SKL Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Hello, I have a pet peeve about Halloween candy. In my neighborhood, people give out a lot of candy, sometimes even multiple candy bars (regular size) to each little tot who stops by. I don't know about you, but I would be afraid my kids would drop dead after eating that much candy. So I donate most of it. Why do people feel the need to give so much? (And I don't eat chocolate, so I can't "help" much!) What do you all think? Should we start a movement? One small treat per kid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) I give out a handful of stuff. But, I have erasers, pencils, spider and bat rings, tiny stretchy skeletons, vampire teeth and stuff like that mixed in with my candy. ETA: I keep a separate basket of goldfish crackers, fruit chews and other toddler friendly treats. Edited October 22, 2011 by Mrs Mungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, I'm not in favor of trying to compel others to change their behavior to accommodate my personal preferences rather than their own. What people give out for Halloween and whether they give anything at all is their own business. It's up to parents to determine what and how much candy their kids can eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) well, it ate my post... Halloween is supposed to be fun! Part of that fun is going out dressed-up and getting mounds of candy. And in return I give out mounds of candy. If a parent requested that I just give one candy, I would certainly honor the request. ;) So maybe you could ask and stop when the bag is full. If you want to stay out then just "window shop" by walking around the neigborhood. Edited October 22, 2011 by jannylynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 We just stop trick or treating and go home when the kids have enough candy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, I'm not in favor of trying to compel others to change their behavior to accommodate my personal preferences rather than their own. What people give out for Halloween and whether they give anything at all is their own business. It's up to parents to determine what and how much candy their kids can eat. Word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 It's one per customer here, as I am deluged with people that I don't know from outside the neighborhood. I usually get 500 - that's more than the local elementary school population. It's the opposite here...I live in the boonies, at the end of a long, dark driveway. We haven't gotten a single trick-or-treater since we've lived here. Still, I buy a bag of candy just in case somebody shows up. So if someone actually came to my door, I'd probably give him 45 pieces of candy just to get rid of the stuff. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I'm fine with people handing out however much they wish. What I'm not fine with is the fact that DD7's teachers at church give out candy/treat each Sunday and Wednesday. :glare: I told DD not to eat it and she always brought it home to me. Then she told me that she's the only one who doesn't eat the treat so I told her to just go ahead and eat it at church....I didn't want her to feel left out while everyone else is enjoying a treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 It's one per customer here, as I am deluged with people that I don't know from outside the neighborhood. I usually get 500 - that's more than the local elementary school population. For me, it would be helpful to promote t-or-t in your own neighborhood or trunk-or-treat with your own neighbors. Moderation is the right idea! Same here. We usually get 800 but if the weather is nice we get 1000. The kids can get pretty aggressive. One year a group pushed their way into the foyer to grab more candy because they didn't like that my dd only gave them one piece. My inlaws were here and it totally freaked them out. Dd chased the guys out of the house and she was wearing her police scanner and the guys thought she was a cop. They fled pretty quickly. The next year kids smashed our jack-o-lanterns in front of us because they didn't like only getting one piece of candy. This year we're going to the movies. I've had enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Same here. We usually get 800 but if the weather is nice we get 1000. The kids can get pretty aggressive. One year a group pushed their way into the foyer to grab more candy because they didn't like that my dd only gave them one piece. My inlaws were here and it totally freaked them out. Dd chased the guys out of the house and she was wearing her police scanner and the guys thought she was a cop. They fled pretty quickly. The next year kids smashed our jack-o-lanterns in front of us because they didn't like only getting one piece of candy. This year we're going to the movies. I've had enough. That is ridiculous! We have groups of teens in our neighborhood and I snatched one back by the arm one year when he almost trampled my five year old getting to the door. I was so mad! We get way to much candy here, but it might just be because we have five buckets. LOL We put it all in a big bowl and it's dispersed a little each day. I do let them pig out some on Halloween night. Whatever we have left by Christmas is dumped, because we have to make room for Christmas candy. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, I'm not in favor of trying to compel others to change their behavior to accommodate my personal preferences rather than their own. What people give out for Halloween and whether they give anything at all is their own business. It's up to parents to determine what and how much candy their kids can eat. Well, I wasn't suggesting "compelling" anyone. Clearly I have to work on the way I word my posts. I was attempting to be tongue-in-cheek (though I do honestly cringe when my small child receives multiple candy bars at one shot). