A curmudgeon speaks out on "TRUNK"-or-Treating (Warning .... controversy ahead)

As we returned home the other night, we passed by a huge crowd of parked cars with adults and children milling about.

"What's going on?" asked Husband.

"Oh," said I, "it's the ranch community TRUNK-or-Treat party."  (Not to be confused with those my church group has sponsored over the years.)

These are, as I have heard, parking lot parties (held sometime during the week prior to Halloween) where people gather with their vehicles decorated in a festive-spooky fashion, and hand out candy to costumed children going car-to-car.   This is offered in addition to the traditional trick-or-treating on Halloween night, October 31.   I don't understand such activities that mimic the real thing a few days before the real thing, causing a double sugar whammy for children and added assault on the wallet for adults ..... and will explain why.  But first a bit of personal history, titled,

"As It Should Be, In My Opinion" or "My Generation Ruled, So There"  .....



When I was a kid, and I'll just say it .... some 50 years ago ..... Halloween consisted of putting together a costume of sorts (there was seldom room in the budget to buy one) using old clothes or whatever one had on hand.  The ol' hobo theme was always a good backup ... (which I've heard is now politically incorrect.....)  Then we teamed up with our friends and set out after dark with the grand plan of covering miles and miles to facilitate the biggest candy haul ever known to mankind.  But after two or three blocks, we fizzled out and returned home to sprawl on the living room floor in front of the fireplace to count and sort the spoils.  And on the banner years, there might be a spooky-fun movie playing on the TV to top it all off.  (No recorded movies back then.  We got what was offered on any of the five TV channels, or nothing.)

The Whites, two houses away, always gave out homemade popcorn balls, and Mrs. Phelps (next door) always greeted us with a tray full of paper cups of apple juice.  These were traditions a kid could count on.  And get this -- back then the candy bars were FULL-SIZED.  Yup.  None of this "fun size" nonsense.  My favorite was Nestles Crunch Bars which I had to hide before my dad got them.  Then anything chocolate, then anything soft and chewy, with the suckers ranking last.  It was glorious and I usually plowed through it within three days.

Then as teenagers, we had the grace to pass the tradition on to the younger kids and stayed home to help at the door or perhaps go to a well-chaperoned party.  (Hint to parents:  THIS is the age that needs an organized party or activity.  The little kids are happy JUST trick-or-treating..... trust me.)

As a kid, I never once heard of a "TRUNK-or-treat" party.  We had the little parties at school but other than that, TRICK-or-treating on the 31st was it.  I mean .... it was mind-boggling-to-a-kid plenty.  We never felt deprived because once a year for a few magical hours we could canvas the neighborhood after dinner, knock on any door, and get free candy!

Possibly for religious reasons, if Halloween happened to fall on a Sunday and some felt it inappropriate to knock on doors, threatening tricks on the Lord's day .... then I understand the need for an alternative event on another night.  Makes sense.  And I suspect this may be how Trunk-or-Treat parties began because if you google "trunk or treat", my particular religion is implicated in the top site.  (These may be the same people who thought -- Why stop with Santa when we can burden parents further with "elf-on-a-shelf"?)

Good and well-meaning ideas tend to take off like the plague and with some groups, this one has become the norm every year.  So now kids get TWO almost-consecutive nights of fleecing strangers for free candy so that they can gorge themselves on enough sugar to set back the health code for years.

Some cite safety reasons ..... but really .... did those old razor-blade-in-the-apple stories really happen?  Really?  Check the candy before they eat it, if needed.   If you really don't trust your neighbors, then organize the trunk-or-treating party to happen (INSTEAD of trick-or-treating) on Halloween night.

I'm all for a good old-fashioned Halloween.  As adults, when we lived in a populated neighborhood where children seemed to be bused in, we geared up with bags of candy, spending a small fortune on Reeses PB cups, Snickers,  KitKats, etc., since homemade treats are now forbidden ..... and happily tossed 'em into the plastic pumpkins, pillow cases, or bags, held by the little goblins awaiting at the door.  I'm even well-behaved and kindly give to the teenagers who (again, my opinion) look quite ridiculous standing there asking for treats.  But having to spend the money needed to buy enough candy to cover TWO nights in one week .... is too much.  I mean ..... why?  Isn't one big night enough these days?

So even though I feel a bit surrounded by trunk-or-treat candy-gorged events, I avoid them.  I feel no need to dispense candy twice in the same week.  To be clear --- I am only talking about parties that try to duplicate trick-or-treating for children when actual Halloween-night-trick-or-treating is already available.

Because once a year the real thing ..... is wonderful enough.