I just have to ask...

Lizzy · Guru

I just have to ask...

apies · Guru

wow.

ihni who lives here and who doesn't.

we never tot'd in our own neighborhood, so i never even considered the idea that maybe we're supposed to stick to our own?

:dunno:

supergrover · Guru

my parents used to do this for us.

We also used to live in a sub-division when I was a kid, so people also came our way.

Personally, I don't have a problem with it since I wouldn't want my kids trick or treating in the neighborhoods they are drivgin form in a lot of cases. Most of our neighbors had the chocolate for the neighborhood kids, and the cheap candy for the masses. (our favorite neighbors gave full Hershey Bars...you'd think we hit the lottery).

I'm mostly sad that it is not like when I was a kid anymore. When we lived in Ohio, trick or treat was on a scheduled night that was not halloween. So you could have like five different trick or treat nights. That was lame. I miss it all being on one night.

Alyssa · Guru

we live in an apt complex so we drive to a residential neighborhood for trick or treating. It's about a mile from us and we want to live there if we can ever afford a house. does that help? lol. In NY, we went with EJ's cousins in their neighborhood for the same reason.

as for candy, here trick or treating is only during designated hours. Last year we were out the entire time so we didn't give out candy. guessing the same thing will happen this year.

Sonya · Guru

I don't think there is a problem with that at all.

LDSMOM · Senior Member

Well, we haven't done candy these last two years, but we do give things out. We give out mini coloring books that we get at OTC. We get them for about $10 per package (we only need one package for the amount of TOTers we get at my house). From what I've heard, the parents and kids both love them. The kids because they get entertainment, and the parents because it doesn't rot teeth and keeps the kid busy without making a huge mess.

I don't really care whether parents take their kids to the good neighborhoods or not. And I don't care if parents drive their kids from another section of town to mine. It's fun for the kids. That's all I care about.

Juni · Guru

We don't even get candy because we both takes the boys out to both grandparents houses and then either TOTing or to a trunk or treat thing and by the time we get back we're done anyway so we're never home for TOTers.

If we are we would give candy. No idea who is not from the neighborhood but I wouldn't care. We always went to the rich neighborhoods when we were little. Like, Bob Hope's house and the Fonz's house. It was super fun.

Robin · Guru

Since we had kids, we give out candy. Before that, we didn't turn our lights on and didn't pass out candy. One time, someone remarked at how awful that was, but I don't really get it.

Anyway, I don't care if people come from other neighborhoods to trick-or-treat here. If I lived in an apartment or an unsafe neighborhood, I'd want my kids to be able to trick-or-treat safely in another neighborhood. A friend of mine (who no longer lives near here) used to trick-or-treat on the side of our neighborhood with the bigger houses and yards because she thought they'd give out better candy. She's crazy. My parents live over there, and they don't participate in trick-or-treating.

I have another question--do any of you go to houses for trick-or-treating that don't have their lights on?

Juni · Guru

Oh, and I used to be SO pissed when I got something besides candy when I was little. LOL

apies · Guru

Robin wrote:

Since we had kids, we give out candy. Before that, we didn't turn our lights on and didn't pass out candy. One time, someone remarked at how awful that was, but I don't really get it.

Anyway, I don't care if people come from other neighborhoods to trick-or-treat here. If I lived in an apartment or an unsafe neighborhood, I'd want my kids to be able to trick-or-treat safely in another neighborhood. A friend of mine (who no longer lives near here) used to trick-or-treat on the side of our neighborhood with the bigger houses and yards because she thought they'd give out better candy. She's crazy. My parents live over there, and they don't participate in trick-or-treating.

I have another question--do any of you go to houses for trick-or-treating that don't have their lights on?

nope.

we skip houses with the light off.

a_mastermom · Guru

We give out tons of candy. I live in a neighborhood with a lot of elementary school aged kids. I usually go through 3 of the giant sized bags. We also trick-or-treat with about 15 kids from my block alone. I have no idea if the kids skip the dark houses - I have a hard enough time keeping up with them, lol!

Juni · Guru

Robin wrote:

Since we had kids, we give out candy. Before that, we didn't turn our lights on and didn't pass out candy. One time, someone remarked at how awful that was, but I don't really get it.

Anyway, I don't care if people come from other neighborhoods to trick-or-treat here. If I lived in an apartment or an unsafe neighborhood, I'd want my kids to be able to trick-or-treat safely in another neighborhood. A friend of mine (who no longer lives near here) used to trick-or-treat on the side of our neighborhood with the bigger houses and yards because she thought they'd give out better candy. She's crazy. My parents live over there, and they don't participate in trick-or-treating.

