How in the world could it be the last day of October already?
Like witches, time flies, eh?
It’s been a busy weird month here at Chez Bean, but we did manage to turn three basic pumpkins into festive Jack-o-Lanterns, one of which is featured below.
And I have plenty of candy* + plastic bloody eyeballs on hand for tonight’s trick-or-treaters**.
So all is well here as I wait… wait… wait… for darkness to fall, when little ghosts and goblins at the front door will call.
Happy Halloween!
* I usually hand out Snickers, but [get this] yesterday when I went to buy Snickers at Kroger it was sold out, so I opted for Twix & Skittles & Starburst.
** We get anywhere from 125 to 225 kids here. The number fluctuates depending on Halloween Day weather and the day of the week.
Wow…that’s a lot of trick or treaters ! Are they carpooling them in ??? Happy Halloween !!
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vanbytheriver, not so many carpool. These kids are motivated and move quickly. This is a large subdivision with our houses set back the same distance from the street and there are no front yard fences. So, if you’re a kid you can hit lots of houses by running through lawns pretty much in a straight line. And they do.
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That is a lot of kids. We either get around 20 or none. We are on a dead end in a neighborhood with big lots. It’s more time efficient to go to the neighboring areas where the houses are close together. I totally gave up as I often got stuck with candy. Now we go out to dinner. Our trick or treat night is always the Friday around Halloween.
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Kate, this is huge subdivision with lots of activity. There are kids of all ages and adults of all ages, meaning that Halloween night is big ole party for everyone. Kids get candy, adults walk along with them imbibing adult beverages. It’s fun.
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More fun than my neighborhood!
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It’s the most busy neighborhood I’ve lived in. People aren’t friendly per se, but there’s stuff going on all the time. You can join in events or groups if you want to, but don’t expect anyone to say “hi” to you when you go out for a walk. It’s unlike anywhere else I’ve ever lived.
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Different from my neighborhood. Here you will get the “hi” on walks but not much more. Our former next door neighbor had an open house at Christmas for the neighbors and most didn’t bother to reply.
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That sounds more like other places I’ve lived. Here no one acknowledges you until you’re part of a group. Then they speak to you. But a casual “hey there” doesn’t happen. So strange.
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They do Halloween on Saturday where we live. I do not understand this. Go out on Halloween like normal people.
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Sarah, I’ve never heard of Saturday for Halloween, unless it’s on a Saturday. Seems dangerous to me for kids to be out in the streets with normal Saturday night partiers. It’s celebrated 6 to 8 here ON HALLOWEEN.
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Like it’s meant to be!
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Exactly!
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It’s going to be cold and windy here for T&T. The skeletons’ teeth will definitely be chattering.
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nance, it’s going to be cold, but dry here tonight… so we might get a bunch of kids… or not.
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WOW. We have less and less kids each year as our neighborhood grows older. Plus, a lot of the kids like to go to the other side of town (the rich side) where the candy is “better.” I bought a bag of candy last week but it was a kind my husband likes so…he went and got another bag last night. I am not sure it is going to be enough so I’ll get some more today…or not. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Our kids are all grown and out of the house so it is not a big deal to us.
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Janet, we’re child-free but this is a neighborhood full of kids. Our immediate block has older high school age kids, but the next block down is kindergarten land. I suspect some of them will make their way to us. I bought our candy yesterday just so we couldn’t eat it beforehand. ‘Cuz we would, you know? π
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I live on a dark street in the middle of nowhere, with no young children nearby. We are in a bubble of retired folks. I must confess, it’s rather nice not to have to spend the evening jumping up and down to answer the door, and hand out cavity-inducing treats – or spend the evening, sneaking one or two of those cavity-inducing treats myself every time I had a couple out. I’m an old grump, aren’t I? I enjoyed Halloween when I was a kid, and when my kids were little though.
