October 31, 2006

Halloween

No trick-or-treaters came by the house tonight. The Wife and I did step out for about forty-five minutes to get some milk and bread at the grocery store (and almost got killed by a really foolish teenage driver, but that's a different story). So it's possible that we just missed them all. But I doubt it, even though there are a lot of houses with kids in them up and down the street.

I guess the neighborhood that our house is in is too new and there just aren't enough people living here yet to make it worth the while of costumed moppets to beg for candy here. We don't plan on being here next year so we'll probably never know if this turns in to a trick-or-treating neighborhood. I'd heard that kids from bad neighborhoods in the area have been bussed to better neighborhoods to go out tonight because there are some areas that are just not safe at night.

It's kind of disappointing, actually. Do kids even do this any more? Or have all the stories about creeps putting poison, razor blades, and drugs in candy, as well as somewhat more-justified concerns about generalized crime and violence, killed this charming custom that I enjoyed so much as a child?

2 comments:

Pamela said...

There weren't very many trick-or- treater's here either. We might have seen a dozen total.

Anonymous said...

I've noticed that in recent years, the kids we get come in packs of 4 to 8. Usually, there seems to be a vehicle waiting for them at the curb. This year, we got seven or eight "pack" visits. We have a ton of leftover candy even though we weren't stingy.

It seems like a lot fewer residences give out candy nowadays. So, maybe it doesn't make sense to work a neighborhood on foot anymore. Did you guys have a pumpkin out front to signal?