Halloween-ie!

desertgrandma · 10-15-2010, 10:11 PM

Okay......this is a thread mostly for those here in the US...unless another country celebrates?

October 31 is Halloween. Kids (and older kids) dress up in costumes, and badger their neighbors for candy. They come with bags, ranging from grocery store plastic ones to fancy homemade ones....or the more optimistic use pillow cases!!!

Many people decorate their houses in orange lights, put up fake graveyards, the decorations can get quite elaborate, depending on if you have kids, and your own sense of the holiday.

If you don't want to be bothered, you just leave your porch lights off, and they don't come to your door...its an unspoken rule.

What do you do ?

Do you leave town?

Play the scrooge and turn your lights off?

Make it a neighborhood celebration greet the kids out front as they come by, talking inbetween groups? (Thats what my street does......)

Do you give out the "good" candy or the cheapie stuff?

(I buy the stuff we love and hope there are leftovers!!!)

kindlekitten · 10-15-2010, 10:44 PM

when I still had kids at home we would do a big party. ESPECIALLY when we had exchange students!!! that was always a huge blast! even did the bobbing for apples bit! I live so far off the beaten path that there is no question of getting trick or treaters.

ok, so now true confession time.... I bought Strider and Arwen costumes today. the dog already has one

desertgrandma · 10-15-2010, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

when I still had kids at home we would do a big party. ESPECIALLY when we had exchange students!!! that was always a huge blast! even did the bobbing for apples bit! I live so far off the beaten path that there is no question of getting trick or treaters.

ok, so now true confession time.... I bought Strider and Arwen costumes today. the dog already has one

My daughter bought a Halloween sweater for her little rat-dog.

You people and your pets!!!

Well.....at least post pictures!

kindlekitten · 10-15-2010, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

My daughter bought a Halloween sweater for her little rat-dog.

You people and your pets!!!

Well.....at least post pictures!

yeah, I need to get something fixed. the camera broke in Mexico in January and the cell phone quit taking pictures in Mexico in August... think there is a trend?

Strider got angel wings and a halo, Arwen got butterfly wings and antennae. Strider is REALLY good about the wings, kind of distraught at the halo, Arwen is just doing the WTF!!!????

recluse · 10-15-2010, 11:01 PM

Most of the trick or treating is done before dark around here.
No streetlights.
Or many sidewalks.
I always lay in a supply of my favorite candies.
Once night falls, I watch classic horror films till dawn.

Falcao · 10-15-2010, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Okay......this is a thread mostly for those here in the US...unless another country celebrates?

Since Mexico is USA's backyard, we also celebrate Halloween to some extent. When I was a kid growing in Mexico City we dressed as witches, mummies, vampires, etc., and did the "treat-or-trick" thing.

For teenagers and adults, Halloween is celebrated with a costume party, either in a house or in a bar. I have seen in American movies that families gather and play games, like the apple in water game. I have never seen this here. IMHO, Halloween is more about a celebration with friends than with family, just the opposite of Christmas (we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, at least not yet

).

Below is a typical ad for a Halloween party in a bar.

phenomshel · 10-16-2010, 01:38 AM

In Texas, I didn't see much decoration or anything, or at least not like it is here. The first year I was here (northern Illinois) for Halloween, I thought the neighbors had their calendar fast forwarded. They decorate for Halloween here like Texas decorates for Christmas. We always took the kids trick or treating and passed out candy in Texas; but once I moved here, I've usually been working Halloween evening, so I just throw on my usual costume (little girl ready for bed with a teddy bear - basically it's an excuse to wear flannel nightgown and slippers to work).
This year it falls on a Sunday. I haven't checked the school schedule, but I *think* that's my off week and I don't work on Sunday nights, ever. So I haven't decided if we're going to turn off the lights and hide under the bed or pass out candy. I wouldn't DARE leave town on trick or treat night.. no telling what I'd find (or more likely NOT find), when I got home.

recluse · 10-16-2010, 02:11 AM

Thankfully, there aren't many teens in my neighborhood, so vandalism is at a minimum.
In my old neighborhood, it was pretty bad. The older kids used to torment the unescorted younger ones. Did a lot of damage. Spraying kids with Nair hair remover.