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Carol, my experience is that all holidays strike you in different ways as you age. If you’re comfortable among your retirees, then forget about Halloween. I like handing out the candy because kids crack me up. The costumes, the chatter, the parents. I find it to be entertainment, but if you don’t like it, by all means don’t do it.
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I used to enjoy it, but now I donβt miss it. Itβs that old thing.
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Not old, MATURE. π
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As you know from other comments I have made elsewhere on the blogs, I’m a humbug when it comes to this festive event. Fortunately, most people won’t know about it because we live far, far away from the next neighbour, and even farther away from the closest kid who is likely to get geared up to trick-or-treat.
At my former address, however, even in an established and family-friendly neighbourhood, we had nor more than a dozen on a good night. Found out why one warm evening when we sat on the front porch to wait for the kids – to get to our front door, they had to pass through a somewhat brambly rose arbour, up a slight incline, and then up a steep set of stairs – guess it was too imposing – we watched as group after group passed us by for easier and more convenient goodies.
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Maggie, I encourage you to continue to be a humbug about Halloween. It’ll balance all the over-the-top Halloween lovers who I think might have a few screws loose. I’m somewhere in the middle when it comes to having strong opinions about Halloween. And somewhere in the middle of our street with a front door that is easy to get to, so I expect the trick-or-treater hordes will be here later today.
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I accept your encouragement and am eager to please. Let the humbugfest commence!
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π
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Have fun watching ghosts and ghouls gathering great gobs of gob-smackers!
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Nicely alliterated. Most impressive. Happy Halloween!
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I love your traditional jack o’lantern π
The Mister bought our candy supply, so it’s all chocolate. Fourteen bags of chocolate for maybe a dozen trick-or-treaters π We’ve never had trick-or-treaters, but we’ve had an influx of young families this year, so we might get some.
On post, Halloween was a HUGE event, living in a neighborhood composed of housing for families no fewer than 5 members. It was overwhelming to me, so I really appreciate my quiet, dead-end street.
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joey, I bought our candy as close to the actual trick-or-treat time as I could, knowing that candy tends to [mysteriously] disappear before the actual event. How does that happen? π€
I hadn’t thought of how on post you’d be obligated to join in the celebration. That’d make me not like the whole beggars thing, too. Around here we chose to participate which makes it fun, but I realize that Halloween is not everyone’s idea of a good time. Do what ere you like, eh?
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It was just a bit over the top on post. It was always a wine night π
We didn’t get a single trick-or-treater last night. Today Moo shoved a bunch of those candies in her bag for her friends. Poor teens, having to eat leftover candy! π
How was your turnout last night?
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Yes, my heart goes out to those poor teen kids, eating unwanted candy. The struggle is real. π
We had 132 kids. I had 213 treats, so the rest of the candy went to work with Z-D this morning. He gives it to the guys who valet park his car every day. They like it, we don’t need it.
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Happy Holler-Ring! been spooky cloudy all day – with rain expected later. Perfect for hauntings
(I love the basic pumpkins. Retro is good.)
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philmouse, it was clear here yesterday. Unusually clear outside last night with a big old moon hovering over the festivities. I like our retro jack-o-lantern, too. The other two were fancy, but this one harkened back to simpler times.
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Last year we had the most trick-or-treaters we’ve ever had – about 30 – and I almost ran out of candy. This year, I overstocked. Apparently that was a mistake.
So far it’s not going well. I’m going to have a LOT of small bags of chips left over π
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Joanne, as a person with the need to plan I try to have the exact number of treats, but I never do. This year we had 132 kids, but I bought 213. Fortunately Z-D takes whatever is left into the guys who park his car in the valet parking garage. This seems to be our tradition. Go figure.
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Z-D is onto something. I need to find a place to leave my overage where it may be appreciated. Although I don’t have control issues with chips (which is why I bought them), they’re still dangerous to leave around.
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Joanne, I’d have no trouble with chips, but chocolate… lingering on the pantry shelf… calling to me all day. Not good.
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That was my thinking exactly. My tolerance level for salt is pretty low. Sugar, on the other hand, is a completely different issue!
