids go once but it was AWFUL! They got WAY too much candy and it was really frenetic with too many cars jammed in and toomany kids running everywhere. and just not all that fun. 
 We have always gone door to door to friends ( I had to drive them ) and then walked about 3/4 of a mile through one more densely populated road. They got PLENTY of candy and it was spooky and fun to walk around with friends to the houses.
 
 The tailgate event has cut back seriously on the door to door kids so I dcan usually leave my candy out front with a note for them each to take a couple and there is always some left.. 
 
 My traditIon is to get lollipops and Smarties for treats.... I don't like them and am therefore not tempted to raid the stash early!
 
 Oh,,, and in our town it is always on Halloween night ( no afternoon stuff .. LAME ! ,.. or weekend scheduling etc !)

jebba · Oct 25, 2010

I think once you put on a costume in irony, you're too old.
 
We rarely get t-or-t'rs at our house because we have a gabillion steps leading up to our front door.
 
The first year Miss Sunshine trick or treated, she was 2.5 or something. She was so exicted to get candy that after 3 houses, she wanted to rush home and eat it. That was easy. When Easy went for the first time, he was unclear on the concept, and whenever someone gave him a piece of candy, he would take a piece out of his bag to trade it with.
 
Our zoo has an awesome halloween event. We went last night. There are trick or treat stations, a haunted hayride, a "scarousel," a monster mash dance tent, carnival games, a maze, monster lab, "scareoke," and animal demonstrations with halloween themed animals: an owl, a buzzard, a python, scorpion, a lynx. It is always so much fun.

jebba · Oct 25, 2010

Our kids are generally limited to one piece of candy a day, so we put all the candy in a jar and dole it our over the next sveral weeks or months.
 
A friend has a "halloween witch" that visits her house after the kids fall alseep and takes all the candy, but leaves a cool toy instead.

RandMart · Oct 25, 2010

D'Kid had "Trunk or Treat" this past Friday [under a Full Moon, even!!!] We started doing it at Assumption when I was on PTA 3 years ago. It's a great way for school friends from different neighborhoods and townships to go "Halloweening" together ... I think some public school families jumped in, too!!! We had music, concessions, a hayride and a contest for "Best Decorated Vehicle"
 
She's actually going out twice, since her best boy friend's township is having Trick or Treating Saturday, and ours is doing it on Sunday.
 
Things I NEVER experienced until I moved to Jersey
 
a) Mischief Night - apparently we had no mischief in CT
b) Daytime Trick or Treating = right after school - we always had to wait until dark

wherestheportojohn · Oct 25, 2010

<img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/shock.gif" style="width:15px;height:15px;" title=""> churches are scary....'nuff said...
 
 
 
Rant:
around here, there's no 'celebrating' and/or even MENTIONING Halloween (or ANY holiday) in public schools anymore
 
Political correctness makes life so boring. <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/roll_eyes.gif" style="width:15px;height:15px;" title="">
 
 
 
back in the olden days, we used to kick ASS with the costumes, decorations, and parties we'd have in our classrooms
 
Now, all the kids just wait till they're old enough to go to UW-Madison so they can do this~~~~>
 
STATE STREET HALLOWEEN BASH FREAKFEST
 
<a class="H-lightbox-open" href="http://www.kickrunners.com/content/type/61/id/60955/width/1000/height/800/flags/" target="_blank"><img alt="a722b871ece970290aa82ea181c4_grande.jpg" class="lightbox-enabled" data-id="14635" data-type="61" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/content/type/61/id/14635/width/468/height/351" style="; width: 468px; height: 351px"></a>
 
<a class="H-lightbox-open" href="http://www.kickrunners.com/content/type/61/id/60957/width/1000/height/800/flags/" target="_blank"><img alt="mh-friday-guess102707a.jpg" class="lightbox-enabled" data-id="14636" data-type="61" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/content/type/61/id/14636/width/586/height/376" style="; width: 586px; height: 376px"></a>
 
<a class="H-lightbox-open" href="http://www.kickrunners.com/content/type/61/id/60959/width/1000/height/800/flags/" target="_blank"><img alt="586NightlifeFreakfestCops.jpg" class="lightbox-enabled" data-id="14637" data-type="61" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/content/type/61/id/14637/width/586/height/356" style="; width: 586px; height: 356px"></a>
 
Note the realistic horse costumes! <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif" style="width:16px;height:16px;" title="">

4boysmom · Oct 25, 2010

Political correctness is so over-rated. "Harvest festival", "Fall Break", "Winter Break" and even "Celebration of the Hearts". You have GOT to be kidding!

RaisingArizonainNH · Oct 26, 2010

The PC thing is annoying ! I was corrected when I said we are having a Halloween party in Kindergarten.. no-- it;s a Harvest party. We have on child who will not be there that day but her parents were cool about it saying they just did not like anything "evil" so she can do fall leafy things but not jackolantern-witch- ghost things.. but the others still can. Thank YOU for being reasonable!
 
 When I was a kid we ended up haviing to make 2 costumes... I had my regular night tim trick or treat costume and then at school we all dressed up as our favorite saint ( parochial grammar school.) We did this on Oct 31 adn had Nov 1 off .. but had to get up and go to church for All Saints Day Nov 1. My brother and sister and I would get up and trade candy but no eatin g until AFTER church back then.
 
