A haunting we will go

[dixiehack]

I did not expect to start a Halloween thread, but this is bizarre to me.

Going door-to-door for candy on All Hallows' Eve has long been commonplace throughout the country. But not in Des Moines, where Iowa's capital city took a different approach more than seven decades ago in hopes of tamping down on hooliganism.

Instead, Des Moines children don their costumes on Beggars' Night, typically the day before Halloween. And besides screaming, "Trick-or-Treat," children are expected to tell a joke before receiving a treat.

In a first since 1938, Des Moines, Iowa, kids will trick-or-treat on Halloween

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Halloweenloose.

 

[DanOregon]

Halloween was the only night of the year we had family dinner before 6 p.m.. We always ate late, like 8 or 9 pm. with all of us kids having soccer practice etc. Mom would usually make soup and grilled cheese. And it ALWAYS irritated me when we were eating, and it wasn't even dark yet and the doorbell would start ringing. I was convinced there wouldn't be any candy left by the time we hit the streets.
Anyone else do the shaving cream thing? Where you "modify" the nozzle (Barbasol works great) with a nail and melt it to get it to spray six feet or so? I was in college and felt bad that I had to demonstrate how to do it to some of my friends. Talk about a wasted youth.

 

[Batman]

In Mississippi it seems like Halloween is a floating holiday. Every year in early October it's a big deal for each town to announce the date and times of trick-or-treating. As a Yankee kid, we always went out as soon as it started getting dark on Oct. 31, and wrapped it up by about 8 p.m. That's just the way it was. The idea that you can do it on a different day is still completely bizarre to me.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

I just reread this. I thought they didn't do trick-or-treat it all. They did it, just not on Halloween.

I don't get why this is a story. All kinds of communities around me have trick-or-treat on all kinds of different days. I says trick-or-treat should be on Halloween or not at all. But my opinion doesn't count most places.

 

[dixiehack]

It’s one thing if the Karen brigade pushes it to the weekend before. But always on the 30th? And I have to put on a show too? Miss me with that nonsense Des Moines.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Halloweenloose.

Frightloose.

 

[cyclingwriter2]

Happy Halloween, you filthy animals

 

[swingline]

I've eaten about two-thirds of the candy I bought to hand out. Unlike Motel 6, we're keeping the light off.

We've had maybe three kids come by in the two years we've lived here.

I'm gonna turn into a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. The full size!

 

[fossywriter8]

In Mississippi it seems like Halloween is a floating holiday. Every year in early October it's a big deal for each town to announce the date and times of trick-or-treating. As a Yankee kid, we always went out as soon as it started getting dark on Oct. 31, and wrapped it up by about 8 p.m. That's just the way it was. The idea that you can do it on a different day is still completely bizarre to me.

The Ohio city I live in holds it on a Saturday each year.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

The Ohio city I live in holds it on a Saturday each year.

Ohio is weird.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

It’s past 8:30 Central and the light is off. As usual I overbought on sugar bombs, so the whole pail is going to work with me tomorrow.

 

[Webster]

Our house is on a big street, but the sidewalk on our side ends one house past us, so people tend not to visit unless they know us, especially once it gets dark. So one box of full sized candy bars from BJs is way more than enough.

 

[OscarMadison]

Dangit. Was hoping for ghost stories.

It rained here, so there were not little beggars. I took two virtual studio workshops and watched Beetlejuice with the momster. Well, I did get paid for some ghost writing, which was fitting for th date.

Happy All Saints/Dia de los Muertos. Will be putting out Three Musketeers for Dad.

 

[DanOregon]

Is it still considered "left over" Halloween candy if you don't get any trick or treaters?

 

[dixiehack]

Dia de los Muertos.

Watching Coco with my daughter tonight, then going to our first one of these tomorrow in a neighboring town. Kind of excited.

 

[playthrough]

If you're like me and now scour the earth for discounted Halloween candy, happy hunting.

 

[Spartan Squad]

Little man went out about 6:30, he went hard for about a half hour then wanted to come home. We circled the neighborhood and came home.

My area has a lot of little ones so the groups came in waves. We left a bowl out so we could get little Spartan to bed. Refilled it a few times but about 8 or so, I just handed half a bag to some teenagers. We ration my kid’s candy and I didn’t want a bunch of stuff until Memorial Day.

 

[Spartan Squad]

Speaking of Halloween candy bowls, I always laugh my ass off at people complaining on Facebook about how someone emptied their bowl. And they whine and complain about teens ruining it.

A) this happens every year and every time someone leaves candy out. Don’t act surprised that it happens

B) You are trying to get rid of this candy, why are you pissed you succeeded? Yeah you want everyone to get a piece and you want it to be fair, but (capital B-U-T) you aren’t offering what they can’t get from every other house and have you seen the size of candy stashes kids get? They aren’t missing out because someone chugged your bowl. Yeah they’re dicks for doing it and I’d be irked if my son did that, but honestly, see the beginning of part B.

 

[OscarMadison]

Halloween 2019 nearly broke me of liking it. I blame the Mommies.
A few ywars ago, people in my little bedroom community adopted The Teal Pumpkin campaign. For those of you unfamiliar this is a way to let children with T1DM, T2DM, Chrones, and food allergies know you are giving away treats that are safe for them. A week or two before Halloween that year, some parents (actually more like the fatass grammaws) were complaining about their kids getting whatever was trendy when they should be getting chocolate batsd with caramel "like they give out in the good neighborhoods."

I decided after two years of parents femanding both the candy treats and the Teal Pumpkin treats "'cause it might be sump'n good" it was time to just give everyone a non-edible goodie and be donme with it. I put together a bag that had and three Japanese Godzilla stickers, a tiny Sanrio bottle of bubble stuff, and a Universal Monsters eraser. I made sure the neighborhood kids were covered and then gav e most ofthe remainders to all comers. It got a little crazy, with Mommies mrching upwith their kids and demanding extras.

I turned out the light when I thouht the last ToTer and Mommy showed up at 8:40-ish. As I turned off the porch light as she was walking away, she turned around, marched up t me and said her friend was in town with her kids and she told her about my house and to "NOT DARE TAKE DOWN THE DECORATIONS OR TURN OFF THE LIGHT." I ignored her and continued to disassemble my cute pumpkome town. Almost thirty minutes later, a Lincoln Navigator with Williamson County tags pulled up and an argument ensued between two very tired children and their mother. She had driven them all this way to have the BEST HALLOWEEN EVER and she was not allowed to Trick or Treat and they were giving away GOOD STUFF AND THEY HAD DARNED WELL BETTER GET OUT AND GET THEIR TREATS!!!

This was a grown wman throwing a tantrum over what probab ly cost less than a dollar from Oriental Trading,

Two very tired children reluctantly dragged out of the vehicle and muttered a a half-hearted "Trick or treat." As they got back in, she gave me a cheery wave and I threw a clod of dirt and mulch from one of my flower beds at her back window Pro-tip from anthropology school: Don't **** off the natives.

I hope she wasn't planning on making an additional run through East Nashville.*

See also: The Mommy who cornered me on Nov. 2nd, '95 bto see if I would decorate my proch because she's always taken her kids' Halloween pictures on my porch and I didn't participate that year, so I owed her or something. ** ****

*Hey Pretty Boy from East Nashville Bulldog 2007 Music Publisher: Nobody's Collecting On These Songs by Snider, Todd


** My father died earlier that year. Halloween was his thing and I wasn't in the mood.

***"Gee, Oscar! You're so good with kids! Why don't you teach?" THE MOMMIES!