[sarahsweets]

I have three kids: 23, 19 and 16. No one trick or treats anymore and the youngest has worked at a haunted house since she was 12. I recently learned that there is a petition out to move Halloween to the last saturday of the month of october. I believe it's because they feel it's safer, less stress from a work/school night and I am not sure if they want it to be during the day or not. I also have seen a zillion opportunities for trunk or treating where schools and police stations and communities have had different days where people bring their costumed kids to different places I guess where there are lots of parked cars with trunks open full of candy? (not sure that is how its done) or people who give candy from their cars? I do not know if this is in lieu of trick or treating or in addition to it. The Halloween stuff started showing up around my town in August.

My view may be skewed because I do not have little kids anymore but its only been like 4 years since I did have my last trick or treater so am I wrong for thinking it's overkill? Like wasnt one of the cool parts of Halloween dressing up and going out after dark on a school night and getting the candy? Wearing your costume to school for the parade? Knowing which neighbor gave out the king sized bars and which one handed out boxes of raisins? And when you got the chance to go out with your neighborhood friends alone the first time? I just think it seems like people want to make everything so safe that its overkill. I get it. Dark nights in October, a work day or school day but I had three kids I had to take out at a point and it was never a disaster. We would leave at 6 be back at like 8 let the kids stay up and gorge until 930. The next school day they could still get up fine and I could pick through their stash when they were in math class? ()

I admit Halloween is my least favorite holiday, I do not like it but I liked it for my kids. I remember all the costumes we came up with and the first year I bought two of my kids matching costumes from the actual Disney store... that was big news in my house. Maybe I am am old fart but I feel like I am missing something.
I also heard on the radio friday that some schools are cancelling Halloween in school because not all families participate or can afford to celebrate it. How do you feel about that?
What is everyone's opinion. Am I just an old curmuggeon?

[unaluna]

All thats left to move now is 4th of july, Xmas, and new years day! oh, and valentines day. And st patricks?

Halloween HAS changed! A kid from my old block is in the paper every year cuz now hes a dad who collects all the neighborhood candy and gives it to the dentist, or something sick like that! What a meanie!

[SlumberKitty]

We do a trunk or treat at my Church every year that is open to the public. We usually have around 1600 people come (and my Church is pretty small--around 60 people on any given Sunday so it costs us a lot to do this event for the community but it's a nice way to give to the community). People decorate their trunks and go around in a horseshoe and collect candy from the trunks and then there are bounce houses and live music and snacks for sale (which help the youth go on their mission trips). We start setting up around 4 and the event starts at 6:30 and usually runs until 8 or whenever we run out of candy. Then we all pitch in and clean up and get home around 9 or 9:30.

[SlumberKitty]

I forgot to say, we do this on Halloween night.

[Nammu]

I see nothing wrong with having Halloween on the day it is now and going about the neighborhood, good lord lets sanitize the hell out of kids lives. If you're an old curmudgeon then I am too.

[lizardlady]

Originally Posted by Nammu

I see nothing wrong with having Halloween on the day it is now and going about the neighborhood, good lord lets sanitize the hell out of kids lives. If you're an old curmudgeon then I am too.

Me three! Leave it alone!

Am going to give a different perspective on neighborhood trick or treating though. For those of us who live in the boonie-goonies the kids can't go door to door. Houses are 1/4 to 1/2 mile apart. Their little legs would fall off before they got any candy. My neighbors' kids are all grown now, but they used to either load them in the car and take them to a nearby town or to something likr slumberkitty described.

While I believe we ought to leave celebrating the holiday on the actual holiday, I don't know if I had kids if I'd let them go door to door. The world and society have changed in the decades since I was of an age to trick or treat. I think taking them to something like trunk or treat would be safer. That's sad.

[*Beth*]

October 31st will always be Halloween for me. I loved t-or-t'ing when I was a kid and my own children had a great time every H'ween.

I live in a "big town" and there are many ranches and farms outside of town - like Liz's situation. So while many kids in town still go door to door, the merchants all along our Main Street do a trick-or-treat the Saturday afternoon before Halloween. That way, all the kids can come in from wherever and have the fun of Halloween. Everyone looks like they're having a blast! Still, there's nothing quite like Halloween night after dark.

Interestingly, the "razor blade in the apple" and the "poisoned candy from strangers" stories are urban myths. Completely made up. When all is said and done, kids are most likely as safe on Halloween as they would be on any other night.

Poisoned candy myths - Wikipedia

[WishfulThinker66]

I think moving Halloween is a stupid idea. It is my favourite holiday. It has spiritual meaning for me too. Would you move Christmas? No.

[sarahsweets]

https://6abc.com/health/middle-towns...t-bag/5654166/
Ok so here we have a safe organized trunk or treat event at a community center sponsored by law enforcement. A child brought home heroin. This is not urban legend. It just happened here not to far from me.

[sarahsweets]

[eskielover]

They moved Trick or treating in town to Tuesday night. I live in a small farming community so the main street businesses stay open & all the community kids go to town for a costume parade & trick or treating. Bad weather last night made them change the day for that. In reality it probably doesn't matter what date it is celebrated on

[divine1966]

I should probably care. But I don’t think it matters any difference which day is. Schools can still have dress up and parades on a different day