Best place to go Trick or Treating in SA (home, gated communities)

[Hedgehog_Mom]

We get the truckloads of trick or treaters. We don't live in a ritzy area by any means, but there are a couple of new neighborhoods surrounded by older, rather run-down neighborhoods. The new neighborhoods get flooded with trick or treaters.

I just buy really cheap candy and give each kid one piece. I have a bag of nicer stuff for the neighbor kids...I know most of the kids on our street by name and I know them all by sight. I keep my nicer candy hidden and just get it out for the kids I know. Seems mean, but I don't want to look cheap to my neighbors and I can't afford the better stuff for so many people. This year I gave out 400 pieces of candy, one at a time...not counting the stuff for the kids I know.

[dccvms]

You all crack me up.
My 1st 2 year stay in SA 4 years ago I lived in the Alamo Ranch area. I have to admit we had a pretty good turnout and we gave out about 600 pieces of candy, and I did know the kids from the immediate area but after that, I couldnt tell the texans from canadians. Seriously what is Halloween about in your house?
On this current assignment, I own in Stone Oak, and The wife and I were terrified that we would get swarmed with kids from everywhere. We bought 1600 peices($80) worth of candy to be safe knowing we might see kids trucked in from other, maybe lower class areas. Well we were a little off as we handed out about 1000 pieces.

My point is If you are worried about how much your spending, than buy your $10 worth and shut your light off when it is gone Moderator cut: offensive or better yet just hand your kids the candy you buy. Seriously? If you cant afford it, dont do it, but my Kids have always loved trick or treating. I dont care if I spend more than they receive.
Just Disgusting, People!

[BenjaminNicholas]

Originally Posted by dccvms

You all crack me up.
My 1st 2 year stay in SA 4 years ago I lived in the Alamo Ranch area. I have to admit we had a pretty good turnout and we gave out about 600 pieces of candy, and I did know the kids from the immediate area but after that, I couldnt tell the texans from canadians. Seriously what is Halloween about in your house?
On this current assignment, I own in Stone Oak, and The wife and I were terrified that we would get swarmed with kids from everywhere. We bought 1600 peices($80) worth of candy to be safe knowing we might see kids trucked in from other, maybe lower class areas. Well we were a little off as we handed out about 1000 pieces.

My point is If you are worried about how much your spending, than buy your $10 worth and shut your light off when it is gone Moderator cut: offensive or better yet just hand your kids the candy you buy. Seriously? If you cant afford it, dont do it, but my Kids have always loved trick or treating. I dont care if I spend more than they receive.
Just Disgusting, People!

Disgusting? Really? ... Come now, be realistic. Opportunistic people, of any kind, make my teeth hurt. I don't care if it's Halloween, Christmas or Kwanzaa. Rude is rude.

I'm glad you feel the need to provide any child from any hood with chocolate, but there are some of us out there who remember Halloween as it was: Kids from my street/block knocking on doors, walking the sidewalks and not being trucked from house to house like it's a military exercise in precision candy apprehension. It's not a matter of money.... It's a matter of common sense, decency and the spirit of the holiday.

Giving candy to fully-grown adults sans costume? Nope. It's Hallows Eve. Play by the rules or don't play in my yard.



BN

[Merovee]

How inspiring to see the city celebrate with good fun in the spirit of Halloween! Especially those who try to make it memorable for the children even if you allow only for the children from your own neighborhood, that is at least something and a start.

I also agree parents should not take their children into these communities not their own. How disgraceful that are not welcomed and still show up. People should respect the boundaries and understand some communities are not yours and while you might be welcome there in the day, or a Friday night once a month, this is not one of those times you are welcome.

Moderator cut: Off-Topic

[blaircedarbank]

dccvms, it's NOT about the money for some of us, including myself. It's about carloads of people- including the adults with bags in hand- blocking driveways and running across lawns. By the way, even though we left the porch lights off and had our sidwalk blocked, they STILL rang the doorbell all night. When I tried to tell one bunch that if the light is off, it means you are not participating, I got a confused look and some response in Spanish.

