Halloween Stuff

all you need, right there.

so me and my friends made a robocop pumpkin

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2707/4053248900_fc58db957f.jpg

thought you guys might like to see it

check out the full set here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slutsky/sets/72157622557831979/

https://i.imgur.com/NxURQ1F.jpg

ROCKULA: A vampire with sunglasses and a retainer forms a rock band to save his girlfriend from being bludgeoned to death by a hambone-wielding pirate on Halloween.

Starting Toni Basil, Bo Diddley, Thomas Dolby etc

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3w4rqQgsR_8

It's almost... HALLOWEEEEEN!!! Heheheheheh....

https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1383165445i/6422990.jpg

Lightest trick or treater load since 2021! Leftover candy and everything. Monday night blues, I guess.

Actually, since 2020, I guess. I forgot all about first covid Halloween. People were shooting candy down tubes.

from the facebook thread:

we sat on the porch with a massive bowl of penny candy and invited anyone who stopped in to pick out two choices.

two obviously twentysomething kids smoking weed stopped when they saw us on our stoop and one of them tossed on a covid mask and wandered up with "trick or treat, i just turned 15." he took a kitkat with our blessing.

separately, a lady in her fifties/sixties wearing a hijab strolled right up and lunged at our bowl before we could react, grabbing two massive handfuls, dumping them in her bag and then tried to do it again. we actually had to restrain her. she laughed and said something heavily accented about "3 at home" and held her arm out expecting more. i dubiously gave her an additional assortment of starbursts to make her go away. She looked to be carrying something like 15 pounds of candy in multiple sacks already. she tried the same thing next door but didn't make it past their front gate. Possibly a known local character that I haven't met yet?

Everyone else who arrived was 12 or under or parents and exceptionally polite. One dad had a killer homemade Red Guardian costume. Lots of anime characters. One dad shredder and his two kids as ninja turtles. One family dressed as the local broadcast crew for the Mets, kid wearing a mustache and a bald cap tells me "my dad will have to explain."

wife had the idea this year to get a bunch of halloween-themed pencils and erasers and stuff to give out along with candy. i didnt see it coming but kids went nuts over the pencils, yelling in joy and saying things like "Oh awesome, PENCILS!!!" I didnt give pencils to kids who looked older than like 12, but even had a few teens excitedly spot them and go "hey are those pencils? can we have one??" a very wholesome halloween.

Experienced a full on manic Halloween - 60+ kids I reckon - but probably because first year I’ve bothered with Halloween decorations

Neighbors down the street bought an 8-pound bag of potatoes to put out with the candy, and they said most of the trick or treaters took a potato (in addition to candy)!

Baked potato is hearty autumn food! Good idea!

We had our first rainy Halloween that I can remember. Still had almost as many kids as usual though - our neighborhood is pretty die-hard.

A few years before the pandemic, I got tired of handing out the usual candy assortments from the grocery store, so I started buying bulk toys - like wind-up toys, bouncy balls, jewelry, stickers, etc. It's more expensive than buying bulk sugar blobs, but I just wanted to mix it up a little. Then in 2020, I started putting them in gift bags along with a couple of pieces of candy, just to try to make it more socially distanced. The pencils sound like a great idea, and I'll try to remember to add something like that next year. The potato thing opens up possibilities as well. Hmmmm...

As far as costumes, there weren't too many that were out of the ordinary. One lone teenager showed up as Hooty from The Owl House, which my daughter has been watching lately.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle on our (UK) street whatsapp group as people on facebook were asking where were good streets to go for trick or treating and ours got mentioned - some people suggested a password so only kids from our street would get sweets! We went out with our two little ones at half past five and left a bowl of sweets on our doorstep, it was empty when we got back before six. There were kids walking up and down for over an hour after that, luckily some people had laid in better supplies than us. Would that kind of trick or treat tourism raise eyebrows in the US?

In my experience, leaving a bowl out on the honor system leads to one kid (or adult!) getting all of your candy.

Also, in the UK - it was very much a one sweet per person thing going on - I thought the kids would just grab a handful and scarper - and only knocking on doors of the houses that are decorated

Also, the password thing is ridiculous and mean.

I had about 30 kids here, which is a pretty good turnout as I live on top of a hill that is a pain to trudge up. There was rain last night, but it held off until late, so that was lucky. This year giant skeletons have been the lawn decoration of choice for some reason.

Yeah, don’t think I’d be down with the password system - I’d probably go out of my way to sabotage it

The bigger kids came round later and they’d obviously trekked round the entire tower judging by the hauls of sweets. Kinda admired the enterprising attitude

Not a single child came to my estate - not one

That sucks, do you live in a Manor House?

My house seems to have a foreboding aura - I am probably the Cause of it - though i usually seem to be a people-attractor in public places

Would that kind of trick or treat tourism raise eyebrows in the US?

in the 80s i remember my white suburban boomer parents being very concerned about "kids from other neighborhoods", kids they didnt recognize, kids not in costumes, etc, coming and getting our precious candy, obv just barely-veiled racism, classism and white flight paranoia.

Halloween is a bad holiday for introverts

My own kids I know would occasionally strategize over which blocks to hit, who had the best/biggest candy, etc. We used to get plenty of "kids from other neighborhoods," but I don't know anyone that had a problem with it, bar the occasional group of uncostumed who come by after the official trick or treating hours. Even then, the hours here are 4-8. If you work late it can be a pretty rough slog! The last group we had featured a couple of adorable little kids and one very tired looking parent.

the potato thing is a social media meme btw, i was tempted to take part