Stan Horwitz wrote:
> In article >,
> Margaret Suran > wrote:
>
>> A few weeks ago, I bragged about how well I treat the kids in my
>> building. Now I have to confess that things have changed.
>>
>> For many years now, twenty five or so, I have prepared little bags
>> full of Halloween candy for the trick or treaters in our building, a
>> high rise with several hundred apartment, as well as very small gifts
>> for the really small babies and toddlers, for whom I would have small
>> gifts.
>>
(snippage)
>> This year, for the first time, I will not buy gifts for the tiniest.
>> When I filled out the "please come for trick or treat" sheet, I
>> didn't ask the babies and toddlers to come. It would be much too
>> expensive. In former years, there were five or ten, perhaps a
>> dozen. I hope
>> that the parents will bring them around in spite of it, to show off
>> to all the neighbors. A few will get what I bought ahead of time.
>> ) M
>
> Its been several years since the last time I was home on Halloween,
> this year, as I usually do, I will go over to a friend's house in
> Philly and take their two kids out trick or treating and I will shoot
> lots of photos of the kids in their costumes, which I will probably
> give out to their parents as Christmas gifts.
>
> In the lobby of my apartment building, there's a sign up list for
> tenants who will give out candy this Halloween. Only two tenants have
> signed up thus far. That's typical. In my building, there are probably
> only two or three families with school age kids. Most of my neighbors
> are either college students or seniors.
My apartment complex sends out a monthly newsletter. They specifically
asked parents not to have kids knock on doors unless the front porch light
is on. This is the indicator that the resident has treats for the kids.
There are very few children in this complex and the majority of them are
located on one end of it. When I first moved in 8 years ago I bought candy.
No one knocked on the door. I don't bother anymore.
It's not like it used to be when kids could scour several neighborhoods and
come home with tons of treats. Parents are just too scared (sadly, rightly
so) to let their kids knock on the doors of strangers. Around here, schools
organize Halloween parties for the kids. A few churches do, too, if they
aren't of the belief that Halloween somehow represents satanic worship.
Jill