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Ain’t it the truth? π
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What a busy Halloween for you! We’ve had our one trick or treater. I like the idea of having a set time so that you know when the end is in sight.
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Anne, I’ve always lived in places with definite times for trick-or-treating. Last night we had 132 kids, but they stopped showing up 20 minutes before the end. Too cold out + it was a school night. Each year the kid count varies, but the times remain the same.
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I think that is marvelous.
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It does make managing Halloween much easier. Sometimes TPTB have it going on!
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I had to look up TPTB. Ignorance is bliss.
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Ha! And isn’t it a good day when you learn something new? Lifelong learner and all that…
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Kroger’s out of Snickers? The humanity! Occasionally we’ll have a year at Mecca when we run out of all of the Halloween candy before October 31… and then it’s Christmas candy to the rescue! You could’ve been handing out candy canes and chocolate Santas to all the ghouls and goblins!
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evilsquirrel13, I was surprised by no Snickers, too. I think too many adults like them, so they’re the first candy to go. Twix were a nice change for us. We mustn’t get stuck in a candy rut!
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125+ trick-or-treaters?! I’m totally jealous! I did put out a pumpkin and had some kitkats and starbursts on hand. Ala,s no kids in the neighborhood. I hope there was some chocolate left for you by the end of the night!
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Donna, our final count was 132 kids. I’d bought 213 treats, so we had some left over. Z-D took the extras to work with him and gave them to the guys who park his car in the valet parking garage. Halloween works out in its own way– they’re young and need energy, we’re old and need to get the sweets out of the house!
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Wow! That’s a lot of trick or treaters. We get precisely zero. Is it fun for you? Or kind of a pain? Clearly I’m late to this post, but I’m having a hard time keeping up with the blogs lately. Y’all are able to post so frequently. My apologies for when I miss one every now and then. It’s in my inbox, but before I get to it, another pops up. I’m just jealous.
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Betsy, we both look forward to Halloween and the kids who show up here. They’re hilarious and polite– almost every one of them says “thank you.”
You’re sweet to worry about keeping up with all that I say. I don’t know why but I’ve been on a blogging binge lately. However, now that Nov is here, with Dec on the horizon, I’ll calm down and go back to my normal, more slothful blogging ways. Promise. π
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“Promise.” LOL! Thank you. Appreciate it. Haha. π
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Nobody comes trick or treating at my house (as I found out the October of 13 years ago when I moved in). I live up a dark canyon, and a long driveway – god knows what I was thinking when I bought candy and I decked out the house that first year! But I still decorate the house for my husband’s amusement and last night I lit all the pumpkins. There is something magical still.
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camparigirl, I like that you decorate your house for yourselves. In the end that makes sense to me. We’d carve a few pumpkins even if we didn’t get all the kids begging at the door. What I have learned from this post is that Halloween varies dramatically depending on where you live.
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I didn’t count, but I got more than I expected–50ish? Started running out of candy which was worrisome. I bought fun size Twix and Three Musketeers because I don’t like them. The left over candy has to be safe from me!
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Margaret, I never want to run out of treats so I turn into an accountant when it comes to Halloween. I keep count. I understand about the burden of left over candy. One must do what one must do to make certain one doesn’t eat a bag of little candy bars, mustn’t one? π
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We got no kids at our door, but my guy decimated the candy bowl (Snickers/Reeses peanut butter cup) before the night turned to 6. :=0
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roughwighting, I’m amazed by how many of my blog readers don’t get trick-or-treaters. That being said, Halloween candy is addictive…maybe more so for adults than kids. Your case in point. π
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π
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We get none, as we’re out of the way, and I’m ok with that (introvert paradise). I loves me a Twix. You’d be my favorite house if I was one of the gaggle that stopped by this year.
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Tara, the kids were quick to take a Twix, the fruity candy wasn’t so popular. It never is. I’ve learned over the years– give ’em what they want.
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