What is up with trunk or treats?!

[Anonymous]

There used to be a church preschool in front of our house that had one. It was fun. A lot of the neighborhood kids would go and it was a good time.

If you don’t want to go, just don’t go. Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's tailgating is stupid. This is just another version.

Tailgating is awesome. Love a good tail gate.

[Anonymous]

We have trunk or treats at our preschool in Rockville every year. It’s fun and it’s a safe environment for the kids. Some of the parents went all out and it was fun!

[Anonymous]

They do this at all the churches near me in MD and they’ve been doing it since I was a child. My friends used to do them because they didn’t live in a neighborhood so they’d just do this instead of trick or treating from house to house.

[Anonymous]

So you went to a trunk or treat and are annoyed your kids got candy, which is implied in the name alone, and that they didn’t host a dance party or scavenger hunt, neither of which are implied in the name? Dance in your own house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We normally don't go to Trunk or Treats because I don't think DS needs more candy. We did go to one this year because friends invited us and there were bouncy houses and DS cannot pass up a bouncy house, he is 7. There was some candy but not a ton. He had a blast but it was more of a social event then it was a candy based event.

I know that some Trunk or Treats were set up so that kids who live on streets with no trick or treating options, due to lack of houses and or perceived danger, would have a trick or treat option. The Y in our area has one and kids are bused in from different places to participate.

I also think that they are held so that parents feel more comfortable with the activity. Some are held by religious groups and are meant to take the place of Halloween which is seen as problematic because wizards and demons and ghosts and ghouls are problematic. Some provide families with a sense of security because the candy is provided by an organization so the parents are less worried about things in candy.

I think that there are a good number because kids like getting dressed up in their costumes and running around getting candy.

So are kids not allowed to wear costumes, or just not scary costumes?

I've only recently heard of this, but more on Facebook etc. posted by relatives in suburban areas. I live in NW DC and have never heard of one here in DC.

My DS had psychological disturbances, and for awhile he was placed in a therapeutic foster home (battles with the school led to this, it was pretty awful). The family were evangelical Christians whose own kids were homeschooled. They were completely opposed to Halloween because the holiday lets the devil in. He got pulled out of there because of their relentless proselytizing.

Holy crap, are you saying that your child was taken away from you and placed in a home with religious nuts??

[Anonymous]

Basically the kids walk in circles to all of the cars until the candy runs out. Kids were bored after 15 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Trunk or treat is a church thing that was started about
20-25 years ago to provide an alternative to
Halloween and also as outreach to get families into churches.

A lot of the churches that have trunk or treat will also
have bounce houses for children and other games for children.

Basically trunk or treat was church outreach to get families
with children to step foot on church properties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We normally don't go to Trunk or Treats because I don't think DS needs more candy. We did go to one this year because friends invited us and there were bouncy houses and DS cannot pass up a bouncy house, he is 7. There was some candy but not a ton. He had a blast but it was more of a social event then it was a candy based event.

I know that some Trunk or Treats were set up so that kids who live on streets with no trick or treating options, due to lack of houses and or perceived danger, would have a trick or treat option. The Y in our area has one and kids are bused in from different places to participate.

I also think that they are held so that parents feel more comfortable with the activity. Some are held by religious groups and are meant to take the place of Halloween which is seen as problematic because wizards and demons and ghosts and ghouls are problematic. Some provide families with a sense of security because the candy is provided by an organization so the parents are less worried about things in candy.

I think that there are a good number because kids like getting dressed up in their costumes and running around getting candy.

So are kids not allowed to wear costumes, or just not scary costumes?

I've only recently heard of this, but more on Facebook etc. posted by relatives in suburban areas. I live in NW DC and have never heard of one here in DC.

My DS had psychological disturbances, and for awhile he was placed in a therapeutic foster home (battles with the school led to this, it was pretty awful). The family were evangelical Christians whose own kids were homeschooled. They were completely opposed to Halloween because the holiday lets the devil in. He got pulled out of there because of their relentless proselytizing.

Holy crap, are you saying that your child was taken away from you and placed in a home with religious nuts??

Yikes! I hope that family was removed from the foster home system!! Preying on vulnerable kids? That's really disgusting.

[Anonymous]

DH is from Utah and the Mormons ONLY do trunk or treats with their church wards and not traditional trick or treating. I have no idea why, I find it really strange. But basically Mormons have completely switched to trunk or treating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We normally don't go to Trunk or Treats because I don't think DS needs more candy. We did go to one this year because friends invited us and there were bouncy houses and DS cannot pass up a bouncy house, he is 7. There was some candy but not a ton. He had a blast but it was more of a social event then it was a candy based event.

I know that some Trunk or Treats were set up so that kids who live on streets with no trick or treating options, due to lack of houses and or perceived danger, would have a trick or treat option. The Y in our area has one and kids are bused in from different places to participate.

I also think that they are held so that parents feel more comfortable with the activity. Some are held by religious groups and are meant to take the place of Halloween which is seen as problematic because wizards and demons and ghosts and ghouls are problematic. Some provide families with a sense of security because the candy is provided by an organization so the parents are less worried about things in candy.

I think that there are a good number because kids like getting dressed up in their costumes and running around getting candy.

So are kids not allowed to wear costumes, or just not scary costumes?

I've only recently heard of this, but more on Facebook etc. posted by relatives in suburban areas. I live in NW DC and have never heard of one here in DC.

My DS had psychological disturbances, and for awhile he was placed in a therapeutic foster home (battles with the school led to this, it was pretty awful). The family were evangelical Christians whose own kids were homeschooled. They were completely opposed to Halloween because the holiday lets the devil in. He got pulled out of there because of their relentless proselytizing.

Holy crap, are you saying that your child was taken away from you and placed in a home with religious nuts??

I read it as saying that her DS was with this family before he became her DS through adoption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is from Utah and the Mormons ONLY do trunk or treats with their church wards and not traditional trick or treating. I have no idea why, I find it really strange. But basically Mormons have completely switched to trunk or treating.

So if someone moved to a regular normal suburb in Utah, and went out trick or treating on Oct 31...no one else would be out? No one would answer their doors?

[Anonymous]

that would be so weird--no one walking around on halloween..

[Anonymous]

I see them more now. Never heard of this when I was a kid. I think it stems from parents being scared to let their kids trick or treat or get candy from people they don't know. it seems kind of lame.

[Anonymous]

My DD's DCPS has one as part of its Halloween event, as does the MD pool we belong too, so they're definitely done in this area too. I agree w/ OP in the sense that these events only make sense as trick-or-treating replacements, but both our neighborhood and the neighborhood our pool is in are big trick-or-treating neighborhoods so it just seems strange to me.