DU Parents: how does one do Halloween?

[Orsino]

We're moving into a new home this weekend, one that people can actually find and walk to, so for the first time EVAR, my wife and I will need to be prepared. I fully expect that our doorbell will be rung next Wednesday evening by little hobgoblins in search of sweets.

We want to do it right. We won't have time to bake anything, and such items would be suspect, anyway. We want to give out treats that won't set off any Homeland Security alarms, so I'm asking DU parents: given that your kids will be overloading on junk, what kind of junk is hermetically sealed and therefore "safe" in a parent's eyes? What commercial product(s) would you be okay with my offering your own children, and what, in turn, do they like? Heck, is any of that stuff American-made, preferably by union hands?

You granola-swilling humbugs can answer "nothing" (and be perfectly right), but you will be cheerfully ignored on this occasion. :hi:

I just want to be a good neighbor, at least for one night.

on edit: there won't be time to decorate, much as I'd love to, so no need to offer tips in that department.

[Beer Snob-50]

1. i would personally like snickers bars

i don't think the whole be careful because people put razor blades and drugs in your kiddies candy is prevelant anymore.

this year i volunteered to sit at the end of my street with the bowls of candy from all the neighbors who will be out trick and treating with their kids. thus people will hit three or four houses in one fell swoop.

[AllegroRondo]

2. for candy, see Target

or just about any other big retail store. They sell huge bags of pre-sealed bite sized candy of just about any variety you would like. We try to get one bag of "good" stuff, like chocolate, and one of miscellanious cheaper candy, like suckers, sweet-tarts, gumballs, etc. Kids coming to the door get a little of each.

Because we live in a subdivision with a lot of kids, we just sit on the porch drinking hot tea and handing out candy. It keeps us from having to open the door every 10 seconds, and its easier on the dogs. Lots of people do that here. We also have a tradition of buying the biggest pumpkin we can possibly find, and I'll spend most of the previous day carving it. Last year's was about 120 pounds, and I did the house from the movie Psycho on it. This year we managed to find a 150+ pounder, and I still dont know what to put on it.

Another big tradition here is making kids tell a joke to get their treat. Im not sure where that started, but some of the kids have pretty good ones.

[Pithlet]

3. Fun size individually wrapped Snickers bars.

Parents who sample the haul will really appreciate them :). That would be my personal request, anyway. Seriously, anything that is individually wrapped would be fine for me. If you don't want to give out sweets, I saw little bags of pretzels in Halloween shapes last year. Those might be available again this year. I saw bags of trinkets at Target for giving out, too.

[Sweet Freedom]

4. They like typical bite-size candy bars

snickers, reeses, kisses, M&Ms. My daughter always gets lots of sweet tarts, Dots, and hard candies that eventually end up in the trash because no one eats them.

Keep your porch light on (the universal signal for trick-or-treaters) and if you run out of candy, turn the light off.

Have fun!

[Fleshdancer]

5. The individually wrapped candy works well

I normally check my daughter's candy after trick-or-treating and if a wrapper looks semi open, I throw it away. The usual grocery store bags of candy work pretty well though. You don't need decorations, but please make sure your porch light is on and working so kids know to knock.

The only time I got pissed off at something my daughter was given on Halloween was when one house (and I have no idea which one it was) gave her this tiny cartoon booklet from some church explaining why Halloween was the devil's holiday and therefore EVIL. :eyes:

I hope you have a fun night and congrats on the new house! :hi:

[malta blue]

6. It is the one day that I let Little MB have as much candy as

she wants. I usually buy Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, M&Ms, Butterfinger. I go to Target or (gasp) Walmart for the big bags of the candy - but I am sure if you have a Costco or something like that nearby you can get the big bags too.

As far as non-candy items, there are Halloween tattoos or pencils out there, little snakes and spiders, etc. if you don't want to hand out candy.

As a parent, I would never let her eat anything homemade - sad but true - there are weirdos out there. And I check each and every wrapper when it comes home before she gets a single piece.

Good luck!

[SmokingJacket]

7. Anything not totally wrapped will probably get thrown out.

If you're REALLY ambitious, give out something other than candy: I know a dentist who gives out toothbrushes, and a comic book writer who gives out comic books.

As everyone has said, the most popular items are miniature versions of chocolate bars.

[Blue Diadem]

8. We always give out the snack size or bite size candies.

Like others have said, you can buy those big bags that have a variety. I try to go through the candy and make sure that any that are partially open don't go into the candy bowl. I always try to keep plain chocolate bars for the tiny kids that may not be able to eat nuts. My granddaughter has been given a few different things these last few years..small playdoh containers, granola bars, cereal bars, pudding cups etc. Last year was the first year for advertisements attached to microwave popcorn bags.

