How to you handle trick or treaters on Halloween?

[The Farmers Daughter]

For those of you in towns... how do you handle trick or treaters coming to your door when you have guests at the Inn?

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

Give them candy.

 

[JBloggs]

send the little beggars away!
Just kidding. I am never here so I put a note on the door about one or two nearby carnivals they should go check out. We are not a big trick or treat town, they do, for safety sake, the mall trick or treating and carnivals/fall festivals.
We, ready for this, have never had guests on Halloween. This year we do, but never had, it just drops off - right then, all of a sudden.

 

[EmptyNest]

If they show up at your door, give them candy and send them on their way. No big deal. we never had any here though..too far out of town, off the road etc.

 

[wendydk]

I have bought candy every single year, and have never had a trick or treater. This year, I did not buy any, and so (because Hween is a Saturday this year), will probably get a bunch! D. bought a big bag of apples from the local orchard, so that's what they will get if any show up.

 

[tedwin]

We added a disconnect switch to our very-loud doorbell in the public areas of the inn. On Halloween, we turn off the doorbell and just wait by the door to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

 

[Morticia]

If it's warm enough, hubs sits on the porch to hand out candy. We do pretty much the standard 'lights out' that is recognized by kids (but not guests) everywhere. Once the porch lights are out, no one rings the bell.

 

[Morticia]

send the little beggars away!
Just kidding. I am never here so I put a note on the door about one or two nearby carnivals they should go check out. We are not a big trick or treat town, they do, for safety sake, the mall trick or treating and carnivals/fall festivals.
We, ready for this, have never had guests on Halloween. This year we do, but never had, it just drops off - right then, all of a sudden..

We, ready for this, have never had guests on Halloween. This year we do, but never had, it just drops off - right then, all of a sudden.

Our experience has been that many guests WON'T book to be away from home on Halloween, depending on where they live. They've stated things like: it's not safe to leave the house unguarded or they have to take their kids out.

 

[muirford]

We answer the door and hand out candy; usually we hang out in the living room to be closer to the door. Trick-or-treating is set up to be at specific times, from 6 to 8 I think, and our downtown merchants go all out with tons of candy and staying open late to hand it out. Kids come from other towns to go around our downtown. We're a block away so we get some of the overflow but not a lot.

 

[Don Draper]

I always hope for trick or treaters but we never get any, too far out of town. So I buy a ton of candy and leave it out in a big Halloween bowl for the guests...they love it. Unfortunately so do I!

 

[gillumhouse]

I put my light on and dole out candy to the few that come around. Not many houses downtown so they mostly go to the 2 areas that have lots of houses next to each other. This year I DO have a guest who is a repeat that is friend. She will - if she chooses - be going out to the park with us for Halloween Town. We are having pumpkin carving contest, costume judging, haunted hayride.... DH is a judge and I am helping so we MUST go.

 

[kattrin]

Last year we had 983 trick or treaters - we expect more this year. We live in a historical district that closes down the street and buses in kids from all over the city. The guest just have to go with the flow and enjoy the fun. I never hand out candy - just toys - the parents love it and the older kids stay away. We just hope for nice weather so we can sit outside and have fun with the crowds. A glass of wine, a rocking chair on the porch, nice weather and free entertainment makes everyone happy.

 

[seashanty]

983??? amazing!
i bought candy all 3 years, had two little families ... one with 3 children, one with 4. it's a tiny village. i sat in the guest library with the guests just in case of treaters.
ate lots of candy (not good!) ended up tying orange ribbon around paper lunch bags and giving it to the guests ... trick or treat ... i said. they howled. and dove in.

 

[GeorgiaGirl]

I love trick or treat! I've always wanted to live in a cute downtown area where there was a lot of kids/people out walking around with pumpkins and fallen leaves all over, what I imagine Bree's trick or treat night is like.

 

[Morticia]

I love trick or treat! I've always wanted to live in a cute downtown area where there was a lot of kids/people out walking around with pumpkins and fallen leaves all over, what I imagine Bree's trick or treat night is like..

I love trick or treat! I've always wanted to live in a cute downtown area where there was a lot of kids/people out walking around with pumpkins and fallen leaves all over, what I imagine Bree's trick or treat night is like.

2 entirely different towns here...the 'downtown' has T or T at a specified time. The rest of town has it at the usual time. But it is fun to watch the kids parade around. We decorate the front porch so they know it is ok to knock on our door. Or, as happened the first year, go around to the side door as the sign says. Hubs was sitting right on the porch and the kids walked right past him, read the sign that says to use the side door and came around to the guest entry, where they proceded to let themselves in and wander around saying, 'What kind of place is this?'

 

[DaisyMae]

Last year we had 983 trick or treaters - we expect more this year. We live in a historical district that closes down the street and buses in kids from all over the city. The guest just have to go with the flow and enjoy the fun. I never hand out candy - just toys - the parents love it and the older kids stay away. We just hope for nice weather so we can sit outside and have fun with the crowds. A glass of wine, a rocking chair on the porch, nice weather and free entertainment makes everyone happy.

.

Last year we had 983 trick or treaters - we expect more this year. We live in a historical district that closes down the street and buses in kids from all over the city. The guest just have to go with the flow and enjoy the fun. I never hand out candy - just toys - the parents love it and the older kids stay away. We just hope for nice weather so we can sit outside and have fun with the crowds. A glass of wine, a rocking chair on the porch, nice weather and free entertainment makes everyone happy.

one of the longer, more historic, streets in town is blocked off just for trick or treating. each house on that street usually gets between 300 - 400 each year. more if it is especially nice weather. i thought 300 - 400 was alot but then i saw the 983!

 

[Samster]

We live downtown in a historic district. I managed to only have guests in our second house and put up a sign not to ring the doorbell over there but to come to our house for candy. I had about 10-15 kids total. Our city is now going to "safe trick or treating" in several locations, including our downtown business area and one of the museums downtown. I told the trick or treaters that we had come to the door about it because it's all free. They looked at me like I was cRaZy and then demanded chocolate!!

 

[gillumhouse]

We had one (1) trick or treater! My guerst brought a huge bag of candy - so i did not even have to buy any. Gave a BIG handful. The nit was time to leave for Halloween Town so I left the porch light on and a big bowl of candy on the porch. Came home and the bowl was still full!

 

[greyswan]

We had less this year than last year (under 100)... and no guests :-( But last year when we had guests, it really wasn't a problem... it was warm enough to sit ont he front porch and our guests sat and visited with us and enjoyed watching the children. A large number are acompanied by their parents. I like the idea of passing out toys - we do get a lot of older children who are (in my humble opinion) too old to be doing this. what kind of toys and what is your supply source, Kattrin?

 

[Morticia]

It was very slow this year. Saw kids just walking past our place, even with lights on and decorated. I think they may have been told at school to not bother the businesses unless they had the T or T sign up. Little kids came, tho. Cute as usual.