About Rebecca Eckler
Since becoming pregnant with her daughter Rowan, Canadian journalist and author Rebecca Eckler has penned three hilarious books, including the best-selling Knocked Up. Catch Rebecca’s weekly unique perspective on motherhood and single parenthood.
How many of you stay put in your area when it comes to trick or treating? Or how many of you, like I have, drive to a different area of town to get the goods?
First off, technology, I’d just like to say, has changed the way older kids trick or treat. I noticed this last year, when I saw a gaggle of ten-year-olds on their cell phones telling friends to go to certain addresses because they were giving out the big chocolate bars, and not just the mini ones.
In my area, the houses are pretty far apart, so when it comes to trick or treating, you have to be strategic. You want to get the most candy in the least amount of time, especially if the weather sucks. The quicker the bag is full, the quicker you can get out of the cold, is my thought. Don’t get me wrong. I love trick or treating, but why put so much effort into walking up a street with only a few houses, when we can hit an area with houses close together and get more candy in less amount of time?
Last year, I drove 40 minutes to my brother’s place, an area with townhouses. That, my friends, is a jackpot area for trick or treating, because the houses are so close together and you can get a lot of candy in 30 minutes. However, I’m not sure how much I cut back on time, since I did have to spend a lot of time going to my brother’s house and driving back.
A couple years ago, I went to a friend’s area where they are so into Halloween that they shut down the street so children can run across the street without fear of getting hit by a car. That was a good area too, because the people in that area were really into Halloween and had scary music blasting from houses and even a haunted house in one of the homes.
But, this year, I think I’m going to stay close to home. Yes, we’ll have to walk a lot longer to get as much candy as we could in an area where the houses weren’t as far apart. The upside of this area is that they do give out better chocolate and candies. And, hey, we’ll get a bit of exercise in there as well.
Do you strategically plan your Halloween night trick or treating? Do you hit the areas where you know there will be great hand-outs, or do you prefer quantity over quality? Share! (And if you know what time is reasonable to start trick or treating, can you please let me know? I’ve never quite figured that out!)
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