What is trick or treat etiquette nowadays?

1. 81

   purl3agonyposted 10 years ago

   What is trick or treat etiquette nowadays?
   
   My husband and I don't have children, but happily hand out candy to the neighborhood children. Last year, I was a bit surprised at the behavior of children in our neighborhood while trick or treating. 
   
   We handed out fun-sized Snickers (which was considered the Cadillac of candy when I was a kid).  Most of the children stared at me and seemed to be expecting more.  Should we have been giving out more or larger candy bars?
   
   And very few of the children said "thank you".  Is this too much to ask nowadays?  Are we out of the loop on what to expect from trick or treaters?  Or is this common?

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2. 72

   Glimmer Twin Fanposted 10 years ago

   I have an 11 year old and we get a lot of kids in our neighborhood.  We give out those mini candy bars, I usually give 3 per child.  Most kids are polite and gladly take what I give out.  I get a lot of thank you's and I can only hope that my daughter says thanks when she gets her candy.  I try to remind her a couple times throughout the night.  She loves getting the big candy bars, but we only have 1 or 2 neighbors who give those out.  Happy Halloween to you purl3agony!  Nice to see you.

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   1. 81

      purl3agonyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Glimmer Twin!  Sounds like things have changed a bit since I was a kid and I need to hand out more candy : )  Thanks for your response!  Always great to hear from you

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3. 94

   peeplesposted 10 years ago

   Some kids are just rude little brats that I feel like telling to go home. However I think these days kids expect a handful of candy. When I was a kid we got one piece. I rarely see only one piece given now. So the children might be caught off guard by their ungrateful high expectations!

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   1. 81

      purl3agonyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, peeples!  Sounds like I'm out of the loop on this.  Thanks for your answer!

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4. 75

   DzyMsLizzyposted 10 years ago

   I do think that many kids nowadays are spoiled brats, whose parents have fostered expectations that they, the children, rule the roost, and have failed to teach and enforce good manners.
   We were raised in the tradition of "beggars can't be choosers," and we said a grateful 'thank you' at every door.  Most especially to the older couple on the block, who had the very best decorations, and handed out nickel Hershey bars!  That was extravagant and nearly unheard of in the 1950's!
   We thought they didn't have any kids--they were kindly folks, known to the rest of us as "Uncle Jimmy" and "Auntie Louise."  Only as we grew older, and visited them outside of Halloween, did we learn that they were not childless, but had moved on to the years of being grandparents.

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   1. 81

      purl3agonyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi DzyMwLizzy!  I agree I'm a bit disappointed by the behavior of some of the children in our neighborhood.  Glad to hear you had some wonderful (and generous) neighbors growing up!  Thanks for your response!!

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5. 73

   Aime Fposted 10 years ago

   I usually give one to little kids and two to older kids... unless "older" means teenagers, in which case I reluctantly give one (while stifling the urge to ask them if they're too old to be trick or treating).
   
   I expect a thank you unless they're really little and look overwhelmed.

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   1. 81

      purl3agonyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Aime!  I like your advice on how much candy to give per child.  I'll definitely keep this in mind next year.  Thanks so much for your response!!

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6. 74

   easylearningwebposted 10 years ago

   
   
   I usually make lollipop ghosts and the kids love them every year. It's pretty inexpensive and adds to the fun. I created a hub on how to make them. I usually give out a lollipop ghost and a couple pieces of mini-candy bars. This year instead of fumbling around to gather pieces for each child, I decided to make some bags (the see-through halloween kind), so we'll see how that goes.
   
   Happy Halloween!

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   1. 81

      purl3agonyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Your ghosts are so cute!  Thanks for sharing!!

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