 
 So nobody is going to be carving a turnip this year ?

jebba · Oct 26, 2010

RANH - I suppose dressing as your favorite saint could actually pretty grim if you depicted some at their moment of martyrdom. <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif" style="width:16px;height:16px;" title="">

RandMart · Oct 26, 2010

D'Kid was St. Joan of Arc when she was in Kindergarten ... we got a Knight outfit with a shield & sword at the Dollar Store and added some crosses to it

4boysmom · Oct 26, 2010

jebba--you are so bad!

rnrlowe · Oct 26, 2010

We lived in apartment buildings when I was stationed in Germany. On Halloween night the families in the stairwells would gather together and have a communal candy bowl at the entrance to the stairwell. The parents would sit there and have a small party - wine, coffee, or hot chocolate - and pass out candy to the kids. Parents that lived out on the economy would bring their children in to family housing just to trick or treat. Even the German kids got in on the fun.

RaisingArizonainNH · Oct 26, 2010

I suppose.. I remember being St Francis of Assisi in first grade ( LOVED animals) and then I was St Patrick ( My name is Patrice = so name saint) with the big miter and all.... but I don't remember any others.. I suspect we reused those costumes until I out grew the event.. my parents were not into getting new stuff for Halloween. There was a costume box in the cellar full of old clothes ( mostly from the 1940's) and we either used those or made our own. 

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by jebba <a href="/forum/thread/70820/halloween-traditions-in-your-neck-of-the-woods#post_1957175"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-bottom:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-right:0px solid;"></a> RANH - I suppose dressing as your favorite saint could actually pretty grim if you depicted some at their moment of martyrdom. <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif" style="width:16px;height:16px;" title="">
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wherestheportojohn · Oct 26, 2010

my parents never once bought us a costume
 
I LOVED the costumes we made using mom's and/or dad's clothes, jewelry, yada yada:
 
pirate
gypsy
zorro
hobo
knight
princess
cowgirl
 
rinse and repeat
 
 
As an adult, I was:
a bag of stay puffed marshmallows during first pregnancy
a table for two
a rubik's cube
the wheel of fortune
mr. peanut
a chest of drawers
a christmas tree [with working lights]
 
and on and on
 
 
now, I'm just old 'n' boring....no more costumes since we don't have parties at school AND I'm too old to stay out late at the Freakfest <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad2.gif" style="width:16px;height:16px;" title="">

4boysmom · Oct 27, 2010

I always enjoyed making costumes for the kids. I did end up recycling them, though. Four new costumes/year got to be a bit much.
 
The one costume I remember from growing up was a Mad Magazine t-shirt. Mom had bought it when she was in jr high. My sister and I both wore it for several years. Before my parents moved Mom tried to sell it in a garage sale for 25c with no luck. On a whim, she posted it on ebay. It sold for $1,200.

RaisingArizonainNH · Oct 27, 2010

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by 4boysmom <a href="/forum/thread/70820/halloween-traditions-in-your-neck-of-the-woods#post_1957455"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-bottom:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-right:0px solid;"></a> I always enjoyed making costumes for the kids. I did end up recycling them, though. Four new costumes/year got to be a bit much.
 
The one costume I remember from growing up was a Mad Magazine t-shirt. Mom had bought it when she was in jr high. My sister and I both wore it for several years. Before my parents moved Mom tried to sell it in a garage sale for 25c with no luck. On a whim, she posted it on ebay. It sold for $1,200.
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Now THAT is Cool! What a profit! 
 
 
 I made the kids costumes as they grew up ... usually out of polar fleece- they were a dog and a cat, Pooh and Piglet. Teletubbies, a Cow and a Pig, a Triceratops and Cassie ( dragon from one of those PBS shows .... I added a tail and to the pig costume ) a Shark and Bat, Hernione and Harry Potter. WHen they hit 5th grade they were on their own from our costume box. .. ( BTW I still have that Harry and Hermione costume.. for a 10 y/o big boy and a 8 year old girl!) 
 The great thing about polar fleece is that I had at least 2 costume PJ's for our old cold house.. and to get them up to bed we bribed them with "Do you want to be a Cow or TInky WInky tonight ?" It always worked like a charm and they were toasty warm all winter long!

jebba · Oct 31, 2010

We got a decent number of trick or treaters last night, which I wasn't expecting. Most of them were teens, though, so I expect they are going out twice. One pair of trick or treaters was a older teenaged girl and and a young woman who looked about 8 months pregnant. No kids with them, other than the one in the belly.

wherestheportojohn · Oct 31, 2010

our community "trick or treat" is scheduled from 5-8 this eve
 
jebba,
YOIKS on that pair of women/teens <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad5.gif" style="width:17px;height:16px;" title="">
 
the Porty plan is to set aside a couple bags of goodies for the Trolls, and then hand out the rest to the random 8 kids that may swing by <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/dontknow.gif" style="width:37px;height:15px;" title="">

4boysmom · Oct 31, 2010

Yep, we had a bunch of kids that were WAY too old. One I though might be the mom.
 
We also had more than a few obese kids. I almost felt guilty giving them candy since they obviously didn't need it.

Halloween traditions in your neck of the woods

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