1 I got a record turnout this year, gave out about two-thirds of my candy.  It's only become an event in Australia in the last five years or so; and naturally the retailers are pushing it for all its worth.  And I'm happy with that - it's a fun holiday and means they don't start pushing Christmas quite so early.

2

Around here these days they start pushing Christmas middle of October, kind of in parallel with Halloween. Then they switch totally to Christmas Nov 1 for about 3 weeks, take a week break for Thanksgiving (which you don't do, right?) and then switch back to Christmas on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, and legendarily the single biggest shopping day of the year).

I hate going to the stores during the last  three months of the year.

And they never run "Gramma got run over by a reindeer" on the muzak.

3 Yeah, no Thanksgiving here, and no real analog either.

The stores have started stocking Christmas stuff, but aren't pushing it yet.  I noticed a much bigger Halloween presence this year than ever before, though.

And then Easter eggs start showing up in January....

4 I had a pretty big turnout between 6:15 and 7:45 that went through 46 pounds of candy, so any stragglers will have to hope that my neighbors still have some.

Most popular costume: teenager with grocery bag. Second most popular: teenager with a few smears of "zombie" makeup and a backpack.

-j

5 46 pounds?!  I had maybe 3.

6

7 I give it out by the handful. The neighborhood kids really like it when I'm home on Halloween.


-j

8 Only one trick or treater here.  I guess my condo development isn't a big payout location - I'm at the far end, but by the time he got to me, he only had a couple pieces of candy in his basket.  I filled it up, but there's still enough left over to stuff everyone in my office for weeks.

9 Turn out was light around here, probably due to the rain.  It used to be about 120 kids or so.  I give out Snickers, Milky Way and 3 Musketeers, because I remember how much it sucked to get Smarties and Dum-Dum pops.  I prepared for a big turn out, but when it looked like it wasn't going to be a big night, I gave everyone two bars, and I still have a LOT left.

Apartment complexes never seemed to be the right kind of place to go trick-or-treating, between the controlled access, stairs, or being in a hallway rather than outdoors, it just doesn't feel right.

10 What I've got is Butterfinger, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. And there hasn't been anyone. It's 9:30 and I'm getting worried.

11 I got dibs on the Reese's!

Now just let me get in my car and drive 2500 miles to Oregon.  Heh.