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 It's the opposite here...I live in the boonies, at the end of a long, dark driveway. We haven't gotten a single trick-or-treater since we've lived here. Still, I buy a bag of candy just in case somebody shows up. So if someone actually came to my door, I'd probably give him 45 pieces of candy just to get rid of the stuff. :) There is a cul-de-sac halfway down our street where they hardly get any trick-or-treaters. No idea why. But when my kids get there, they always get a pile of loot.:tongue_smilie: I only let the kids go up and down our own street (plus that little cul-de-sac which has 4 houses). Their auntie's birthday is on Halloween, so we have to get back in time to take her to dinner. It would seem mean to cut their route even shorter. Plus, the neighbors expect to see the little ones each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Depending on what I have bought in, it's either a treat size bar/pack each or a small handful of individual sweets. Trick or treat here is usually within your own community. We only go to houses in our street where we know the people. Last year we had kids from the other side of the village show up on Halloween night; I don't think their parents were aware that no-one here goes trick or treating on Sunday and everyone had been on Saturday. The poor kids.:001_huh: Luckily we had some left.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 What I'm not fine with is the fact that DD7's teachers at church give out candy/treat each Sunday and Wednesday. :glare: I told DD not to eat it and she always brought it home to me. Then she told me that she's the only one who doesn't eat the treat so I told her to just go ahead and eat it at church....I didn't want her to feel left out while everyone else is enjoying a treat. I agree! This past summer, the Sunday School teachers would give each kid TWO huge ring pops. My sugar-sensitive kid weighed 30lbs, so that was a lot for her. And my other kid could have done without all those calories. Thing is, little kids would be just as thrilled with one small treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 That is ridiculous! We have groups of teens in our neighborhood and I snatched one back by the arm one year when he almost trampled my five year old getting to the door. I was so mad! We get way to much candy here, but it might just be because we have five buckets. LOL We put it all in a big bowl and it's dispersed a little each day. I do let them pig out some on Halloween night. Whatever we have left by Christmas is dumped, because we have to make room for Christmas candy. :tongue_smilie: Teens? What? Last year we went out and my dd was the oldest at about to turn 9. Kids here are saying by 8 or so they're too old to trick or treat. Actually, teens trampling 5 yr old kids sounds a lot like my homeschool group.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnsinkableKristen Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Same here. We usually get 800 but if the weather is nice we get 1000. The kids can get pretty aggressive. One year a group pushed their way into the foyer to grab more candy because they didn't like that my dd only gave them one piece. My inlaws were here and it totally freaked them out. Dd chased the guys out of the house and she was wearing her police scanner and the guys thought she was a cop. They fled pretty quickly. The next year kids smashed our jack-o-lanterns in front of us because they didn't like only getting one piece of candy. This year we're going to the movies. I've had enough. Holy Cow!! That is ridiculous. I'd be at the movies, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 So.....regift it. LOL Go TOTing and then give the candy you don't want, back out at the door. LOL Every year there are groups of teens that go out after the littles are pretty much done. We are already home, and the kids have sorted their candy. What ever they don't want...goes into the candy bowl for the latenight teens. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Teens? What? Last year we went out and my dd was the oldest at about to turn 9. Kids here are saying by 8 or so they're too old to trick or treat. Actually, teens trampling 5 yr old kids sounds a lot like my homeschool group.:lol: Every single year we get adults carrying pillowcases, trick or treating for their 'sick child' at home. I'm sure that *can* be the case but 4 adults in the same group and they all have sick kids at home? Nah. I'm usually ok with teens as long as they actually dress up and aren't terrorizing little kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 So.....regift it. LOL Go TOTing and then give the candy you don't want, back out at the door. LOL Every year there are groups of teens that go out after the littles are pretty much done. We are already home, and the kids have sorted their candy. What ever they don't want...goes into the candy bowl for the latenight teens. :D That would work except that (1) the girls think they want it ALL and (2) we have to leave for a friend's birthday dinner when trick-or-treat is only half over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) Every single year we get adults carrying pillowcases, trick or treating for their 'sick child' at home. I'm sure that *can* be the case but 4 adults in the same group and they all have sick kids at home? Nah. I'm usually ok with teens as long as they actually dress up and aren't terrorizing little kids. I don't mind teens that are dressed up. It's fun. :) I have special candy for adult t or t's. ;) Usually those those really sour candies that are nasty or something else from the Dollar store that nobody likes. (the ones without children and a costume. I guess I'm more willing to except it if they at least are dressed up ;) ) If Bertie Bots wheren't so expensive and well labeled, that would be my first choice. :lol: Edited October 22, 2011 by jannylynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I only give out one piece per kid/teen/adult trick or treating for sick child. We get too many kids/adults from out of town. Shortly after it gets dark I turn out the lights and go hide upstairs. Once it gets dark here all you have are the teens/adults who don't even wear some kind of costume. If I am handing out candy I want to see a costume. If you are one of the lucky groups to come