301021 Fri Oct 28 13:51:31 -0700 2005 30 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1676721 For the first time in WAY over a decade I'm in a neighborhood with children ... lots and lots of children. I'm out of practice. What do you give on Halloween. Keep in mind I'm trying to buy the affection or at least tolerance of the neighborhood kids yet I don't want to go overboard. Obviously I only want to give out snacks that are hermtically sealed so no one has to worry. No home baked good suggestions or fruit ... I'm not going for healthy on Halloween. I want to please the kids, not the parents. So what is best? Those little chocolate bars like snickers (my fav), Hershey's, Reese's peanut butter cups? As I kid, the people who impressed me most would be those giving out full sized real bars ... but that just seems too over the top for me. How do you give the stuff out? Put it in a big bowl and let the kids pick? Do you just plunk a single piece of your choice in the bags? Does anyone still put candy in those cute little paper halloween bags? You never see those anymore. Also, if this makes any difference, about half the neighborhood is Latino. Any special preferences there? Any suggestions would be helpful. Loved the Halloween "Everybody Hates Cris" last night. The kids go to one door and say 'trick or treat' and one guy pulls out a deck of cards and says 'trick' and starts doing card tricks ... yeah, funny as that was, don't think I'll do that. I like eggs, but not decoarting the house. Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/21/cat21.htm?371 Fri Oct 28 13:51:31 -0700 2005 0 rworange 1 1676724 I agree w/ the big-sized candy bars - it's just too much, spoils the kids. An assortment of candies in those halloween bags are cute but takes a lot of time. Simplest would probalby be to buy a few bags of a mixed assortment of candies (lollipops, chocolates, etc.), put them in a big basket, and just let the kids pick 2 or 3 at the door. Fri Oct 28 14:20:37 -0700 2005 1676721 0 WaterIsGood 2 1676728 Try to get some stickers or temportary tattoos or something for those kids who can't eat sweets or have allergy issues. I usually try to get candies I don't like so I don't eat them. I usually give them two each. This year I'm giving out Hershey's chocolates that look like eyes, fingers, mouths, etc. Fri Oct 28 14:32:33 -0700 2005 1676724 0 Chris VR 2 1676834 I advise against letting kids "pick" their own. Last year, my husband offered the bowl to a precious little thing who promptly tried to scoop an armful into his bucket. Sun Oct 30 11:30:49 -0800 2005 1676724 0 Kimm 1 1676729 Slightly unusual candies always bring smiles to my TOT's: 1. Riesen chocolate chews (a bit pricey but nice to have) 2. Milky Way Midnight Bars (lots of those) 3. Hershey's dark chocolate kisses & small Peppermint Patties(so, they aren;t hermetically sealed if you toss handfuls into the bowl) 4. Interesting Nestle/Hershey assortments: this year, there's a nut-chocolate theme that's great. Do not bother with candies in mini packages: they are a waste, and kids hate opening them. Fri Oct 28 14:32:41 -0700 2005 1676721 0 Karl S 1 1676730 Just remember, kids like tangy stuff (Nerds, Sweet Trats), not so much choclate like adults do. And where is this country called Latino? Never heard of it ;-) Fri Oct 28 14:35:32 -0700 2005 1676721 0 MidtownCoog 2 1676736 I agree on the kids not going for chocolate stuff as much. When I was little I liked those AWFUL Bottle Caps. I always loved Starburst, Skittles, Nerds, but never got enough of them. I've since come to my senses and much prefer chocolate. :) Fri Oct 28 15:22:17 -0700 2005 1676730 0 MB 2 1676747 I preferred chocolate as a kid, and so does my 5 year-old. We always bough stuff we wouldn't mind eating if we have left-overs. My spouse teaches high school now, so his "kids" will happily eat anything we don't want to eat. Fri Oct 28 16:02:11 -0700 2005 1676730 0 PollyG 3 1676748 I just bring my leftovers to work and feed it to the "animals" (my co-workers). "Gone is 60 Seconds" is the motto for any food item left for all in the break room. Fri Oct 28 16:14:03 -0700 2005 1676747 0 MidtownCoog 4 1676824 Midtowncoog, you are right on the money, and not just about leftover Hallowe'en candy. Anything you ever want to get rid of, take in to work and leave by the coffee pot. Those ratty old cookies that have been in your cupboard for two years will be regarded as the finest French pastry and will be gone in five minutes. People at work will eat ANYTHING. Sat Oct 29 22:30:05 -0700 2005 1676748 0 N Tocus 5 1676906 Well, looks like my co-workers have hit the jackpot. We had terrible storms and lost power last night, and only had about 5 tricker-treaters. The trick was on us by Mother Nature, but the co-worker animals are going to love it! Better step back, or somebody may get hurt! Tue Nov 01 10:16:09 -0800 2005 1676824 0 MidtownCoog 