Halloween - decline?

Is the tradition dead in this region? Are you getting trick-or-treaters? Seems like there are fewer every year. How's your crop?

I think a lot of people are having Halloween Partys. Too much to worry about letting them go to strangers houses. Sign of the times I guess. Its ashame, I remember it being such fun when I was a kid (many,many years ago).

I think we had more this year. I just ran out of candy, and I only saved a few for myself. Now I have to look out for tricksters! Lots of our visitors aren't from this neighborhood, this must be a good treat zone

I live so far out in the country, very few houses, I haven't had a trick or treater here since I moved here.

But at my old house, I would get several hundred every year. We had people bringing in huge van loads of kids from other neighborhoods, which annoyed the daylights out of me.

I would imagine a lot of people are either not taking their kids out at all or only going to houses where they know the people, especially in more urban areas like Arlington.

We seem stable here. Kids around here wouldn't miss it.
I would never drive my kids to another neighborhood.

DH commented on how we've not had any kiddo's come to the door...I said you must have your porch or door light on to indicate you are participating. He said he's never heard of that...but it's the way we did it growing up in the north. Is this still the practice?

Heard this in my neighborhood that we moved into as adults, but don't remember ever hearing it as a kid,also in MD. but maybe I wasn't paying attention.

Kids, kids everywhere tonight....not safe to drive...mercy...someone's gotta keep them ON the sidewalks. Yes...light on means "candy available" - LOL Light off means "go away"

We had a few - got rid of some candy but have way too much left, which of course I will end up eating! :) Not too many kids in our area!

I was at work last night. We did give out candy and toothbrushes (I work at a dental office) Had about a dozen kids. A lot of the kids did not stop. Just went to the residential homes.

My husband is with our local volunteer fire department so he was out with one of the trucks parked beside the road leading into town with its lights on warning people in their cars to slow down and watch out for the kids. And I saw a lot of them walking in the street and not on the sidewalks.

We also have a lights on, candy. Lights off, no candy. Last night was a warm night and the rain had quit so there were a lot out Trick or Treating.

We wound up only having 20 kids yesterday!!! I live in a developement with lots of familys so its not a lack of children. I think I have at least 110 lollipops left over,lol.
And yes we had our door lights on till 10pm.

I've lived all over and rule was always that you didn't ring the bell if they didn't have the porch light on. That was a sign that they weren't participating even if the lights were on in the house.

Oh, I was heart broken we had only 3 children this year and 1 of those was my Grandson. The other 2 live in the woods behind my house. I put up plenty of lights and decorations no doubt you will get candy at my house. Years ago our neighborhood was the place to go we would get 25 to 35 ghouls and goblins. My husband would dress up and scare them. Most of the children in our neighborhood have grown up just a few new younger families now and there are bigger developments near by now. I live in a rural area on a small side road that goes down to a creek. There are approx 15 homes on 1acre plots and a few with more acreage. The houses run down each side of the road with woods and fields behind. It’s a wonderful area when my children were small they had friends close by and could play and ride their bikes on the macadam road since there was so little traffic. They grew up riding their ponies and traipsing all though the woods and fields. Camping, fishing and tubing at the creek. All thanks to generous neighbors who weren’t worried about kids playing on their land just so long as they stayed out of the planted fields.
P.S. My daughter lives in the city and had about 300 children. Lucky her.!!! Holly