So I started a Halloween tradition of stalking teens. Sharing the terror.

Sweetpea · 10-19-2010, 08:57 AM

We don't celebrate it, but our neighbouring village does. They even rename their village for it!

"hallowierde" (instead of the yearly "holwierde")

And this year they'll have one hour extra to celebrate it! (finally we'll be rid of that silly summertime again...)

vivaldirules · 10-19-2010, 09:31 AM

This year, as usual, it seems, my wife will be working Halloween night. So I'll either man the door and pass out the goodies to all the runts (little and otherwise) or else turn out all the lights and spend the evening quietly consuming all the Snickers and Three Musketeers bars myself. Any bets on which it'll be?

dsvick · 10-19-2010, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

yeah, I need to get something fixed. the camera broke in Mexico in January and the cell phone quit taking pictures in Mexico in August... think there is a trend?

Yep, it is telling you not to go to Mexico

At our house we decorate the inside and outside. Last year we got some pretty good deals after Halloween on decorations for this year so now we have the big spider webs and the big spider to go on them for the porch.

On that night we'll get our daughter, for whom trick or treating is beneath her 17 years, to pass out the candy while we take our son to collect loot!!

I remember as a kid literally running up and down each block with a pillowcase, we would get them so full we would have to stop home half way in order to unload.

kindlekitten · 10-19-2010, 10:28 AM

well trust me! at this point in time the last place I want to be is Mexico!!! not a pleasant place for American tourists at the moment!

we used to have the most incredibly awesome Halloween parties in college *sigh*

Pookeysgirl · 10-19-2010, 10:31 AM

My kids are still little (6&7) so my husband and I take them trick or treating every year. For the second year in a row they'll be Bumblebee and Ironman (of course I didn't know that before I donated last years costumes

)

We always end up 2 streets down from our building where the whole street gets decorated for halloween. It's very well done, and the kids love it.

Ususally after the kids are done gorging themselves on candy and are in bed, my husband and I curl up on the couch to watch Halloween (used to be the original, but now we watch the Rob Zombie version) or some other scary movie.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 10-19-2010, 11:21 AM

We decorate the windows and put up fake spiderwebs, spiders and bats... put on costumes to greet kids... and we often come away wondering why, as we get few trick-or-treaters on our court. I'm not sure if all the kids are going to PC halloween parties, or just bypassing our street for more sugar-lucrative ones, but our trick-or-treating tends to start and end early.

Upside: We always end up flush with leftover candy!

GraceKrispy · 10-25-2010, 01:13 AM

In the past, well, in my entire adult life, I've only lived in one house where we actually got Trick-or-Treaters. I've lived in many houses, by the way, and been adult (well, sort of) for many years. We lived in that house for 3 Halloweens. We had the lights off while we took our own kids out, but turned them on to give candy afterwards.

I must admit, I got both good candy and not-so-good candy. And I mostly gave away the not-so-good and ate the good myself.

10-15-2010, 10:11 PM	#1
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Halloween-ie! Okay......this is a thread mostly for those here in the US...unless another country celebrates? October 31 is Halloween. Kids (and older kids) dress up in costumes, and badger their neighbors for candy. They come with bags, ranging from grocery store plastic ones to fancy homemade ones....or the more optimistic use pillow cases!!! Many people decorate their houses in orange lights, put up fake graveyards, the decorations can get quite elaborate, depending on if you have kids, and your own sense of the holiday. If you don't want to be bothered, you just leave your porch lights off, and they don't come to your door...its an unspoken rule. What do you do ? Do you leave town? Play the scrooge and turn your lights off? Make it a neighborhood celebration greet the kids out front as they come by, talking inbetween groups? (Thats what my street does......) Do you give out the "good" candy or the cheapie stuff? (I buy the stuff we love and hope there are leftovers!!!) Attached Thumbnails

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10-15-2010, 10:44 PM	#2
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	when I still had kids at home we would do a big party. ESPECIALLY when we had exchange students!!! that was always a huge blast! even did the bobbing for apples bit! I live so far off the beaten path that there is no question of getting trick or treaters. ok, so now true confession time.... I bought Strider and Arwen costumes today. the dog already has one

10-15-2010, 11:01 PM	#5
recluse Banned Posts: 3,724 Karma: 535488 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: the Mortuary Device: Kindle 2	Most of the trick or treating is done before dark around here. No streetlights. Or many sidewalks. I always lay in a supply of my favorite candies. Once night falls, I watch classic horror films till dawn.