before I shut the lights you will get big handfuls of candy because I don't want to be tempted by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 So.....regift it. LOL Go TOTing and then give the candy you don't want, back out at the door. LOL We had to do this last year because we ran out of candy after less than an hour. Where we lived previously, we didn't really get trick or treaters (some years none, most years a few neighbor kids we knew) because there were so many other carnivals, church festivals, and big trick-or-treating events at a museum, the mall, etc. going on. I was surprised last year to find out trick or treating is a big deal in our little Mayberry-esque town. This year we'll be prepared...unless I keep sneaking Kit Kats out of the bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 So.....regift it. LOL Go TOTing and then give the candy you don't want, back out at the door. LOL Every year there are groups of teens that go out after the littles are pretty much done. We are already home, and the kids have sorted their candy. What ever they don't want...goes into the candy bowl for the latenight teens. :D We have "Trunk or Treats" and Halloween get togethers for various groups for a week before the holiday-and DD's not a big candy person (there are a couple of kinds she likes, and that's really it-and while DH and I both will happily eat almost anything chocolate, we don't need it), so I usually end up giving away about 3/4 of what DD has collected so far-and then supplement with what she gets while trick or treating. Then, a day or so after halloween, I go and buy her a bag of something she DOES like-which she then eats over about the next 2-3 MONTHS (I'm not kidding when I say she's not a big candy person). For halloween, it's not the having, it's the getting :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 For some reason we don't get any trick or treaters. Our neighbors down the way do (us). Because they don't get many visits, the houses give either lots of candy, or full size bars. So the children visit maybe 20 houses and are filled up. We have a small neighborhood and VERY outgoing children-- they are known. For Halloween, they (the children)give pictures to every house in exchange for candy, in fact it is time to start their drawings this week! The biggest problem is that I have to "moderate" the candy eating for weeks afterward. After a couple of weeks, I just toss the stuff. Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 One of my friends has a Kitchen Witch or Halloween Witch or Witch Fairy tradition = jave the kiddo eave out 2/3 of his/her candy, she collects it and leaves a fun present in place of it. Like the tooth fairy. Then she takes the candy "the Witch Fairy" collected ;) and puts it out at work in a bowl (or something like that). Also, alternately, a local dentist collects it and pays by the pound. I think then it goes to the military or something from there. We end up not eating tons of ours because everything with peanuts, nuts or a 'may contain' peanuts or nuts label gets given away (peanut / nut allergies here.) So that narrows it down anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 It makes my neighbors happy to give out candy. There aren't a ton of kids on our street, and some of them go TorT elsewhere anyway. And there are a lot of older people on the street. When they *do* get little TorTers coming to their door, they're *happy* and want to give them lots of treats. ... Last year, lol, I kept making my kids keep going 'cause I could still see decorated houses with lights on and I knew those people were *hoping* for kids to come by and visit for a moment and show off their costumes... Yes, we had *way* more candy than we had any need or desire for. (That would have been true after just a few houses, of course.) I let the kids eat more or less what they wanted that night and select a reasonable amount of their *favorite* candies to eat over the next week or two. The rest went away. The kids got to have what they most wanted (and one evening of fairly extreme indulgence, although even with that, they pace themselves so they aren't going to be ill or anything), the neighbors got to feel like they had indulged some children (who politely said "thank you" and answered questions about their costumes, etc)... Sure, in an ideal world, maybe everybody would hand out one piece of really good candy. And it would be organic and fair trade and there would be no cross-contamination with nuts or other allergens for the allergic kids and... As it is, I'm happy to let my elderly neighbors take pleasure in participating in the tradition. Even if we send most of the candy to school with dh to rot out his grad students' teeth. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) I agree. I hate Halloween, frankly, and I only put up with it because my kids love it. Our church does a Trunk or Treat that we'll go to, and we might hit a few key homes in the neighborhood and hand some candy out at our own door. I don't want truckloads of candy coming into my house. Luckily, DH usually skims a fair amount of it off and refills his candy drawer at work (which he shares with all the office staff). I can't remember if it was here or another board I visit, but someone mentioned sorting out all the candy that didn't have obvious Halloween wrapping and putting it away for Christmas stockings. I thought that was *brilliant* and I'm totally doing that this year. We've had issues with neighborhood kids too. A few years ago, we had our Jack O' Lanterns thrown at our front door at about 12:30 a.m. DH was PI**ED. He went out to our attached garage to get a push broom to clean up the mess, came out of the garage door, and discovered another kid, pumpkin in hand, poised to throw at the front door. He let out a primal yell and went sprinting after the kid, broom in hand :lol: My DH is normally a very mild-mannered man. I'm just grateful that Halloween is on a school night again this year. It seems like the times it falls on weekend nights are the worst. Plus, some of the presumed troublemakers have moved out of the neighborhood, so I'm hoping for a quiet