Current Events > Call me old fashioned, but Trunk or Treat seems lame.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I know its for safety reasons, but man I think were losing fun traditions due to paranoia. No one is putting drugs or razor blades in candy in decent neighborhoods.

growing up trunk or treat was almost exclusively done at churches for parents who refused to let their kids trick or treat because they were either insufferably fundamentalist or insanely paranoid. Is it more common than that now? I genuinely thought it was just a southern thing

I don't even know that it's for safety reasons, I think it's just more convenient.

I never heard of it until recently. I guess it might exist in my area but it would have to be in bigger cities. Most of my state is very small towns of like 1,000 people or less out in the middle of farmers fields and cow pastures and all the kids just go door to door and everything is traditionally what you would expect. I think I remember hearing about it once one year in a bigger city but that was when it was cold out, like below freezing and it was more a convenience thing so the little kids wouldn't freeze their ass off.

Ive never heard of this, we have normal trick or treating on Halloween in my city

ultimate_reaver posted...

growing up trunk or treat was almost exclusively done at churches for parents who refused to let their kids trick or treat because they were either insufferably fundamentalist or insanely paranoid. Is it more common than that now? I genuinely thought it was just a southern thing

My aunts church was doing this, and we live in the south
they even let me go around and get candy despite being an adult (my aunt told me to go visit all the trucks when I visited)

If they're giving candy from the trunk shouldn't it be called trick or trunk? Trunk or treat sounds like you have the choice of getting in the trunk or getting candy instead.

I think it would be a lot more streamlined and efficient, especially if you live in a sparse neighborhood.

I'll take the trunk. I can always use more storage.

To be somewhat serious for a moment though, this topic is the first I'm hearing of this. There is something somewhat similar though where the local mall does trick or treating at its stores. Safety is probably a part of that, but another part is just that it's Canada, so often already cold outside by Halloween.

Its just the church training children that its OK to get into a strangers trunk as long as youre promised candy.

ultimate_reaver posted...

growing up trunk or treat was almost exclusively done at churches for parents who refused to let their kids trick or treat because they were either insufferably fundamentalist or insanely paranoid. Is it more common than that now? I genuinely thought it was just a southern thing

Nowadays I'm betting it's often a lazy parent thing.
Why trudge across the neighborhood when you can just have a tailgate party?

Also, churches actually did this? Our church always had "Harvest Festivals" which are a bit different, and largely done by parents who:

1. Have small children (generally 7 years or younger. I remember a lot of them being between the ages of 3 to 5.) This was done indoors in the cafeteria area.
2. View Halloween as Satanic, so they have a sanitized alternative that doesn't have witches, skeletons, or demons. Or very much horror. In fact, at least when I was a kid, there was very much a secular equivalent in the gyms of public schools. This one didn't de-Satanize Halloween, but it was done by parents who had younger kids or ones who were too paranoid to let their kids go door-to-door. Though in the majority of cases (esp. with the older kids), they attended this after going Trick-or-Treating. Honestly, I don't think it's unreasonable if parents don't want to take their 4 or 5 year old Trick-or-Treating door-to-door.

I'm pretty sure trunk or treat was unheard of here in NJ before 2012, when Sandy barreled on through right before Halloween

Umm. Why not both? I took my kids to a trunk or treat put together by the city last weekend. There were a couple more events taking place this weekend as well. And on Thursday I will take them trick or treating around our neighborhood.

There's nothing wrong with more options.

I see people going trick or treating in the afternoon which is lame too. If it ain't dark, it's not real trick or treating. Even when I was a little kid, we'd wait until it was dark.

Agreed, but that kind of thing's been going on since the early '80s in one form or another. The local Catholic school was doing it when I was a kid.

I get it, though. When I was a kid we were doing shit in the name of trick-or-treat that was pretty questionable-- going into people's homes (sometimes basements through a rear storm entrance) for home haunts, eating home-made stuff from strangers, going to DIY haunted trails in the middle of random woods when no adults knew where we were.

specialkid8 posted...

I see people going trick or treating in the afternoon which is lame too. If it ain't dark, it's not real trick or treating. Even when I was a little kid, we'd wait until it was dark.

This isn't even a paranoia thing. It's just a million timers safer to have kids running around the streets when it's light as opposed to dark.

HashtagSEP posted...

This isn't even a paranoia thing. It's just a million timers safer to have kids running around the streets when it's light as opposed to dark.

But it's no fun.

Hyena_Of_Ice posted...

Also, churches actually did this?

I never went to one but I got told about them from other kids in school. It included the second half of what you described, that they were really strict about what you could wear because they didn't want anything "evil" or "scary". Just it all took place in a church parking lot and they did like cakewalks and shit

https://www.wikihow.com/Escape-From-the-Trunk-of-a-Car

specialkid8 posted...

I see people going trick or treating in the afternoon which is lame too. If it ain't dark, it's not real trick or treating. Even when I was a little kid, we'd wait until it was dark.

When I was growing up in Florida on the early 90s the county would often mandate daytime trick or treating because of an ongoing encephalitis outbreak.

At some point in the last 20 years Halloween pretty much exclusively became a party night for adults, and young kids stopped trick or treating. Not surprised adults who grew up in the 90s want to reclaim Halloween for their kids.

Trunk or treat the week(end) before Halloween, trick or treat Halloween night. 60% of the time it works every time.

Going trick or treating in a parking lot sounds depressing as fuck. That's not an adventure. That's like a trip to Walmart except they're giving out candy.

A lot of the ones I see have games and small rides and stuff. Honestly the kids probably get more candy and have more fun at those than hoofing it through neighborhoods where not every house is participating.

we did one at work, it was fun. easier to get candy if youre a kid and you can still go trick or treating also.

i think yall are overthinking this one.

archizzy posted...

