Tonight's Halloween Highlights

Tonight was Halloween!  This was our third in this neighborhood, a neighborhood known for getting MANY trick-or-treaters.

2010...around 600

2011...680!!

2012...565--I have to admit, we were a little bit disappointed.

We had 800 pieces of candy at the ready, lights on, spooky music coming out of the speakers, and decorations.  The normal 7-8pm rush was a little slower this year.  And less big groups.

Here are some highlights:

Most Observant Kid:  "You have a No Soliciting sign...are we allowed to ask for candy?"  This kid was also dressed as a vending machine.

Most Frequent Lines:  "Your house is huge!"  (The skylights make it look bigger than it is from ground level.)  "Can I pet your dog?"

Cutest Little Kid Line:  "Have fun trick-or-treating!"  (???)

Most Annoying Kid:  The little girl whose mother was holding her bag, and who came up and started to take the piece of candy right out of my hand.  No "trick-or-treat," no "thank you," nothing.  

Yearly Hilarious Repeat:  When a kid looks through our mail slot.

Most Creative Candy Holder:  The girl who was dressed up as a UPS delivery person and was holding all of her candy in a UPS box.

Line We Never Actually Used as Kids, But They Do Now:  "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!"  Good grief...

Most Frequent Little Kid Costume:  Spiderman and Batman

Most Frequent Big Kid Costume:  Cheerleader and Scream

Best Parent Costume:  Sigfried (or Roy)...a dad was dressed like one of them and had a huge, stuffed white tiger around his shoulders.  

And, as usual, we used discretion about which kids got which candy.  Polite little kids got the good chocolate.  Teenagers with a sticker on their cheeks, or just wearing sweats and holding out a pillow case, got Laffy Taffy and Bottle Caps.

We believe that when you spend $100 on Halloween candy, you get to set up some rules. That's fair, right?

Once again, our neighbors across the street had their pre-Halloween night party.  There were yummy soups, meatballs, and appetizers.  It is also the one time per year that we see the former owners of our house and hear what they think of the changes we've made over the last 12 months.  Hubby had to work until 5pm, so I still made him dinner.  We ate in the dining room and took turns answering the door and taking a tally of how many kids came to our house.

So, even though our numbers were down, we still had a fun night.  And even though it takes weeks to prepare enough candy for the trick-or-treaters, I love that we get so many each year.

And now, on to the next holiday!  Turkey, anyone?