Former Lancastrian

Well folks its Halloween night so what type are you?
Do you dress up and decorate the house and welcome all the little ghouls and goblins?
Stand by the door and dish out candy bars by the dozen?
Turn off all the lights and go down the basement and watch TV hoping they don't visit your house?
Go out and buy healthy food items like yoghurts and granola type healthy snacks to give to the kids and watch for the expressions on their faces.
Do you raid their stashes and keep the good stuff for yourself?
Say **** it Im off out for a drink and return several hours later.
Look at your wifes costume and confirm your suspicions that she actually is a Witch?

Be safe and have fun (or not). Happy Halloween.

Zoe Bell

A miserable one apparently.
I don't do the dress up thing at work , apparently this makes me a spoilsport.
I fail to understand how a place that is so anal about "dress code" normally that I've been chastised for wearing crop pants that showed about 2 inches of ankle suddenly decides that "looking professional" isn't important after all

not2old

you asked for it .....

the wearing of a CBSA uniform

Seriously, we do not shell out treats any longer. we simply draw the drapes, turn off the lights

Former Lancastrian

I won't be handing out fat letters like this woman
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4177341.html

BristolUK

Back in the UK I used to hand out stuff but there were often so many I ran out of things and went to the local shop to restock.

Once there was a big England match on TV so I put out a box of things and a notice about taking something but leave stuff for others.

Of course it all went, probably by the first party. But the sign worked in terms of not being interrupted.

First year here and we gave out stuff but there were just too many kids turning up.

Now it's a polite notice hung on the door handle asking not to be disturbed.

Oakvillian

Hard to avoid it when the kids are hopped up on just the idea of all that candy for days beforehand...

We do the stereotypical suburban thing. Front yard decorated (in a restrained and tasteful manner, of course, none of your tacky sound-and-light inflatable graveyard nonsense, we leave that to the déclassé neighbours - Mrs Bucket would be proud...), pumpkins carved and sitting on the front step, kids dressed up and trick-or-treating round the neighbourhood with Mum or Dad (whichever lost the draw) a respectful 20 yards or so behind, keeping an eye on the youngest while giving them an illusion of freedom. Meanwhile the luckier parent is manning the bowl of candy, ready to hand out treats to all comers at the first knock on the door. This year's will be especially lovely given the GTA weather forecast. Can you tell it's not my favourite occasion?

We've tended to blow out the jack o'lanterns and batten down the hatches at around 8.30 in past years, partly because of young kids and bedtimes, partly because we've had enough by then. May be a little later this year, but everything winds down shortly after 9 anyway, it seems. Round these parts, most everyone respects the convention that if the house is not lit, they're not playing. I must say that I have been amazed that even the teens seem to go to so much effort with the dressing-up stuff - and are always and unfailingly tremendously polite at the door, lining up respectfully and saying please and thankyou before giggling off back down the path. I guess it's a night to forget the pressures of impending adulthood and pretend to be little kids again. In that respect, at least, I think it's OK.

Former Lancastrian

Notice how the kids have gone from carrying a fairly smallish hand held pumpkin type holder for the candy to KING SIZE pillow cases

BristolUK

This is the time of year when the city newspaper reminds people of the year round curfew.

Under 16s are not supposed to be out in public after 10.00 pm without proper supervision, except for July/August when it's 11.00 pm.

Do other places have anything like it?

Souvy

We used to do it but these days we're more of the "turn off the lights and watch TV in the basement" brigade. From what I can see of the other houses on our street, we're not the only ones.

It's a pretty moot point today. It's pissing down and will be all day. Not many people will be out.

Atlantic Xpat

You pretty much summed up our plans and my feelings on the subject. Halloween has to be done, I have small kids and they enjoy it. My British reserve makes me feel uncomfortable knocking on peoples doors (although we only go around the very near neighbours) so I man the barricades at home so to speak.

I did take our youngest to one of her regular rehab/physio appointments at the childrens hospital this morning. All the staff were dressed up with the rehab folks dressed as "minions" which was pretty cute but rather perplexed my 21mth old daughter!

Zoe Bell

I love living in a condo
the board puts candy on the front desk and the kids are barred from goign door to door.

Atlantic Xpat

Idle curiosity. Are there many kids in your condo?

Souvy

That's the spirit.

"Take a candy and ***k off".

Zoe Bell

enough so that the board has just put in a gated play area for them, in the grunds.
So yes I would say there are a fair few.

I think the demographic of our complex is changing to more families.
there is at least one family on our floor with kids.

Piff Poff

Before dogs, it was the whole looking forward to the doorbell ringing, decorating the yard and pumpkin carving etc, after dog, it was just too stress full for him so we'd do it for an hour and then turn off the lights, put a sign on the door etc, but it didn't stop the kids ringing the bell, usually with the parents at the bottom of the path going 'go on knock again I know they are in there' In my view, if the pumpkin is unlit/turned around and the porch lights off, then that house is done, run out etc. I do think once a kid has hit 15 and there are no little ones they should not be trick and treating, especially if they have no costume of any sort.

Now we are 'out in the country' we get peace and quiet.