6 1676937 We had perfect weather, about 60 kids, two adults and one dog. Halloween started a little late - 6:30. So I let the kids pick out two pieces. Except for a group of teens who grumbled about the two piece limit ... sure, go ahead, take some more (they took three) ... everyone else took two pieces. Most took one chocolate and one sour/tart candy. When I ran out of candy, the kids faces actually lit up when offered soda ... orange more popular than Pepsi ... no one wanted the punch. This is a mainly poor nieghborhood with lots of first generation immigrant families. It seems I live on the rich street. My neighbors kids were the only ones with real Halloween costumes ... I mean REAL costumes that cost $$$, not the Target specials. Half the kids had no costumes. Some had well worn costumes, like the kid in the matted winnie the pooh costume with fuzz balls like on old sweaters. The rest were costume pieces ... wings, halos, fake hand cuffs ... I hope that little girl was going for escaped prisoner ... and scary masks. Trick or treat bags were, for the most part, Food4Less plastic shopping bags ... paper or plastic? Immigrant kids are always shy and polite. Even without parents near by they all said thank you. Two teen girls, they couldn't have been over 16, trick or treated with their babies ... "my sister is outside with her baby, can I take a piece for her" ... "I don't want want a soda, thank you, but my baby would like the orange". I'm glad I read the article the day before about someone's Iranian grandmother going out to trick or treat, otherwise I might not have understood the adults. One was an older lady with a red chapel veil for a 'mask'. She looked longingly at the candy and when I told her to take a few more pieces, her face lit up and she gave me a kiss and hug. The other sixty-ish woman clutched in her arms her white curley mutt and was really joyfully, totally into the trick or treat spirit. The dog seemed to enjoy it too. There was the good looking teen who I had to guess was trick or treating for the last time. He greeted me with a very Joey on Friends "How you doing?". I never understood how that line could work before. There was a future Martha Stewart who thought the black cat was so "very Halloween". And my black cat ... that cat that still gives my fiance the cold shoulder after a year ... the cat who hid under the bed for the first week after I brought her home ... that dumb cat greeted each kid, reveling in the attention. When she got tired (she's old), she sat upright on the dining room chair facing the door and rested her eyes, only opening them when she heard foot steps of kids. I guess for a black cat, Halloween is your night. Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/30/CMGM9DDO9S1.DTL&hw=Halloween&sn=002&sc=717 Tue Nov 01 12:56:57 -0800 2005 1676906 0 rworange 7 1676980 I don't care about the age of trick-or-treaters so long as they're in costume (accompanying adults are always welcome to treats, or course). But surly teens sans costume who grumble about the volume of candy offered? No way. (Not making reference to your experience, rworange, just speaking from past experience.) Socioeconomic factors notwithstanding, the concept of trick-or-treating in my book is to display yourself in costume, and in exchange, get a treat. And it is your obligation to say thank you. I'm no curmudgeon, but I think that's the way it ought to work, and that's certainly the way it did for me when I was a kid. I wouldn't have dreamed of going trick-or-treating without a costume. Tue Nov 01 21:09:37 -0800 2005 1676937 0 Caitlin McGrath 8 1676983 Amazingly enough, in the SF Bay area there are people who are third-world poor ... Louisiana, don't have the money to buy a bus fare to save your life poor. The Friday Richmond farmers market makes Alameda look like Ferry Plaza. If people are lucky, they can use food stamps ... otherwise you see them counting out their pennies to see if they can afford a bunch of greens. I can't shop there, it is too depressing. One of the jokes I didn't make originally, but was probably more true than a joke, was that these kids probably wouldn't collect money for Unicef, rather they would be the recipients. When I said in a SF post that I was uncertain about the success of a new business that was selling $25 chicken dinners, I was serious. To put this in perspective, a neighbor talked about how he got someone to fix a transmission for $5. Imagine five bucks being that important that you would put that much work to earn it. Every day the high school is open, two police cars are there at opening and when the kids get out. Those kids aren't getting taught how to be polite. This is another dirty little secret in America. You would think there are social services available. I've worked with some of these people and you would be surprised how little help there is out there. So like you mentioned