I never heard of it until recently. I guess it might exist in my area but it would have to be in bigger cities. Most of my state is very small towns of like 1,000 people or less out in the middle of farmers fields and cow pastures and all the kids just go door to door and everything is traditionally what you would expect. I think I remember hearing about it once one year in a bigger city but that was when it was cold out, like below freezing and it was more a convenience thing so the little kids wouldn't freeze their ass off.

I'm in Iowa City and we have it here. I can't recall when it started here, but it hasn't replaced traditional trick or treating, it's just an alternative option.

It is lame but it is better than no trick or treat.

It started in the 90s where I lived and was put on by churches as a Godly alternative to Trick or Treating.

At some point Halloween becomes counterproductive. Like you can just go out and buy the candy for yourself and cut out all the extra steps.

Probably save some $$$ too.

That's because it IS lame.

ultimate_reaver posted...

growing up trunk or treat was almost exclusively done at churches for parents who refused to let their kids trick or treat because they were either insufferably fundamentalist or insanely paranoid. Is it more common than that now? I genuinely thought it was just a southern thing

No, its still done by fundamentalists.

archizzy posted...

I never heard of it until recently. I guess it might exist in my area but it would have to be in bigger cities. Most of my state is very small towns of like 1,000 people or less out in the middle of farmers fields and cow pastures and all the kids just go door to door and everything is traditionally what you would expect. I think I remember hearing about it once one year in a bigger city but that was when it was cold out, like below freezing and it was more a convenience thing so the little kids wouldn't freeze their ass off.

I'm surprised I haven't heard more rural stories about children accidentally getting their heads blown off because they went to a paranoid farmer's house. Then again most of those communities are Fundamentalists who probably believe trick or treating is Satanic, so maybe it all does work itself out in the end.

GenXer posted...

I'm in Iowa City and we have it here. I can't recall when it started here, but it hasn't replaced traditional trick or treating, it's just an alternative option.

Yeah the more I think on it, I'm pretty sure it exists in Cedar Falls as an alternative as well. But to me like I said those are "bigger cities" Doesn't exist in the small towns. Nothing wrong with having options. though. And I know people who live in Cedar Falls that will travel to the smaller towns outside the city where maybe they have relatives and trick or treat the traditional way in those small towns.

I agree it is lame, but if its an additional option thats fun.

I think its really important for communities to trust eachother and that why I like trick or treat. Crime is way down.. there's no reason for us to be so scared of each other and it makes me sad. One of my probably only conservative view point is the idea of a safe community. And like I said, crime is way down! we should be interacting with our neighbors more.

divot1338 posted...

At some point Halloween becomes counterproductive. Like you can just go out and buy the candy for yourself and cut out all the extra steps.

Probably save some $$$ too.

Halloween crossed that point for me pretty much ever since I left early childhood.

divot1338 posted...

At some point Halloween becomes counterproductive. Like you can just go out and buy the candy for yourself and cut out all the extra steps.

Probably save some $$$ too.

How is free candy cheaper than candy you pay for?

Trunk or treat is great for preschoolers that dont have the stamina to go to many houses or if you live in a more rural area and need a gathering spot. Otherwise trick or treating is vastly superior.

I'm fine with them because all of the ones we've been to this year have obviously not been on Halloween. They've been a nice way to celebrate early instead of the usual pumpkin patches. We still go traditional trick or treating on Halloween.

In my area, churches schedule them on Halloween, so I haven't had any trick-or-treaters in years.

They seem lazy and perfect for parents who like to sit around and gossip. They also have very strict rules about decorating, so they basically feel like a depressing, sanitized version of Halloween.

MoonlightSprite posted...

In my area, churches schedule them on Halloween, so I haven't had any trick-or-treaters in years.

They seem lazy and perfect for parents who like to sit around and gossip. They also have very strict rules about decorating, so they basically feel like a depressing, sanitized version of Halloween.

Its almost always churches doing it to sanitize a satanic holiday.

They really hate pagans.

do it maybe in case it rains hard on the 31st?

I love it, my daughter is just about to turn 3 and we didn't get a lot of trick or treating in last year. This year she's already been to like a handful of events and we're going to another one, and we'll do regular trick or treating on the 31st. It feels pretty good to be able to experience Halloween over a longer period. I just wish our costumes were cooler.

LonelyStoner posted...

No one is putting drugs or razor blades in candy in decent neighborhoods.

why does this almost even sound sad

guess we found who was putting them in there

GuerrillaSoldier posted...

why does this almost even sound sad

guess we found who was putting them in there

I assume youre referring to the church.

I have zero issue with it since they hold trunk or treating all over town and have stores in the community give out candy as well. Trick or treating on Halloween is still available for actual neighborhood runs.

Is this just a suburbs/rural thing?

for places where houses are so spread out and there are no sidewalks or street lights so its a pain to trick or treat?

TheGoldenEel posted...

Is this just a suburbs/rural thing?

for places where houses are so spread out and there are no sidewalks or street lights so its a pain to trick or treat?

Its more of a church thing.

ultimate_reaver posted...

growing up trunk or treat was almost exclusively done at churches for parents who refused to let their kids trick or treat because they were either insufferably fundamentalist or insanely paranoid.

Same thing here.

LonelyStoner posted...

Its more of a church thing.

idk I associated it with church from my childhood but we also did it at elementary school, and recently there were two hosted by local military units.

This post is the first time I've ever heard of "trunk or treat"
Although Halloween in general isn't much of a thing where I live. Last 2 years we didn't have anyone knock on our door, even though we're in a suburb with lots of families.