keeping a halloween tradition alive

allen levine

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new york city burbs
for 15 or so years, Ive given children small toys, or other small items(costume jewelry, school things, etc) instead of handing out candy to the trick/treat kids that come to our door.
Seems over the years I built up a reputation as the toy house, and the past few years we get more and more kids, as they just look forward to it, and I see it brings a drop of happiness to them. Lets face it, who doesn't like to get a little surprise present now and then.

Ive changed over the past few years, giving the girls current costume jewelry, seems they really like that stuff, and I can purchase it wholesale so my costs are ridiculously low compared to what some retailers charge for them

The boys, well, its been small die cast cars and balsa planes and things like that, but this year, its light up yoyos because the cost of die cast has skyrocketed IM guessing due to tariffs and other import taxes.

I drove into manhattan this morning to some of my old favorite wholesalers and picked up 30 dozen bracelets, hair goodies, and rings for the girls, and 144 light up yoyos for boys.
I still have a lot of die cast left over from previous years along with other assorted small toys.

I still keep assorted chocolate bars for the bigger kids who aren't interested in toys, they just want the candy.

It was quite a nice haul today, traffic wasn't bad, weather was perfect, top was down, oldies were on the radio, and Im keeping the tradition alive and all the kids wont be disappointed come oct 31.(last year, the day after hurricane sandy, we only saw maybe 25-50 children, but a lot of the local kids saw me that week and asked me if I gave out toys, and I told them Id be more than happy to give them their treats since they missed out on trick or treating.

My wife gives me a little grief each year, complaining the doorbell doesn't stop ringing, but she loves it, and my daughter usually comes over to hand out stuff, as when the parents get home from work, the minivans start pulling up in front of my house, sometimes we laugh, as we know people come here from other neighborhoods, but we love to see the kids happy.

even picked up a bunch of xmas stuff, like keychains and stocking purses, to give out along with the gifts I make for people, a little nice touch I feel, tape a santa keychain to the package.

the only children that present a problem, is the real little babies, the ones in strollers or their mommys arms, so I purchase a few dozen 5 or 6 inch teddy bears each year, just for that age bracket, and if they eat candy, well, that's up to the mothers.


I know this post has nothing to do with woodworking, sorry bout that. If I don't sit here and read or contribute, Im going to have to go downstairs and pull carpet tacks out of a floor, so Im doing anything today to avoid having to do that. Maybe the carpet tack fairy will come tonight while Im sleeping and pull them out for me, or at least I can wish for that.
 

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Living out of town, where I am, I've only had three trick-or-treaters in the past eight years. So.. I still buy the candy, but end up eating it myself. :D
 
Its also nice that parents know me, trust me, sometimes the kids get so overwhelmed when I give them choices, they step into my home by mistake, the parents don't get alarmed, they wave, they know me and my wife. They fetch the kids.

this kind of trust is gone these days. When I was kid, we used to go into peoples homes while we were out trick or treating, people made cookies, cupcakes, and theyd give us milk, wed sit and eat 4 cupcakes, and then be on our way.
that way of life, trusting neighbors, is long gone. People don't even know their neighbors names anymore.
 
Living out of town, where I am, I've only had three trick-or-treaters in the past eight years. So.. I still buy the candy, but end up eating it myself. :D

yeah, when you have 5 acres of land, it would take the kids 4 hours to cover 12 houses. we only live 40 feet apart here. Im expecting 350-400 kids this year.

we get a pretty busy street, since the kids come here, they knock on all the neigbhors doors, but I noticed even the creep next store responds and the kids get tons of candy and treats from this block, everyone opens their doors.
.
 
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That's quite a haul to hand out. At my old house we'd easily get 250 - 300 kids, but only had about a half dozen here at the new house. It's about 150 yards from house to house, so most are the kids directly across the street or ones that their parents drive them around.
 
Well done Allen, it's great to keep up traditions like that, the youngsters will always be able to look back on memories that you gave them, and relate them to their children. good on you.:thumb:
 
Wow! thats a lot of kids to come by in one night. Good on you and your family for keeping it up over all the years! :thumb:
 
Allen, I don't care what Larry says about you, you're a class act! :D

Seriously, gestures like yours are what create neighborhood legends. :thumb: When I was a kid one of my regular Halloween stops was my friend Marlene Roybal's house. Her dad was a candy distributor and he'd set up folding tables in front of their house with boxes of every kind of candy imaginable. And not the little snack size stuff...full-sized everything. A month or two ago I had a chance to visit with some of the "kids" from that neighborhood (now all in their 50s and 60s) and everyone remembered trick-or-treating at the Roybal's house. :)
 
Good on you Allen. I'd give away candy, but not too many kids in the neighborhood.

Sharon just keeps walking around the outside of the house, changing costumes and ringing the doorbell* on every lap trying to convince you that you've never seen her before, right?






* Do you even have a doorbell?
 
its sort of the opposite of children who live in a city.
My SIL used to live in a large apartment building, coops, with 20 or so floors and 20 units on a floor.
The Coop board would give you something to hang on the door if you wanted/allowed children to trick or treat at your door since no strangers could get into the building.
The kids made out like bandits. Theyd hit 150 doors in an hour and a half. Filled up shopping bags of candy.

Im going to be in florida the week before and get home the 30th late in the evening. I hope nothing goes wrong with my flight.
 
Gee we were ignorant when I was a small child. We would ring the doorbell. run hide, and laugh. If they didn't answer the doorbell we would place two cans of water (one on each side) of their walk or in front of their door. When they walked past it, they tugged the string tied between the cans and got wet shoes as a reward. Did you know that it is really difficult to clean a window that has something written on it with a bar of soap? I think I will stop here---I didn't live in the country; thats were they tipped the outhouses over. Dang, I didn't stop did I!

Enjoy,
JimB

PS Allen, you are a jewel!!!
 
Allen i think you are a saint and a person with a huge huge heart. :score: You make me proud to know you man:headbang:. Thats a wonderful thing you do. Like Vaughn says you the stuff of legends not only in the kids sense but I still have you serve as an inspiration to me for my woodworking. I keep thinking of how you get er done and say to myself heck i can too. :thumb: Wish i was a kid in your neighborhood. Just hope they all appreciate a person like you.
 
Im no saint.

I do it because it brings me as much joy as it does the kids.

its sort of along the same lines as why I give chairs, boards, pens to people I know that admire my work. It makes me feel good.
 
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