We have some long standing traditions in our family concerning Halloween. I loved Halloween when I was a kid. Back then you would get a pillowcase and go Trick or Treating with your friends no parents needed. My sister would usually come too. We were quite little but didn't need adults watching over us at all times like it is today. We roamed the neighborhood freely trying to fill our pillowcases to the top. Then we would come home when we could no longer heft our engorged pillowcases and dump them out and sort and trade our candy. It was so much fun! Of course your parents had to check our candy to make sure there weren't razor blades hidden in an apple (who gives out apples on Halloween? I remember seeing a newscast about this when I was a kid) or other dangerous things in our candy. I think it was just a conspiracy really to let the parents paw through the candy and take what they wanted.
Our current tradition, as dusk falls everyone gets their costumes on and we gather in the front yard for pictures. Then as the evening sky fades to black we begin Trick or Treating. If the porch light is on that means the house is open for Trick or Treating. We always Trick or Treat in our own neighborhood and we WALK. Lots of people drive which we scoff at quite throughly. This neighborhood was built in the late 1960's so they are all ranch style houses surrounding the golf course. These days there are not as many houses that hand out candy maybe four to eight houses per street so there is a lot of walking. We Trick or Treat as long as the kids want to keep walking. This year I turned the tracker on my phone on to log our route and time. We walked 2.2 miles averaging 56 minutes per mile. The kids walked a bit further than that as they walked up the doors and knocked while Ashlee and I waited on the curb.
The Dementor
This is Declan who your can hardly see
(I think the photographer Ashlee had trouble with her settings)
Captain America
McCoy
Sleathy Ninja
Archer
Heidi
Zaynzley
Last year Zany was Heidi too. She loves this costume because it is soft and not scratchy like lots of costumes are and because last year a sweet older lady gave her two candies because she was the first Heidi (possibly only) she had seen that night. Zany still likes to remember that.
Trick or treating!
Poor McCoy's feet were killing him while we were Trick or Treating any chance he got to sit down on a fence or wall and rest them he did. As soon as he got home he took of his shoes.
Poor McCoy's sore feet
Once we are done Trick or Treating we come home and hand out candy to other Trick or Treaters while all of our collected candy is dumped onto two cookie sheets and then sorted into two big bowls the chocolate bowl and not-chocolate bowl. It becomes communal candy. The missionary we had to dinner the day after Halloween was shocked by this. I guess he retained sole possession of his candy. After the candy is sorted we go to the backyard where we have a fire in the fire pit and watch a Halloween movie. Everyone eats as much candy as they want while while watching the movie. Then the candy is put away and makes a few more appearances throughout the week. After that the rest of the candy is given away to the piano teacher (Grandma Parke) to handout to the piano students.
I let the kid stay up late on Halloween and sleep in the following morning and drive them to school late. With all that walking they need the extra rest!
Zany with her bucket
Quinton and Zany
Quinton had football practice so didn't go Trick or Treating with us. Good thing for him our candy is communal or he would be out of luck and candy!
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