This time of year always reminds me of years ago when a neighbor girl about 5-6yrs old got a sandwich bag of STEW dropped in her bag. It ended up being a 15 yr old neighbor boy from down the street that gave it to her..but it was the strangest thing we'd ever heard of and her Mom and Dad were naturally upset over it.

Have fun on your first Halloween in your new home.

[jberryhill]

9. Condoms, cigarettes...

...and airline-sized bottles of booze.

The kids LOVE coming to my door.

[Orsino]

11. Afriend of mine likes to say...

...that he just puts out a "registered sex offender" sign, and has a quiet evening. :applause:

[zingaro]

29. oh heeeeeeee I can't stop giggling and

really, what does that say about me?

When the political pollsters call my dad, he claims to be a convicted felon and then sneerily thanks them for reminding him that he can't vote. He is not a felon, btw, and is the most gentle man I know so this incongruity amuses me.

[AllegroRondo]

10. or if you dont like candy, they have microwave popcorn

in little one-serving sized halloween wrappers. My daughter always likes getting those. But they can be a bit expensive if you are expecting a lot of kids.

[Rosie1223]

12. Be sure to turn on on your porch light

My town designates homes welcoming trick or treaters by having their light on. Our dentist hands out halloween pencils -- you'd think he'd should be drumming up business instead.

[Orsino]

13. Thank you, onoe and all!

I'm learning how to be a grown-up, I think. :party:

[Book Lover]

14. It's a Wednesday this year

so don't get your hopes up too high. Ask a neighbor how many kids they got last year, and you can ask them if what the local parents will let the kids have, or what's popular right now. Me, I give out snickers mini-bars and glow sticks; no complaints yet!

[MissMillie]

15. any kind of "fun size" candy bars are fine

snickers, three muskateers, milky way, kit kat, twix...

also, fun size packets of sweet tarts, skittles, milk duds, raisinettes, etc.

lollipops are always fine (especially dum-dums)

don't be afraid to dress up. when I took my son door-to-door I always liked it when the hosts dressed up too.

[kwassa]

16. those little individual liquor bottles, like on the airlines

Small enough for little hands.

[LibDemAlways]

17. Any wrapped bite-sized candy bars like

Hersheys or Snickers will be just fine. Ask your neighbors how many trick-or-treaters typically come around so you know approximately how much candy to buy. (My suburban neighborhood is dead Halloween night because all the kids flock to the new tracts where the houses are closer together.)

Have fun and enjoy the evening. The kids sure do.

[davsand]

18. Fried eggs and beer.

Sorry, if you never saw the SNL shows with the Coneheads that may be a joke that you don't get...



Anyhow, we get a lot of kids out in our area, and we give individually wrapped, "fun sized" candy (WTF is up with this FUN sized name, really? FUN is a big ass candy bar that makes your mom pissed off when she finds the wrapper. Small candy is nowhere near as much fun as BIG candy...)

Last year I also gave those glow/light sticks to every kid that came to my house (along with "fun sized" candy bars). You could see those kids up and down the street, and I LOVED that. You can get those on Ebay for not much money and the kids do get kind of tickled with them. I have also seen people give away the little snack sized bags of Microwave Popcorn. While I think it is an ok idea as far as not adding sugar to the loot-bag, it does mean that the parents have to make the popcorn for the kids before they eat it.

The best advice I can give you, however, is to buy candy for Trick or Treat that YOU like. Buy more than you think you will need, because it always goes faster than you would expect it to.

OH--and one more thing:

I would suggest that you might consider sitting in the driveway in a lawn chair during the Trick or Treat hours. There are less "tricks" if you are outside, plus if you have a kid coming up your front walk that is in a wheelchair they won't have to navigate the front step to get to the candy. We usually do it up right with a "pukin punkin" on the step that we can shine a flashlight on when the kids walk up. We also usually dress up to give out the candy!


Have fun!!!



Laura

[AlCzervik]

19. you should give out "Fun size" $100,000 bars and give me your address because those

are my favorite. I already bought 3 bags and hid one.

[Marrah_G]

20. This is what we do

I buy candy (individually wrapped store bought candy is best). We put it in a Cauldron. My daughter answers to door most of the time (she is 17 and loves kids). I get ready for my Samhain Ritual. My sons still dress up as hobos with their friends so they can get candy.