there are some real socioeconomic factors in play in this area. I'd ask Chowhounds not to respond to this since at this point it is only marginally about food ... and this isn't the place to solve the problem of poverty in America. Tue Nov 01 22:26:36 -0800 2005 1676980 0 rworange 2 1676831 Wow, the first thing me and all my friends did when checking out our loot was separate out the good stuff, i.e., the chocolate. Sun Oct 30 03:19:51 -0800 2005 1676730 0 Caitlin McGrath 1 1676731 So what is best? Those little chocolate bars like snickers (my fav), Hershey's, Reese's peanut butter cups? I give out "fun size" milky ways/snickers/butterfingers. I buy enough for ~100 kids, some years I get ~80, some years ~40. How do you give the stuff out? Put it in a big bowl and let the kids pick? Do you just plunk a single piece of your choice in the bags? I "plunk" a single piece of candy (2-3 if I recognize their parents on the sidewalk, I usually don't recognize the kids in costume). I tried to let the kids pick out of a big bowl, but too many greedy kids would grab a large handfull and rush away. Does anyone still put candy in those cute little paper halloween bags? You never see those anymore. I occasionally see them (at work, my co-workers bring their kid's candy to work). The bags are usually a fund raiser from a local school, that may be why you don't see them. Also, if this makes any difference, about half the neighborhood is Latino. Any special preferences there? When I lived in an ethnic neighborhood, we had more kids than candy so we resorted to small change, that brought many repeaters. Any suggestions would be helpful. Don't give out money, see above comment. Fri Oct 28 14:52:08 -0700 2005 1676721 0 Alan408 1 1676732 I also live in a neighborhood with lots of kids. Here are a few tips: The most important suggestion I would offer you is to ask one of your neighbors approximately how many kids you get. The first year in my new neighborhood, I ran out of candy, which was quite embarrasing. I had to shut off all the lights and cower in my bedroom away from the front of the house, ignoring the doorbell for a couple of hours. I tend to go through close to 20 bags of candy, seriously. Do not let the kids pick their own candy -- kids will take more than one, and if you get as many kids as I do, you will run out of candy this way. I always get a variety of chocolate and fruity candy, in the small sizes. I also usually have a few friends over to hang out and help with the doling out of goodies. Have fun!! Fri Oct 28 15:04:33 -0700 2005 1676721 0 DanaB 1 1676746 2 yrs ago I got Air Heads (having NO idea what they were ) and one kid SCREAMED across the street - HEY GUYS - THIS LADY'S GOT AIR HEADS. they were the first to go. blow pops. i LUUUV blow pops. if the kids don't - too bad - more for me. my mom is a fan of having plastic bracelets and rings and temp tattoos or silly rubber teeth and the like instead of candy. my friends always hated coming to our house (nearly 28 yrs ago...) - but I really think that the temporary tattoes would be a decent idea now . Fri Oct 28 15:59:12 -0700 2005 1676721 0 rumdrinks 1 1676762 I usually go to Costco and buy the cheapest candies for Halloween. It's not that I don't want to give out the nice candies, it's just that so many parents only let the children keep a small portion of the candies and throw the rest out. And since many kids come to our neighborhood (we go through about 30 lbs of candies a year), I really don't want my money to go down the drain. I have been putting the money in decorating the outside of the house instead. Fri Oct 28 17:53:07 -0700 2005 1676721 0 anna 1 1676766 I usually just go to Target and buy a variety of what's on sale. I get both chocolate stuff and fruity, hard, or chewy stuff. I always buy whatever I wouldn't mind eating b/c that's my adult way of getting to enjoy the holiday! Candy lasts for a while, so I don't have to worry about it spoiling quickly. It's also fun to nibble a bit in btwn. the doorbell rings... My favorite chocolate stuff: Reese's cups, Kit Kat, Mounds. My favorite other: Sweet Tarts, Starburst (original!), Tootsie Pops. I'm hoping the kids like them too, but too bad if they don't. ;-) I don't let the kids pick, but usually give 2 things per kid (one chocolate, one other). Give more or less depending on the traffic. I don't get that many trick or treaters, so sometimes give 3 things and get to feel like the nice lady on the block... I've noticed less and less kids going door-to-door for trick or treating the past few years. Maybe it's just the neighborhoods I live in. Seems like there are activities at malls, schools, etc. that have replaced the old fashioned tradition. It's a good idea to ask your neighbors about what to expect so you'll be prepared but not go overboard. If you run out, no need to feel guilty about not answering the door. If guilt ensues, just