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Should Trick or Treating be Banned?
- Oct 26, 2009 at 9:47 AM
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- Comments (60) Total Views (1810) Everyone can see this journal post.
Will trick or treating be banned? If the supervisors of Dunkard County Pennsylvania have anything to say about it , it just might.
A small town in Pennsylvania has banned trick or treating this year. Dunkard County has received quite a lot of attention this year for their town-wide ban on the age-old tradition of trick or treating. The town is opting instead for a 4-hour party to be held in the firehouse.
As a parent, I must admit that I commend their intentions however not their methods. Now do not get me wrong, I am not one of those alarmist parents who believe the wide spread urban myth about tainted candy. Nor do I belong to a fundamentalist church that spouts hate mongering nonsense about Halloween being “Satan’s Holiday”. No my children spent many a happy Halloween scampering through the neighborhoods of our small town.
No my reasons are a little more practical.
You see I live in the Midwest. South Dakota to be exact, where winter comes early and hard. Many of the trick or treating excursions that I have undertaken in the past 26 years of parenting involve not only cute little costumes and pumpkin shaped buckets with a mandatory flashlight thrown in for safety. It also involves heavy coats, mittens, scarves and occasionally snow boots. Which unless you did some major planning and had a willing little goblin , pretty much defeats the purpose of the cute little costume. Oh there have been years that I have talked the kids into more practical costume choices of scarecrows and hobos, costume’s that can be adapted and even incorporated over a bulky coat. But I’ll tell you, there is just no way to pull off a fairy princess with a down filled jacket and over boots.
I have fond memories of little goblins and witches running door to door, bags gripped tightly in their hands and mask muffled yells of “trick or treat”. I have even had the best house on the block award sewed up tightly in the bag with homemade tombstones, ghosts and spooky music, years before you could buy it all on QVC. I also remember years though that children braved all out blizzards and the year there was an accident in front of my house because a full blown storm had turned the roads into a sheet of treacherous ice more adapted to skates than cars full of kids.
So as much as I hate to admit it and will miss the days, when October 31 heralded packs of pint-sized little candy mongers. I must pipe in with support for what the supervisors of Dunkard Township are suggesting.
In no way though do I believe that the citywide ban should be a mandatory dictate, but an alternative if you so choose to take advantage of it. I do not believe that bans of this type should become a legal matter. It is one of my fears when town’s take it upon themselves to do something as overboard as to ban trick or treating that we will see a day when little ole grandma’s will be ticketed and fined for daring to hand out sweets on Halloween. 
Tags: halloween, children, trick or treating, parenting, opionion
Comments:
I don't believe it should be banned! That is just crazy! I agree that alternatives should be provided but if you don't agree with trick or treating then don't participate people! There is no one forcing you to. Don't ruin someone else's good time just because you don't like it.
I agree with what you said about the cold weather, it does make it hard! I was laughing so hard when I read about some of the costume issues you have had! lol! I think a "trick or treat street" or "trunk or treat" is your best options:)
Yes banned it ! I don't feel comfortable about the hold ideas of it .
Um. No, I don't think it should be banned. BANNING anything is taking away our rights in my opinion. Instead, safer alternatives should be offered. But taking it away entirely? Nope. That's going way too far.
Ugh. NO!!
should not be banned. everyone has the free will to choose to stay at home, or attend a trunk or treat at the church, or a party somewhere indoors. but those who choose to take their kids out should have the right to.
That is ridiculous.
I think it would be wiser to offer the Halloween party as a safe alternative to trick-or-treating, and let people decide for themselves. We have a 19 month old, and we're doing something at our church, but we won't be going door to door. We would go to a party like this if our city had one.
It's an unnecessary tradition. I'll buy my kids candy, thanks. No need to go begging at strangers' doors, telling them they'd better give them candy or they will do something bad to them.
Ridiculous.
Even if they "ban" if, you can always take your kid to a neighborhood in another city and let them have at it. :)
Me, I too once worse snowsuits under my costumes. My sister and I went as a pair of dice, pair of bumble bees, etc...
I want my children to enjoy that joy as much as I did, and dont care if we have to skip the princess costume for a cat or witch. Fun is fun!
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It's sad.
People are handing out their rights like Halloween candy.