What's wrong with Halloween these days? Apparently it's gone down significantly in Rochester, too, judging from my mom's annual disappointment and being forced to eat all the candy herself.
Part of me wonders whether it's a combination of safety (wanting kids to trick-or-treat in the light) and working a job that gets me home after dark in late October. I had maybe a dozen kids come to the door between 7 and 8 yesterday (I got home at 7). But I had a similar discussion with my downstairs neighbor, who also lamented having way too much candy. Either the late wave of high schoolers never came or they just missed my door (it's on the side of the house), though anyone who went to the front door (for the downstairs unit) would have been sent around.
after two or three years of running out of candy, we overbought, too. I wonder if it being on a Friday meant fewer kids were out? We hardly saw anyone.
At least in the philly area, I suspect some lower-than-usual turnout was that some number of kids were either not yet home from or simply exhausted from the parade. A LOT of kids skipped school, some with parents, others not so much, to go to this parade.
I need to get a click-counter thing and start logging our trick-or-treaters to try to detect trends.
I was visiting a friend in a family-friendly neighborhood in Bethlehem, PA; and in the designated trick-or-treating time of 6:00 to 8:00 PM, we went through one thousand pieces of candy! At times it was almost like an assembly line; I could not reach in the bowl fast enough! (Then there would be the occasional brief respite) I have never seen anything like it!
The schools also have the kids (in costume) do an afternoon parade walking through the neighborhood with the teachers and aides; so I think this larger turnout is due to a very actively involved community.
I've never seen trick-or-treaters here, but I've always wondered if it was because it gets dark so early here, and I get home from work so late.
Although this year on Halloween I left work at 9 pm, which is late even for me... But 7:30 is probably my most typical time to leave, which would mean getting home at 8, so I guess I would tend to miss trick-or-treaters entirely.
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reldnahkram
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Date: 2008-11-01 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 02:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 04:03 pm (UTC)I need to get a click-counter thing and start logging our trick-or-treaters to try to detect trends.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-02 01:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-02 03:42 am (UTC)The schools also have the kids (in costume) do an afternoon parade walking through the neighborhood with the teachers and aides; so I think this larger turnout is due to a very actively involved community.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-02 05:26 am (UTC)Although this year on Halloween I left work at 9 pm, which is late even for me... But 7:30 is probably my most typical time to leave, which would mean getting home at 8, so I guess I would tend to miss trick-or-treaters entirely.