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Sunday, November 03, 2013

Trick-or-treating in the neighborhood


Halloween evening Zoya and I took the kids trick-or-treating down the road we live on.  We went to the same houses we always do, and all the neighbors were expecting us.  Not many trick-or-treaters go down our street - we only had one set visit our house.  These days most kids go downtown for trick-or-treating where all the businesses are geared up for them.  Sadly I think neighborhood trick-or-treating is becoming a thing of the past and the downtown thing more the norm.

This is sad because I think trick-or-treating is how your kids meet and get to know the neighbors.  It is an activity that brings a community together.  And if a neighbor is 'scary' about trick-or-treating that is a neighbor the kids should avoid.  A friend of ours took their kids trick-or-treating in another neighborhood and ran into signs that said, 'nobody home' and 'do not ring the doorbell'.  So it's no wonder that people are opting for the sanitized downtown version of Halloween.  But it is still sad.

But in our neighborhood trick-or-treating is alive and well.  When I first moved to Kodiak there was only one family that went up and down the street.  Now that family's kids are too old for the activity and we drop by their house with our kids.  This year we went a little later than usual and a few people told us they were worried we were not going to show up.  Patrick




2 comments:

My Little Family: said...

Love the witch costume with extra tuffs :)

Trick or treating is alive and well in my area. We have between 150 - 200 per year. I live in a small neighborhood with only 50 houses and there are few children but we have sidewalks and street lights so others come.

Zoya, Patrick, Nora and Stuart said...

Glad you liked the Xtra tuffs, and it is good to hear about the numbers of trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood. With that number there must be a line at your door!

I think the neighborhood 'feel' is probably critical. Another big change that I know is real is that Halloween is now about adult parties when it used to be just for kids and trick or treaters. Patrick