Airs – Ian Lance Taylor

Halloween decline

Every year we have fewer trick or treaters come by on Halloween. This year we only had nine people, three of whom were teenagers who knocked on every door on the street at 9:30.

This year I think I finally figured out what is happening. There are some streets in the city which put on a Halloween extravaganza. All the houses give out treats, they have decorations, and all the kids invite their friends. More and more kids must be going to those streets, leaving fewer and fewer more the ordinary quiet streets like ours.

It’s a nice example of Winner Takes All. Admittedly it only works because parents all feel obligated to walk around with their children these days, which means that driving to another part of the city is a real possibility. When I was a kid we went out in groups, but no parents came along.

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2 responses to “Halloween decline”

  1. gumby Avatar
    gumby

    In Berlin, Hallowe’en is quite different (we’re in the city but I asked my sister in law about it and it’s the same in the suburbs). It’s only a couple of years old (or alternatively, is still in the process of being imported) so it’s much less formulaic. Nobody wears a store-bought costume (although there are a few store-bought accessories like masks) and no costume seems to try to ape a marketing event (like a movie character). The kids are satisfied with much less loot.

    Hallowe’en is on a Sunday this year, which is a school night, so most kids wandered around on Saturday, some Sunday and even a few little ones Friday.

    Since we’re in the middle of the city, there is city trick-or-treating: inside apartment buildings and even in businesses. There’s none of the “unsealed candy is dangerous” nonsense, and the kids get all sorts of things — one bakery was handing out croissants!

    For adults, Halowe’en has been here a few more years, and mainly involves parties and nightclubs. It’s less sleazy here though (cf the recent column about htis from the new york times).

  2. etbe Avatar
    etbe

    In my neighborhood some people distribute flyers advising people to leave their porch light on if they want trick-or-treat visitors and leave it off otherwise. So the people who want to be involved can do so and the rest of us aren’t bothered. It seems to work well and might also be worth doing in some parts of the US.

    Do your neighbors still stock up on lollies? If not then it’s an additional incentive to skip your street, in which case a porch light protocol might work well.

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