# No Costume, No Candy



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Occasionally I read our local town Reminder paper. I typically enjoy reading the Speak Out section in which I've seen many debates go back and forth - some quite humorous. But mostly I'm on the lookout for Halloween related letters.

Last week someone had wrote in with the topic "No Costume, No Candy" in which they complained about the large number of kids this year that showed up with no costumes looking for their Halloween hand-outs - we're all familiar with em, THAT TOT! So the writer says that next year, No Costume, No Candy.

This week someone wrote a rebuttal which I thought I'd share because I find it completely hilarious. I'm actually templed to write a rebuttal to this rebuttal just to push their buttons (I like pushing buttons hehehe).

The rebuttal reads:



> *SHAME ON YOU*
> 
> In response to "NO COSTUME, NO CANDY": What is the matter with you? So the kids were not dressed this year. You are wrong to say those things. Not all parents are creative or have the extra items in their homes to dress their kids right now. You need to get off your high horse.


My feelings: If you're not gonna honor the traditions of Halloween and wear the costume, you have no business going out asking for candy. Play along or don't play.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Actually, the kids weren't dressed last year or the year before or....

We get some TOTs every year who are sans costume, typically teens and sometimes pre-teens. I twit them in a humorous way about the lack of a costume to make the point that costumes are part of the holiday, but still give them candy. I don't think I've ever seen a young child without a costume, but we would no more comment on that than try to scare them. Teens, however, are fair game

TOTing without observing the traditions of the holiday just gives the impression that Halloween is only about getting free candy. Kids are expected to wear the proper "uniforms" for sports and school activities without question, so why not Halloween?


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

> Not all parents are creative or have the extra items in their homes to dress their kids right now.


Isn't that what Wal-mart, The $1 Stores, Party City, Target, Spirit Stores, Goodwill, Garage Sales and Thrift Stores for?

Seriously how hard is it to put on dads clothes, take moms eye liner to make a fake beard/stache and put a tin can or a bandanna on a stick to be a hobo?


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## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

It also bugs me when kids come to the door w/o a costume. Especially since it's usually the older kids who are perfectly capable of throwing something together on their own without help. I don't think they deserve the candy, but I give it to them anyway out of fear they will vandalize if don't.


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## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

take a simple brown paper bag, cut eye holes in it, put on kids head: total time spent - 5 minutes at most. Don't give me the no time, no creativity speach. Anything is better than nothing IMO.

I never got a pic of the tot, but I had 1 this year (family does not have extra cash to buy costumes) mom simply took an old stained white sheet, cut holes for eyes, and the kid had an absolute blast being a ghost.


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## FATMANJOE (Jul 15, 2007)

I agree with no costume no candy. I put a lot of effort in my display and the things I build. So the kids can do the same for me. I really hate the teenagers who don’t dress and get candy and then try to come back for more candy. Or the parents who bring a 6 month old to my door for candy we know who is really eating it. This past Halloween I posted a sign that said no costume no candy and we had some mad people but I don’t care because I could just be drinking a beer instead of handing out candy.


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## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

FATMANJOE said:


> I agree with no costume no candy. I put a lot of effort in my display and the things I build. So the kids can do the same for me. I really hate the teenagers who don't dress and get candy and then try to come back for more candy. Or the parents who bring a 6 month old to my door for candy we know who is really eating it. This past Halloween I posted a sign that said no costume no candy and we had some mad people but I don't care because I could just be drinking a beer instead of handing out candy.


I wish I had the guts to do that. There is no excuse for not at least coming up with some sort of costume. Ther are so many costumes you can throw together in seconds with stuff from around the house. No Excuse.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

FATMANJOE said:


> I agree with no costume no candy. I put a lot of effort in my display and the things I build. So the kids can do the same for me. I really hate the teenagers who don't dress and get candy and then try to come back for more candy. Or the parents who bring a 6 month old to my door for candy we know who is really eating it. This past Halloween I posted a sign that said no costume no candy and we had some mad people but I don't care because I could just be drinking a beer instead of handing out candy.


How about setting up 2 lines....Costume and no costume.