10-16-2010, 01:38 AM	#7
phenomshel ZCD BombShel Posts: 4,793 Karma: 8293322 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Frozen North (aka Illinois, USA) Device: iPad, STB Kindle Oasis	In Texas, I didn't see much decoration or anything, or at least not like it is here. The first year I was here (northern Illinois) for Halloween, I thought the neighbors had their calendar fast forwarded. They decorate for Halloween here like Texas decorates for Christmas. We always took the kids trick or treating and passed out candy in Texas; but once I moved here, I've usually been working Halloween evening, so I just throw on my usual costume (little girl ready for bed with a teddy bear - basically it's an excuse to wear flannel nightgown and slippers to work). This year it falls on a Sunday. I haven't checked the school schedule, but I think that's my off week and I don't work on Sunday nights, ever. So I haven't decided if we're going to turn off the lights and hide under the bed or pass out candy. I wouldn't DARE leave town on trick or treat night.. no telling what I'd find (or more likely NOT find), when I got home.

10-16-2010, 02:11 AM	#8
recluse Banned Posts: 3,724 Karma: 535488 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: the Mortuary Device: Kindle 2	Thankfully, there aren't many teens in my neighborhood, so vandalism is at a minimum. In my old neighborhood, it was pretty bad. The older kids used to torment the unescorted younger ones. Did a lot of damage. Spraying kids with Nair hair remover. So I started a Halloween tradition of stalking teens. Sharing the terror.

10-19-2010, 08:57 AM	#9
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	We don't celebrate it, but our neighbouring village does. They even rename their village for it! "hallowierde" (instead of the yearly "holwierde") And this year they'll have one hour extra to celebrate it! (finally we'll be rid of that silly summertime again...)

10-19-2010, 09:31 AM	#10
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	This year, as usual, it seems, my wife will be working Halloween night. So I'll either man the door and pass out the goodies to all the runts (little and otherwise) or else turn out all the lights and spend the evening quietly consuming all the Snickers and Three Musketeers bars myself. Any bets on which it'll be?

10-19-2010, 10:28 AM	#12
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	well trust me! at this point in time the last place I want to be is Mexico!!! not a pleasant place for American tourists at the moment! we used to have the most incredibly awesome Halloween parties in college sigh

10-19-2010, 10:31 AM	#13
Pookeysgirl Wizard Posts: 1,705 Karma: 12696746 Join Date: May 2010 Device: K3, Kobo Mini	My kids are still little (6&7) so my husband and I take them trick or treating every year. For the second year in a row they'll be Bumblebee and Ironman (of course I didn't know that before I donated last years costumes ) We always end up 2 streets down from our building where the whole street gets decorated for halloween. It's very well done, and the kids love it. Ususally after the kids are done gorging themselves on candy and are in bed, my husband and I curl up on the couch to watch Halloween (used to be the original, but now we watch the Rob Zombie version) or some other scary movie.

10-19-2010, 11:21 AM	#14
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	We decorate the windows and put up fake spiderwebs, spiders and bats... put on costumes to greet kids... and we often come away wondering why, as we get few trick-or-treaters on our court. I'm not sure if all the kids are going to PC halloween parties, or just bypassing our street for more sugar-lucrative ones, but our trick-or-treating tends to start and end early. Upside: We always end up flush with leftover candy!

10-25-2010, 01:13 AM	#15
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	In the past, well, in my entire adult life, I've only lived in one house where we actually got Trick-or-Treaters. I've lived in many houses, by the way, and been adult (well, sort of) for many years. We lived in that house for 3 Halloweens. We had the lights off while we took our own kids out, but turned them on to give candy afterwards. I must admit, I got both good candy and not-so-good candy. And I mostly gave away the not-so-good and ate the good myself.

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