13 thoughts on “Ridiculous”

  1. A question for you, Clarissa:

    When I was stationed in Illinois 25 years ago, I rented a small house in a friendly neighborhood, and on last Sunday before the end of October, I got an unexpected knock on my front door.

    It was broad daylight, three days before October 31st, and there was a crowd at the door. Several neighborhood children, dressed in Halloween costumes and accompanied protectively by their parents, smiled up at me and said, “Trick or treat!”

    I said something like, “Er, isn’t Halloween next Wednesday?” and was told by one of the parents that for safety reasons, the law there required that Halloween “trick or treating” be done on the weekend before the actual holiday and during daylight hours. (Wow, isn’t that really spooky and fun?)

    I hadn’t bought any candy yet, but did have some fruit, which the kids grudgingly accepted.

    So tell me: Is that really the law in Illinois, or did I live in a nutty neighborhood?

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    1. God, this is such an issue every year. Right now the moms’ FB page is filled with panicked questions when the trick or treating is because there’s so much confusion. Every little township has its own date. And it changes every year. All townships are squished so close together that you are not entirely sure which one you are in, so if you are trick or treating with friends, you need to make sure you know which neighborhood you are in. It’s all a mess. I’m absolutely mystified why they can’t just do it on the actual Halloween. How is Monday better than Tuesday to trick or treat?

      I’m befuddled by this very weird approach.

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      2. “How is Monday better than Tuesday to trick or treat?”

        I was told it was a “safety” issue — but I don’t see how changing the date makes the routine safer unless it’s done during daylight. Since darkness comes early this time of year, Saturday or Sunday would seem to be the only days that working parents could be home to accompany their kids. Go figure.

        Nowadays, of course, parents would be arrested if they let their kids out at night without adult supervision.

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        1. It’s not even about moving it to the weekend. It’s between Monday and Tuesday right now. Which is very strange. Then some places do it both days, and you’ve got to be prepared because if you run out of candy on the first day, you’ll look like a Grinch on the second.

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          2. “if you run out of candy on the first day, you’ll look like a Grinch on the second.”

            You could always buy at least twice as much as you think you might need and then give the leftovers to students…. (this might be a hard sell for Klara though….)

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