We get TONS of kids because we don't live in Fundyville, kids still Trick or Treat on the actual night, and we live on a small group of roads away from the main road so people come here because it is safe.

Little kids have parents with them, older kids go in groups of friends.

Quick Decorations: Carve two pumpkins, put in candle, buy a fake plastic Cauldron and keep the front light on so people know you are welcoming them.

[tigereye]

21. candy with chocolate in it!

any kind will do! And that's what my son will eat. He doesn't pig out on it though, one or 2 nights and he could care less....


I'm not fond of the "handing out toothbrushes" thing.


Enjoy your new home!

[yewberry]

22. One year, we had bike tail lights.

You know those flashing red lights that go on the back of bikes? My husband's company had a bunch of them with their logo on them, so we gave those out. The kids went bananas over them and word spread fast. Of course, we finally ran out and switched to fun size Snickers bars. The kids were disappointed, but they still took the candy!

[texas1928]

23. Well see you take her out, and give her some drinks to loosen her up...

Then you take her home, maybe have a fire and some nice music. Give her a massage, and then... BINGO!

[Orsino]

26. That completely changes my plans.

:applause:

[ChickMagic]

24. I'm not a parent but I play one on Halloween

Get cheap little white bags and cut eyes and a scary mouth on them.
Fill them about 1/3 full with individually wrapped candies and a few icky
plastic bugs.

This year I have a coffin with cheap candy and a cauldron with
bite sized chocolate candies (Snickers, Reese's, all the good stuff).
I wear a witch hat - I need no makeup. :)

This year, most of the kids in my neighborhood are hispanic.
I'm wondering if my usual plan needs some fine tuning.

[yellowdogintexas]

32. you need Day of the Dead stuff! Sugar Skeletons etc.

Hispanic kids love candy too, you know.

You are going to have fun Gin!

[ChickMagic]

35. Ooh! Good idea!

I'll have to check the coffin. There's a tienda nearby
and I'll bet they have Day of the Dead stuff. Thanks!

[RubyDuby in GA]

25. As my house is a neighborhood destination, here's what I'm giving out this year:

All the usual "good" candy - the mini snickers, kit kats, butterfingers, etc. The top tier of candies.
For alternatives, I've got the individual snack sizes of doritoes, fritos and plain potato chips (comes in a giant 30 count package). I was amazed that these went so fast last year.
I also got the individual Snyder's pretzels and the mini paks of bite size oreos in Halloween colors.

And last, and as a parent of a 16 month old, who was only 4 months old last Halloween and we took out just for the experience, a package of bubbles that come in a Halloween container for the much younger ones who can't really have the candy.

[LynneSin]

27. It's my first Halloween - I'm all excited!!!

People don't tricker treat in apartment complexes :cry:

I'm getting Almond Joys & Mounds treats. I hate coconut so I know I won't be snacking on them all evening.

If it's nice out I'm going to hang out on my porch and I even got a costume for my cat Abbott to wear (He's going to be a Bat for Halloween)

[Shine]

28. I'm sure you've heard it all by now, but ya GOTTA do the candy

chocolate is best. :D

:hi:

[MrCoffee]

30. screw candy...the kids these days love Chick Tracts for Halloween

[GoddessOfGuinness]

31. Make sure your porch light is on...

That's the signal kids use to know which houses are trick-or-treatable.

Check your newspaper's Sunday ads to get the best bargains on treats. It's best to go with candies, nuts, cookies, or chips that are factory-packaged in individual servings. If you want to get healthier treats, you might consider small boxes of raisins or bags of pretzels. Most kids will hope for candy, however.

[yellowdogintexas]

33. I lucked up on Milky Way and Snickers mini bars on sale so that is

what I am handing out. We are decorated to the hilt, thanks to my daughter.

Get some orange lights, Target always has them and string them on the hedge or up the walk. Get a reusable jack o lantern (electric), Target also has those. Porch Light is Essential. They tend to get out early these days, no running around til all hours like we used to Way Back When.

Ask the neighbors if they get very many visitors on Halloween. I am hoping we have a lot since we have such good decorations ..advance billing, you know!

Have fun, hope you get a huge crowd

[kath]

34. I like to give out the full-size candy bars (at least to the young kids, not the *adults* and older

teens who are too friggin' old to be trick-or-treating - they get the fun-size bars) if I can find them on sale at 3 or 4 for a dollar. The kids' eyes get so big when they see they're getting a real-sized candy bar!

I hate the people who just hand out a little peppermint or a mini-Tootsie Roll to my kids. Pathetic.

[SacredCow]

36. Fried chicken embryos and beer....