Asklemmy

If a 45 year old not wearing a costume and strung out on Ketamine says trick or treat at my door, they're getting candy.

What am I, the fucking Halloween police? ACAB.

Yes. Because for the kids that show up at my door without a costume, candy is probably not in their family budget, at all, ever. I load em up.

Yeah, there's any number of reasons a kid might not have a costume. Finances, health, sensory issues, the list goes on.

Its free candy day, who gives a shit just give out free candy! ❤️

Sometimes it’s not the kids’ fault. I’d say most of the time the parents need to be involved in some way with the costume (buying, making, helping to make) and some kids just don’t have present parents so I don't want to punish them for that.

Also I really don’t want leftover candy in my house (because I’ll eat it) so…

It’s free candy day, so yea.

Sure. Life's hard enough.

Not being very immersed in pop culture, I just assume they're dressed as someone from a show I don't watch.

Yes, definitely give everyone treats. Not everyone has the opportunity to dress up for various reasons.

Candy for everyone!

If they show up I hand out the candy and I've been doing it that way for decades. No telling some kid or teens situation in life and there's no need in making it harder on them.

Is this a thing? I'd feel like I was punishing a kid for having broke parents.

Anyone who shows up at my door gets candy

As no one has this year, or the last several years

My wife used to get all grumpy with high school kids (and sometimes even adults) trick or treating. I told her, I'm glad to see anyone that still has that spirit and energy. And if they don't have costumes... They probably can't afford them. Worst case, they're doing something better than the trouble they could be up to.

... But fuck those people that take the whole bowl at houses with no one home.

A lot of the kids in my neighborhood are Muslim and it seems the girls aren't allowed to wear costumes if they are hijabis. I'm not excluding them because of a stupid religious thing.

You come to my door. You get candy.

Young, old, costume or not.

You get candy.

I just walked around with my son and surprisingly I didn't see one kid without a costume. There were a lot of kids out this year.

I don't. Mostly because this isn't a trick or treat neighborhood.

I probably would though, given the option.

Yes. I also don't yell at them to get off my lawn.

Well, tbh, we don't bother with it at all now. There's not enough kids doing it to merit the expense or effort involved (and it ain't like either are high enough to matter, which shows how bad Halloween has gotten).

But, yeah, back when kids still did it, who cares about costumes? Halloween isn't dressupday. There's other traditions involved, including kids running around and having fun just for the sake of the fun itself.

Besides, who am I to determine whether or not someone needs a costume? They might not be able to afford one. They might have some weird religious thing about masks or whatever. They might have some medical issue that prevents a costume. They might have had a costume, but something happened to it. I don't know why they're not wearing one. But if they show up at my door, they're celebrating Halloween. They're taking part in not only a community activity, but a very human activity. That's worth some candy by itself.

Shit, I've given candy to adults that rolled up and said trick or treat because it isn't only about kids. I've handed extra candy to adults and kids that asked with the explanation there was someone that couldn't make it. IDGAF if it's true or not, it isn't about me.

I fucking miss Halloween the way it used to be. You'd think in this bumfuck nowhere semi rural town, we'd still have people out and about. But no, we haven't had a single visitor on Halloween since covid. Even before that, it was two or three the entire night and had been for years.

There was so much fun in putting on a Halloween playlist, or movies, or whatever and waiting to see or hear someone coming. Even if I didn't dress up myself, it was fun to see everyone out and enjoying the night. Hell, back when I was still in physical therapy, on a bloody walker, I was in the living room ready to go. Hopped up on pain meds, but still.

I'm envious that you live somewhere it's still a big thing, costumes or not.

My costume

Edit OH the kids not having a costume

I don't care I'm having fun.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a kid come to the door without a costume, I’m not sure I’d even notice. But yeah, who knows why they haven’t got a costume, so I’d probably give them some.

Yeah, because at least they’re outside and doing something social, instead of being a hermit like me.

Dude, it was like 70F here on Halloween night. Both my kids were sweating bullets when we got them out of their costumes. A couple kids in our group had to take them off because it was overbearing.

Hell I went as Hagrid so my costume was like...sweatpants and a wig. And I had to take my wig off. Granted, I had filled my 30oz Yeti with a pretty strong cocktail for the walk. But still.

I currently leave a bunch of candy on my front steps, most kids really only take 1-3, and I'm out with my kid, so whatever. We check on the camera a few times a night, and if it's empty, we reroute and refill it. This year, Capri Sun and chips have been a big hit.

We invited another friends' family over to sit at a table in our driveway. Had dinner, chatted, handed out lollies to about 40 kids, gave them compliments on their costumes. The 10 who were without costume got the same lollies and "Happy Halloween". I remember what it is to be a kid.

The parents chaperoning kids around are usually not in costume.

As for our decorations and costumes, we had fake spider and snake out, I dressed up family members in a sugar-skull shirt, and I wore a NIN Ghosts shirt.

Before heading out front, my dad-joke got a groan, when I said, "I am dressed as ghosts!"

I rarely run out of candy so fuck it.

Are you Larry David?

Yeah, I don't usually bother anymore

Sometimes.