[Chaka]

I really think you all are missing the point. It's not about snobbery, elitism, lack of kindness, fear of spending too much money or anything of the sort.

It's first about safety. Halloween = many many kids on the streets. The one night there should NOT be cars driving around the neighborhood, particularly cars unfamiliar with the neighborhood, after dark and taking no care. Having to dodge traffic in your own neighborhood is NOT safe.

Second, it's about community. Is Halloween really about expensive candy or how much loot you can get? When I grew up, it was about going out with your neighbors, it was about being part of a community. The idea of bringing truckloads of kids to another neighborhood to get more/expensive candy is just silly and contrary to what I believe the whole point of Halloween is (and the part of King William where I see the most is not the mansion end, it's the baja side, definitely NOT ritzy).

Third, it's about neighborhood kids NOT being able to trick or treat in their own community, safely, because aggressive teenagers trucked in race up the steps to houses, knocking kids over, paying no attention to smaller kids. When families know each other, when these are your own neighbors you see regularly, teens are less likely to do this.

Now, many houses love having loads of kids come up, they have parties, decorate and really get into the spirit and it's fun. But the truckloads of aggressive teens IS over the top.


Meanwhile, other neighborhoods, with people who would love to give out candy and get into the spirit, see no kids, because they get trucked off elsewhere.

We're just across KW, so we don't have the issue on our doorstep, but since we're basically all one neighborhood, and all our friends in KW have parties, our kids would like to go out trick or treating with their friends, but we can't let them. Not there, it's simply too dangerous, which is why we made a push to bring Halloween back to Lavaca. They still want to see their KW classmates, but it's too insane.

Also add, our friends with older kids in KW, they don't seem to mind too much (the kids usually stay close to home where the party is). The ones with younger kids end up taking their kids over to Lavaca to trick or treat, because it's safer and not as crazy.

Halloween trick or treating should not require a car. If it does, there is something wrong.

[SabresFanInSA]

Originally Posted by MattTx

The funny thing is that the day after halloween, co-workers bring bags of free candy to work because they suddenly realize their child has accumulated too much from the night before.

Even that I dont understand. What is "too much" ad why do you let the kid trick or treat and then take half of it away? For the most part anything pre-packaged isnt going to go bad so ration it out over time.

[prim8]

Originally Posted by Chaka

The lack of sidewalks are a valid concern, but believe me, 10 houses are plenty! My kids (now 6 & 3) are usually worn out after 5 or 6 (we have a pre-trick or treating party to meet with friends, check out costumes etc), and we throw half the candy away anyway....

10 houses might be plenty if they were giving out candy, however, we did end up going in our neighborhood after all and out of every 10 houses, I would say 1 or 2 was giving out candy.
So, we ended up walking with the little ones about a mile, without a sidewalk, in practically pitch dark just to get a decent amount of houses.

In that mile, only 13 were giving out candy. I'm not looking to get a lot of candy, because we don't give the kids much at this age and we certainly don't need it.
I'm just trying to point out that it was a long walk in the dark for the little ones and it made me pretty nervous.

[rynetwo]

We had a little boy dressed as sponge Bob Square Pants and I handed him 3 pieces of candy.

He stared at me and then said "and for my mom?"

I looked at her and her reply was "that's how I get it!"

I threw one more piece in his bucket.

People really need to learn self awareness.

[Azure110]

Originally Posted by SabresFanInSA

Even that I dont understand. What is "too much" ad why do you let the kid trick or treat and then take half of it away? For the most part anything pre-packaged isnt going to go bad so ration it out over time.

I am not sure if you are directing your comment at me but I have no children of my own.

I am just speaking for my co-workers who do this every year saying that they got too much at home. Usually what they dump off here at work is the type of candy that few people like such as tootsie rolls and ends up going into the trash.