Have had a high ratio of “thank you” so far. However, did notice that some folks are driving. Could be the low temps, or that they’re trying to scour the whole town for maximum candy! lol
I just had one - a girl about 12 or 13 - she just talkd on her cellphone and held out her bag.
It happened here about a decade ago then went to kids saying stuff like “is this all you are giving?” That was the year I decided it would be the last time we gave anything. :(
oh, that’s too bad. our trick or treaters are very polite and respectful this year.
Turn off your lights and don’t answer the door to this organized extortion “holiday”.
We had a very high percentage of thank yous from the kids. Almost 100% of the teenagers said thank you, about 95% of the 4 to 12 crowd. And an amazing percentage of the under 4 crowd too.
I’ve noticed the same things in years past. Out here in Cali we haven’t gotten any trick-or-treaters yet today, but I always make it a point to hold the bowl of candy out of their reach until they say “trick or treat” and then hook them up with their sugar fix. If they say “thank you” that’s great, but I totally get it if they don’t. They’re kids and probably want to hurry next door for more sweets.
One great way to put a smile on their faces is to let them grab their own candy and then tell them they can grab more if they want. It usually starts out with a kid choosing one piece and then they go in for a small handful. Totally cute.
My son and his friend and his snake are sitting out on the truck tailgate handing out candy. People have always been pleasant in our neighborhood.
Some people do drive along though, and that’s annoying. I guess they’re from outside the subdivision, which doesn’t bother me, but they could park someplace and walk around.
At least a half dozen times tonight, headlights from a mini-van pull into my driveway and kids pop out to run up to my doorstep to get their candy. Then it's right back in mommy's van and on to the next house. I'm not necessarily talking little kids either, some of them appear to be teenagers!
Also, the trick-or-treating starts earlier and earlier. Many of them were by my house before the sun even went down. Now it's 7PM (on a Saturday night!) and it's pretty much over.
When I was growing up in the 1970s, things were just getting started at 7PM. I remember being out until 9 or 9:30 at night hitting as many houses as I could. I would stop at home at least twice to dump my pillowcase of candy out on my bed and head right back out for another round.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a kid come to our door who didn’t say thank you...we actually don’t have a lot of kids in our neighborhood, so Halloween’s a pretty slow night for us.
And as far as parents riding in the car, don’t judge too quickly. If it’s someone like me (who has MS) you wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun, but can’t do the walking, so you’d follow in the car.
Well, we decided not to “do” Halloween this year. I guess we should have left the house. When I was growing up, and as I taught our kids, if the outside lights are off on a particular house, don’t go up to it to trick or treat. Not working here, so far. Not only that, they are ringing the bell incessantly and yelling to their parents that they can see we’re inside watching football.
A pellet rifle has successfully kept them off my porch for the last few years..........I think they learned their lesson.
Oh yeah, the kids whose parents are driving them in the car are probably not from your neighborhood. At least that has been our experience in the past.
As with anything, the younger kids aren’t really too sure of what’s going on, so it helps to be friendly, complement them on their costumes, ask them if they are having fun, and things like that. The young ones get tired very quickly after 8pm.
I try to make it special by giving out thin glow sticks, which are about 10 for a dollar in addition to the candy. The parents like that too.
Older kids who know what is going on, are generally more polite, especially if you encourage them to get a lot of candy instead of just a piece or two. I don’t even object to older teenagers trick or treating, because it means that they don’t have a party to look forward to, so are getting one last taste of childhood.
(And their parents have supplied the thank you.)
We'll see how long it lasts, but so far, so good.
We have yet to have a single trick-or-treater. Maybe it’s the weather. I hope all the gloom-and-doom swine flu tactics didn’t keep them all at home.
Every child in my neighborhood is saying “thank you.” There was only one exception, a high school kid who was too old for this and knew it. He said thanks when I reminded him.
I am not in a small town, but in a suburb of Washington DC.
Everybody has been pretty adorable tonight. We’re winding down, now; the rush is over by 7:45 and the door closes for the night at 8.
They’re all saying thank you here.