I have another question--do any of you go to houses for trick-or-treating that don't have their lights on?

Nope, we never do. In fact, here they do a whole campaign for registered sex offenders to turn their lights out and police even go check and make sure they are doing this. So, we definitely don't go to houses without their lights on but we wouldn't have regardless of that program.

Cuppycake · Guru

We don't give out candy because right now we all like to go out together as a family. We've only Trick or treated once, and it kinda sucked, lol. We only did a block and only hit up maybe 8-10 houses (which was fine for the age Hannah was at the time). There aren't a ton of kids up here, and it seems like those that are here go to other places because it's pretty much a ghost town (most of our neighbors give out huge bags of candy, or full size bars since there aren't many kids, and we know the ones that are here pretty well.)

We are going a town over this year, and last year we hit up the nursing homes and my mom's neighborhood 40 minutes away, lol. We don't go anywhere where it's just got a rep for being "good" (that usually means everyone is there and you come home with 8 million dumdum suckers) ... we go with friends or family in their neighborhoods for fun.

Juanita · Guru

Growing up my parents bought candy to pass out. We lived in one of the popular places for kids to go trick or treating and people from across town would bring their kids off, drop them off, and let them trick or treat up and down 5 different streets in our neighborhood.

Last year was the first time the girls had been trick or treating and we all went together as a family, so we didn't have trick or treaters come here. I bought candy to pass out but no-one came after we got home.

We do not go to people's homes that have their lights out.

Sara · Guru

We pass out candy. I got some marshmellow packages for the littler ones.

Our neighborhood gets a lot of kids that do not live here but I am okay with that because since our subdivision is secluded off the main roads parents feel comfortable walking their kids around. No biggie.

We do not go to houses with the lights off or if it is daytime people not on the front porch.

Corey · Guru

we give out candy. we usually have around 60 kids. usually i buy 1/2 candy and 1/2 playdoh. this year, i scored big time on those betty crocker fruit snacks so i have something like 110 bags of those and i will buy something else too.

we usually leave a bowl out on the steps with 15 or so pieces in it for the 1/2 hour or so that we are t-o-t'ing ourselves. oh, and yes, we skip the dark houses.

Supafly · Guru

Well, we live in a townhouse community, so it is assumed kids come here specifically for tot'ing. I have no issue with that at all, as long as they are dressed up. I will not give to kids who don't dress up.

We usually cut it off at like 8pm because by then, it is just the older kids, half of whom don't dress up.

We used to get a ton more-it has really dropped off!

One of us stays home and one goes with the girls, usually I walk around because Mandy takes her girls out too and then we can chat. It is very social down here-kind of the last time everyone sits outside before the winter months.

Anyway, we never go to the dark houses-doesn't everyone know that you aren't supposed to go to the dark houses?

Times have changed though-when I was a kid, we used to get a lot of tot'ers (though my parent's house is large and ominous looking at night, and it is set down in off the road, plus my dad used to play scary music, so lots of kids skipped our house, lol), now my parents get a few full sized bars for the neighborhood kids and that is it. No one else even comes over!

supergrover · Guru

Juni wrote:

Robin wrote:

Since we had kids, we give out candy. Before that, we didn't turn our lights on and didn't pass out candy. One time, someone remarked at how awful that was, but I don't really get it.

Anyway, I don't care if people come from other neighborhoods to trick-or-treat here. If I lived in an apartment or an unsafe neighborhood, I'd want my kids to be able to trick-or-treat safely in another neighborhood. A friend of mine (who no longer lives near here) used to trick-or-treat on the side of our neighborhood with the bigger houses and yards because she thought they'd give out better candy. She's crazy. My parents live over there, and they don't participate in trick-or-treating.

I have another question--do any of you go to houses for trick-or-treating that don't have their lights on?

Nope, we never do. In fact, here they do a whole campaign for registered sex offenders to turn their lights out and police even go check and make sure they are doing this. So, we definitely don't go to houses without their lights on but we wouldn't have regardless of that program.

I get hella grumpy when people leave their lights on but get annoyed that you knocked. We've had that happen :(

CoffeeQueen · Guru

I have never TOT near my home. We go to my Mom's house every year. Most kids hit more then just their block, so they are all from other areas. I mean we know the kids on the block, but that is it.

I think it is normal for kids to come from all over. Many have friends that come and go out with them, etc.

I could care less who comes. We get kids from the city coming to the burbs all the time. Honestly I think it is great that their parents are giving them a nice area to feel safe to TOT in.

Lizzy · Guru

I was browsing another board and couldn't believe all the negative comments about kids coming in and tot'ing....and it occurred to me "how do they know they don't live in the neighborhood exactly?"