go out and have a drink somewhere! Fri Oct 28 18:05:19 -0700 2005 1676721 0 Carb Lover 1 1676772 Here in the Midwest, kids seem to like everything. We have chocolate (mini 3 musketeers, snickers), tootsie pops, blow pops, dots...just don't give fruit snacks or pretzels or lunch-box type treats. We put it in a big bowl and ask what kind they'd like and drop it in...have fun! We also get lots of kids from outside our city, but I figure, if the parents feel it's safer here for their kids, I'm good to go with them, too...generally close up about 8 or 8:30 when the hulking 6' "Kids" start showing up... Fri Oct 28 18:37:51 -0700 2005 1676721 0 berkleybabe 1 1676782 We don't have a lot of kids in our neighborhood, but you see the real little ones starting around 3pm...they are the cutest because they aren't jaded! I have a black cat and answer the door with her and the kids love her. I usually have different types of candy for different aged kids - for the really little ones, no sours, maybe Twizzlers. Kids don't seem to like mint too much. Dots are good 'cause they come in nice little boxes that have a couple of pieces each. Chocolate more for the last shift, the older kids. Plus if I save it for last, the leftovers are mine! Fri Oct 28 19:48:40 -0700 2005 1676721 0 Aimee 2 1676786 Really appreciate all the help. I'm off to Target now to stock up. Aimee, good idea about the black cat since I have one. She needs to do something at least once a year to earn her chow. Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/21/cat21.htm?371 Fri Oct 28 20:05:18 -0700 2005 1676782 0 rworange 1 1676785 Avoid Tootsie rolls & those kind of throw aways. Quantity over quality - so they really like a big handfull of stuff and then something special- not necessarily a full size candy bar- but something cool like a rope candy etc. Our local had 4 for a dollar Nerd ropes so I have those ready for the kids I know are in the hood versus fly-ins. Fri Oct 28 20:00:04 -0700 2005 1676721 0 Torty 1 1676798 I just finished stuffing 50+ bags (good stuff) for my kids' classmates, and about 70+ bags (slightly less good stuff) for neighborhood kids...mini Milk-Duds, Snickers, Nerds, etc. I just use snack-size ziplocs and pre-stuff them because my husband hands out the candy and he's such a cheapskate...one year I came home & realized he'd been handing out ONE mini tootsie roll per kid. Its a wonder we didn't get egged... A few tips...keep a few good things back for those special neighbors who might show up late...I keep a 10-pack of M&M's hidden for late-comers who are special enough that we open the door for them even after the official lights-out. Also...not chowish, but...once again, I reveal myself as a former Humane Society employee. Make sure your cat is into the idea of being faced with hordes of scarily-clad, loud strangers. Don't just pick her up & yank the door open or she may have a stroke when she sees those kids in masks & capes. We always got millions more lost & found calls the morning after July 4 (firecrackers scare pets), Halloween (kids in costume, ditto) and Christmas & Thanksgiving (your Uncle Joe doesn't know he shouldn't hold the door open or the cat might escape). I don't really buy into the whole 'black cat torture' rumor/urban myth that circulates about Halloween night, but its a bad time for anyone to have their dogs & cats outside...too many cars, too many strangers, it can really freak them out. Sat Oct 29 00:04:11 -0700 2005 1676721 0 tonifi 1 1676801 Oh, bah on the big bar booers. I've been giving out the big bars for years, and let me tell you, I love my reputation and the reactions I get. The little tiny kids tend to bug their eyes out and toddle down the driveway, giant treat clutched in hand. The older kids, and the parents, come up the driveway telling me they remember and love our house. Last year I had 182 kids. This year, I'm ready for 200+, with 5 boxes of Nestle Crunch (36 to a box) and 1 box of 36 Butterfingers. I also have a stash of sugar free chocolate should I get anyone who can't have the good stuff. In the past, I made up the little bags with 8 treats each. Took forever, no one really cared. It's actually cheaper to do what I'm doing now--with coupons I spent less than $60 at BJs. MnMs seemed to be the biggest hit; last year's Snickers got some rejection but I had 3 Musketeers ready for those who didn't want peanuts. More Snickers for me. Yum. My parents have been giving out cold cans of soda for years. The kids love them and so do the parents. Sat Oct 29 02:25:04 -0700 2005 1676721 0 pamela 2 1676840 Wow, you are definitely the cool neighbor, handing out big bars to that many kids! We live in a town where they do trick-or-treating for two nights, last night and tonight. Last night we had 180 kids and should have at least that many tonight. (unless it rains, which it might) We bought bags and bags of fun size candy bars, all