year this time around. And all pumpkins are coming in at night, every night. Edited October 22, 2011 by LemonPie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stansclan89 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, I'm not in favor of trying to compel others to change their behavior to accommodate my personal preferences rather than their own. What people give out for Halloween and whether they give anything at all is their own business. It's up to parents to determine what and how much candy their kids can eat. :iagree: I let my kids eat all the candy they want until it is gone. They get stomach aches, it runs through them faster and sugar is only on their teeth for 2-3 days. (that's how long the candy lasts) I don't have kids bugging me about wanting more candy. They don't want candy for a long time after. It works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 That would work except that (1) the girls think they want it ALL and (2) we have to leave for a friend's birthday dinner when trick-or-treat is only half over. I'm not sure your asking for advice but I hear you on the candy-overload & here's what we do. We get a visit from "The Great Pumpkin". Yes - this is above-board totally make-believe. Every year after Halloween TGP gives me a call & tells me what the deal is that year. For instance, he'll allow each child to keep 10 pieces of candy & then if they give the rest to him, he'll bring them a gift in exchange. They have a day or so (depending on my level of busyness) to mull it over & then they leave their candy (minus the 10 pieces) in their Halloween buckets by the front door before bed. When they wake up TGP has taken the candy & left them a gift. Its usually something small like a matchbox car, or a book, or a video. One per child. The kids really like it & nobody misses the candy when it's gone. DH usually takes it to work or we donate it to the troops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 One of the pediatric dentists nearby has a deal where they buy Halloween candy at $1 a pound from kids, then send it to troops (or moms like me just drop off our leftovers for them to send on-no $1 needed :)). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, I'm not in favor of trying to compel others to change their behavior to accommodate my personal preferences rather than their own. What people give out for Halloween and whether they give anything at all is their own business. It's up to parents to determine what and how much candy their kids can eat. Agreed. And this is coming from someone whose kids never trick or treated anywhere except our church. (We're vegans and don't eat most refined sugar. So, I figured trick or treating in the neighborhood would be an exercise in frustration for them.) So, I have no stake in the question. But I'm in favor of folks doing any harmless thing that makes them happy and spreads joy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Here's what Halloween is all about for many kids around here: collect as much candy as you can and then sell it to a dentist for $1 per pound and he then throws it away (used to send it to the troops, but then it's bad for their teeth too, so no longer does that). It's hard for me to get excited about buying candy for kids to collect to sell it and then have it thrown away. What kind of a holiday is that??? Maybe we should just give out nickels instead. I buy good candy and usually in smaller pieces--like the little square snickers bars, not the fun size candy bars. I try to get as much as I can for $10--that's my limit. Ideally it will last for 1 hour of trick or treating. I'm interested in giving some to all of the little kids who live here in our neighborhood, so I don't mind running out before the teens and visitors from other parts of town get here. I guess I'm a bit of a Halloween grinch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Here's what Halloween is all about for many kids around here: collect as much candy as you can and then sell it to a dentist for $1 per pound and he then throws it away (used to send it to the troops, but then it's bad for their teeth too, so no longer does that). It's hard for me to get excited about buying candy for kids to collect to sell it and then have it thrown away. What kind of a holiday is that??? Maybe we should just give out nickels instead. I buy good candy and usually in smaller pieces--like the little square snickers bars, not the fun size candy bars. I try to get as much as I can for $10--that's my limit. Ideally it will last for 1 hour of trick or treating. I'm interested in giving some to all of the little kids who live here in our neighborhood, so I don't mind running out before the teens and visitors from other parts of town get here. I guess I'm a bit of a Halloween grinch! Exactly. What kind of a holiday is that? I throw away so much candy that keeps coming into our house--halloween, the dreaded loot bags, treats from school (Valentine's, good behavior, etc.), treats from church, treats from clubs, gifts from friends, and on and on. I feel guilty tossing it. It seems like a waste on so many fronts. Waste of energy. Waste of packaging. Waste of gas to ship it to stores. Waste of money for whoever bought it. Yes, my 9yo daughter does eat some of it, but there is simply too much coming in for any reasonable person to ingest. And some of it is so crappy, I won't let either of us near it (dollar store candy made in a questionable country--no thanks, I don't want caramels from China after their melamine-infused dairy death toll). Not to mention the general junk with 100% artificial ingredients. And yet, I am happy that it makes neighbours happy to have the kids come to their doors. I just wish they'd tone it down. I probably won't get that wish, but I'll keep on wishing it. I'm a big believer in "the smaller the treat, the more it's savoured". Too much is just... too much. Honestly, I'd be just as happy to keep Halloween as a massive treat fest, but STOP GIVING MY KID CANDY EVERY MOMENT the rest of the year!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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