Top Comments: Preparing for Halloween

As a kid, my strategy for Halloween was to obtain as much candy as possible.  In my neighborhood in Baltimore back 50 years ago, trick-or-treat took place on both Halloween night and the night before.  I would hit as many streets as I could between the two nights.

Once I became an adult, I faced the obligation of giving treats to the trick-or-treaters that come to my door with a certain amount of seriousness.  I purchased prepackaged candy (and still do) so that the kids (and their parents) would know that the candy hadn’t been tampered with in any way.  I bought what I thought would last me the night (or two), and usually had large amounts of candy to eat afterwards—I always overestimated.  I’m not the sort to chat with the kids, or to wear a costume myself, but I think I fulfilled my obligation nonetheless.

For the past 16 years, however, we had lived on a rural road about 2 miles from the closest town (where I worked).  It would have been dangerous for kids to go trick-or-treating along those roads, so it was not surprising that we never saw a single trick-or-treater while we lived there.  The protocol in that community was that, on Halloween, the fire department would close most of the road in the nearby town in late afternoon (while it was still light), and kids were free to go from house to house seeking treats.  Parents from rural regions were able to bring their kids in for the event.

Of course, with the prevalence of nasty people who tamper with their treats, many parents don’t allow their children to go trick-or-treating at all anymore.  Instead, they host parties for their children and their friends.

So now, after having retired and moved, we’re in a new community.  We live in an actual town with streets that are safe to walk without getting run over.  There are children throughout the community, including a few who live across the street from us.  For the first time in a decade and a half, we need to prepare for Halloween trick-or-treaters.  We have purchased 4 bags of Hershey’s “fun size” candy bars, which is almost certainly too much by a factor of at least 2.  Hubby carved a jack-o-lantern (shown above).  In addition, we bought a string of lights to hang on the garden gate, to attract trick-or-treaters.  This is the first time I have made any effort to decorate for Halloween.  (A fair number of my neighbors have gone all out on Halloween decorations.  Back when I was a kid, all my parents ever did was to turn on the porch light to signal to kids that there was candy to be had.)

So now, all we have to do is wait and see who, if anyone, shows up.  I think we’re prepared for an onslaught, if it were to come, and if not, we’ve got enough candy to last until next year, and possibly the year after that.

Comments are below the fold, but first, here’s a word from our sponsor:

Here at Top Comments we strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd & most informative commentary, and we depend on your help!! If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it either to topcomments at gmail or to the Top Comments group mailbox by 9:30pm Eastern. Please please please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find!

Now, on to Top Comments:

From Youffraita:

In the front-page story on the preacher declaring that God chose 45 —  Frank Pedraza had a great one in this comment.

Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful (and now eternal) *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment featuring that photo.

And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:

1)  one quibble, the corporations don’t laugh at Con … by jfromga +123

2)  Three children were killed by lawn darts, and th … by A Citizen +118

3)  I sent this one to her office, asking WTF happen … by Mother Mags +111

4)  Thanks Greg. Charlottesville by Denise Oliver Velez +92

5)  If corporations are people like me, why aren’t t … by Frank Pedraza  +88

6)  Thanks for the article, I appreciate what they a … by Kappyhour +85

7)  You know, Mark, until the DoJ gets serious about … by FishOutofWater +80

8)  What do you feed a Thesaurus? … by ATvolunteer +79

9)  Settlement by Denise Oliver Velez +72

10) Yep. The joke is definitely on us. by jayden +69

11) JFC. by Prince Lotor +68

12) Once again, Scaredy Trump is suppressing his own … by News Corpse +64

13) Can’t really compete with those, and I don’t wan … by bakeneko +63

14) I think I’m okay with that. by MessagingMatters +62

14) You must “respect” me, read: obey me and allow m … by Captain Frogbert +62

16) Thanks for pursuing these people and pointing ou … by jfromga +61

17) Great reporting, as always. I remember seeing vi … by Frank Pedraza  +60

18) I mean it’s one thing to decide that Halloween d … by CyberMindGrrl +59

19) Porter is amazing because she knows her facts (b … by shmuelman +58

20) There’s a method to the madness. He’s firing a s … by A Citizen +57

21) Somebody needs to rescue that Farmall and give i … by PvtJarHead +56

22) But McFadden was having none of it, writing in h … by cazcee +54

22) Thanks, Greg, and good morning to all. And SNAP  … by Sher Watts Spooner +54

24) If they’re people, why isn’t there a cap on camp … by stealthtffti +53

24) Two anti-vaxxers are killed in a car wreck.  … by DannyB +53

26) I started target shooting at 8, and hunting at 1 … by HarpboyAK +52

26) Quite the contrary… Had that been a Black L … by PvtJarHead +52

26) A pharmacist gets an angry phone call from a cus … by Elwood Dowd +52

26) Thanks Greg. Sausage indeed... … by learn +52

26) JFC — for people who bitch and moan about ‘ … by tslater7773 +52

26) All this virtue signaling did not impress the vi … by FishOutofWater +52

26) No snark, that is the conservative idea of unity … by A Citizen +52

26) We need public funded elections and a complete a … by Joseph Hariel +52

26) All of and each of these people need to answer a … by KenBee +52

26) for Halloween: … by neznamo +52