the usual suspects, and after reading the posts a few days ago thought maybe I should have gone with something else. At least half the kids went "Oooh! Chocolate!" or similar. We let them pick two each, as this is our first year here and we didn't know just how many kids we would get, and I was afraid I was going to run out. Plus I think we'll get a lot of repeats tonight. I was amazed at how delighted they were to get two pieces! Some even asked "are you sure?" It was so cute. After I get a complete count, next year I might keep an eye out for sales and coupons for the big bars and hand those out, like you said, it would be fun to see their faces! I also had a stash of change in case anyone was trick-or-treating for Unicef, but we never seem to get those anymore. Mon Oct 31 08:04:35 -0800 2005 1676801 0 Persephone 3 1676843 WE have the small chocolate bars, along with the sour type candies. Not sure how many kids we will get. Yesterday I was at one of our local stores, and I guess they bought too much candy. I got two bags of hershey's bars, two bags of Twix and two bags of Reeses' for two dollars. I asked the clerk if that was the right price, and she said it was. I should have bought a dozen bags for that price. I still think she was wrong about the price. Mon Oct 31 09:47:50 -0800 2005 1676840 0 macca 3 1676861 Thanks for the heads up for possible Unicef collections. I'll keep some change on hand. If anyone gets tempted by those little fun snacks, those things are about 110 calories for each little package ... and who REALLY eats just one. That being said, those Halloween Kit Kats with the orange-colored coating and chocolate crisp cookie inside were very nice ... well, I DID need to test one of each kind, don't want to risk giving the kiddies stale candy. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Interesting that there were so many thumbs down on Junior Mints. I'm sure that company would be thrilled to read that. What is annoying was the bags have odd number of pieces. So there are 18 or 19 pieces per bag. Makes it a little difficult to add up total candy on hand and it seems like they trying to short change people out of bags of 20. Very funny that there is a "A' list (known kids) and a "B" list (all others) of trick or treaters. Although I'm not doing it this year, that idea of using snack size ziplocs is a good one. Going with one chocolate thingy and one sweet/tart thingy. No individually M&M that are annoying to unwrap. Unfortunately didn't stumble across any cool stuff like tattoos (although, in my neighborhood, probably not the best idea ... up there with candy cigarettes). I might keep some of those small soda cans on backup in case we run out. The soda will keep for a long time if there isn't a large turnout. For some reason, neighbors I have been tripping over have disappeared this last week, so I haven't got any estimates. The black kitty idea was just a passing fancy. I'll put her in another room with a stash of catnip to keep her mellow. Actually, the SPCA, from experience, validates the fact that some people torture black cats. They won't 'adopt' (it's SF) black cats at Halloween time. I 'adopted' two black cats that were sisters and had to go through some major screening including a follow up visit by a kitty social worker ... sheesh. One hopes the older sister who passed onto a better place this year doesn't pay us a visit tonight. Yeah, animals don't belong at theme events. There was the year I got a live Easter bunny and it beat up the cat. To all the nice people who give out full sized bars, know you will always be fondly remembered. I still remember the people who did that as a kid ... and the ice cream shop that gave out free cones. You'll always be in someone's memory as the nice generous lady, no matter how old us kids get. I'm going with two treats selected by me in the beginning. If not too many kids show up, then I'll let them dig in and pig out. Don't want any of this stuff remaining in the house. Their little metabolisms are alot quicker than mine. Happy Halloween everyone. Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/21/cat21.htm?371 Mon Oct 31 14:49:49 -0800 2005 1676840 0 rworange 1 1676817 One year I found ring pops at the local Costco and they were a huge hit with the kids. This year we bought the regular sized Musketeer bars since parents actually returned the candy with nuts, so I've learned to avoid candy with nuts. Also the kids don't like Junior Mints. Sat Oct 29 16:39:25 -0700 2005 1676721 0 deelicious 1 1676820 Took the kids with us when we went to BJ's to buy the candy. I bought a package of the mixed, full sized chocolate bars. The kids bought a big bag that contained lots of different sour, weird candy- nerds, etc. They also picked up a package of Cows Tails. An earlier poster was right in saying the kids like the sour stuff. Sat Oct 29 18:22:04 -0700 2005 1676721 0 macca