The costume line goes to where the candy is, and the no costume line goes around the back or side of the house where there's some old grouchy guy drinking a beer telling people to get off his lawn...LOL.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

That made me laugh out loud, joker:googly:


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

Very clever Shane...that made me laugh as well!!


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## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

Joker- LMAO!


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Excellent idea Joker muhahaha.


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

I'm not so put-out by lack of costumes. I haven't had that many kids do that but Joker, that is the funniest thing I have heard. ROFLMAO!


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## badmojo (Aug 28, 2009)

That's why I have 2 candy bowls. Good stuff for w/Costume, cheap dollar store LollyPops for no costume. Some of the stuff is 2 years old now.


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## rick47 (Jun 21, 2009)

We have a fifth mile trail, We have a make up table at the start of the walk with a face painter...It gives the kids who didn't get dressed up a chance to take part with the other kids and helps with crowd control since you have to get past it in order to get on the trail


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

FATMANJOE said:


> I agree with no costume no candy. I put a lot of effort in my display and the things I build. So the kids can do the same for me. I really hate the teenagers who don't dress and get candy and then try to come back for more candy. Or the parents who bring a 6 month old to my door for candy we know who is really eating it. This past Halloween I posted a sign that said no costume no candy and we had some mad people but I don't care because I could just be drinking a beer instead of handing out candy.


I definitely understand the issue with no custome no candy. Don't blame yawl a bit. The odd thing this year - most of the parents were costume dressed better then their kids.

But many parents live for the day when they can dress up their child and take them around on Halloween. I sewed my daughters costumes and took them out when they were younger. It was about family experiences. I don't know too many men (or women) that would create Sailor Moon, Cinderella, leopards, pea pods, bumble bees, clowns, dragons, witches, and more just for candy.

Btw...you can drink beer and hand out candy...no laws against that I hope. Or kick back and drink a beer while your friend hands out the candy.


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

joker said:


> How about setting up 2 lines....Costume and no costume.
> 
> The costume line goes to where the candy is, and the no costume line goes around the back or side of the house where there's some old grouchy guy drinking a beer telling people to get off his lawn...LOL.


lol....I want to sign up to be the fat grouchy guy at your house next year. And for the record...I had that costume when I was about five...complete with an eyeliner beard and tin can on a stick. When you hit a house with full sized candy bars, we'd pull the pirate eye patch and bandana out of our pockets, and go back to the same house five minutes later. On a good run, we could hit a house four or five times with different versions of the same costume before they caught on. We never quite learned to remove the big candy bars from the bag before running back I guess.


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## Uncleanspirit (Dec 1, 2009)

My Father, (74 years young), came to my annual Halloween gathering without a costume. Once he realized this, he rummaged through my embarrassingly large collection of capes and Halloween costumes of years past. He settled on a very large cape (which was for an 8 foot tall static grim reaper prop) but the neck hole was way too small for his Irish head. He took it in stride, slipped the enormous cape over his head and called himself a body bag!
I can't wait to post a picture. I expect all of the Kids who come "Trick or Treating" to be somewhat costumed. I work hard on the yard and have not had very many costume less kids, so I guess I am lucky.

First Post!


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## The Bloodshed Brothers (Jan 25, 2009)

hahahahaha what a way to end the night...thanks for the laugh joker


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

If I restricted handing out treats to only those in costume, I'd cut my TOT numbers in half. Seriously, aren't there enough "rules and regulations" in kids lives w/o us imposing ours on them on Halloween night? We get a lot of kids who come to our house from shall we say "less than middle class" neighborhoods. Many are youngsters (5-10). Some have a mask or makeshift costume, some don't. I should penalize a child because he doesn't have a Haloween costume? IMO that's a great way to turn a kid off to the holiday. Granted there are a lot of cheapo masks to be had and some face paint is easy, but I figure that anyone who comes out on Halloween to celebrate gets a treat. It's also the under priviledged kids that seem to really appreicate the decorations and props, something they rarely get a chance to see. I do, however, make everyone say Trick or Treat. Some traditions can't be done away with.


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## beelce (Jul 21, 2007)

That's funny J


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

There is no reason at all that everyone cant come up with some kind of costume. If you are going to celebrate halloween then do it right. I do agree that it is great to just celebrate it, but it sure isn't that hard to put at least a little effort into it to make it great for everyone.


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