# what's with the trunk or treat??!!?



## bethene (Feb 12, 2007)

I have seen quite a few churches advertising trunk or treat, for halloween, I hate it, I already don't get many kids, and if the ones I have go there, it'll be awful!! One street I saw 2 churches a block apart advertising trunk or treat, if I was a kid there, I'd walk hit both of them, plus the neighborhoods near them, make out like crazy! Churches or malls like that are taking away a great part of childhood memories, TOTing, in the dark, the smell of autumn with the leaves, the whole experience. Things are too PC now , or something. I think it is a shame!!


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## Witchie Woman (Sep 25, 2008)

My kid's preschool did it for them during the day at school. It was fun for them but of course we would go TOT at night too! I agree, I would do both and hit the houses in between  . I think some people look at trunk or treating as "safer" than going door to door...it must be sad being them.


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## colmmoo (Jul 23, 2005)

What is trunk or treat?


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## VeeCat (Sep 17, 2006)

Trunk or Treat is basically (I think, heard from friend.) where you can decorate
your car (trunk.) or basically just park and give out candy.


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## BATFLY (Oct 2, 2004)

B O R I N G boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ug i can't stand it either. a friend and i were just discussing this the other day.


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## OMGDan (Sep 28, 2006)

Yeah, basically a bunch of OTT church worshipers all get together and park their station wagons in a church or school carpark, open up their trunks and possibly hang a small paper ghost from it, however the ghost must be smiling otherwise that person will be kicked out of the Trunk or Treat and future church meetings for worshipping Satan.

Also any small paper ghosts that obscure the view of the "I <3 Jesus" bumper sticker is also strictly frowned upon.

The church goer's then stand around and say things like "come here lil' ones. they ain't gon' bite'cha" as the kids horribly dressed as such things as Moses and Abraham stick their hand into a basket and receive such Halloween delights as carrot sticks and fruit cups. If they're extra lucky they may get a small bible.

This is all because god forbid the kids go regular trick or treating a psychopath child rapist will occupy every house and they will never be seen again. That and the devil...he's out there on halloween night too.

Think i pretty much summed it up there right?


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## Ulcerative (Sep 6, 2008)

Maybe if they think the kid's a real sinner, they'll just stuff the kid in the trunk and drive off.... I won't let my kids go anywhere near them!


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## Halloween Princess (Sep 23, 2008)

Wow, I have never heard of that. I hope people at least decorate their cars for the kids. That is so boring to go to a bunch of trunks.


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## Mistress of the Abyss (Sep 21, 2007)

Ugh, that sounds utterly boring! I have not heard of anyithing like that around here........but then again I might just be blissfully ignorant!


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## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

"What is trunk or treat?"

It's the knee-jerk reaction of simple-minded sheep, to a threat that isn't there.


You could have your kids trick or treat in the traditional way, or you can teach them to be greedy, lazy, and afraid of everyone.


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## bethene (Feb 12, 2007)

`the simple description of trunk or treat is folks in a parking lot, passin out candy from their trunks in order to , depending on the church denomination, keep kids safe, or save them from the evil devil worsipping holiday. Or like lurks in the shadows said, "simple minded sheep " reacting badly to what should just be a fun day.


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## devilsfan (Aug 17, 2004)

Now, that's not entirely fair. It really depends on the area. We CAN'T trick or treat in our neighborhood - the entire area is countryside, the "subdivisions" are really 5-10 acre lots (with about half of them fenced and gated). There are a ton of wild animals and no street lights, some roads are even unpaved. It's NOT TOT friendly. Heck, it's not even worth it to decorate the house (we don't). We're lucky in that our subdivision (POA) does do a fall festival, with a TOT walk through the POA park (people set up decorated folding tables or out of their cars), ending up at our haunted house. But not all subdivisions do that. The nearby town does a Trunk or Treat, which is nice for kids to go to and at least experience SOME sort of Halloween. They get to dress up, dress up their vehicle, and get out a little. Which beats sitting at home watching reruns of "Halloween" for the umpteenth time.

Stacy


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## allhallowseve (Sep 15, 2005)

VeeCat said:


> Trunk or Treat is basically (I think, heard from friend.) where you can decorate
> your car (trunk.) or basically just park and give out candy.


I actually set up games in the back of my Expedition. So do alot of the others who participate. Our church always does it on a Sunday in the afternoon and never during Hween night. Its fun! They have a jump house or two. And the kids get to wear their costumes again. They don't do they anti-evil or anything like that.


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## Spookzilla (Nov 4, 2007)

Blasphemy! Simply it should be banned! No if and's or buts! 



> There are a ton of wild animals and no street lights, some roads are even unpaved.


Oh my Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, oh my and gravel roads how uncivilized! If you life in the "sticks' take the kids into town to TOT. Part of what makes Halloween such a great holiday growing up for the TOT's is going door for candy and not going from a Chevy to a Ford!


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

A lot depends on the denomination. some churches set it up so that it won't conflict with regular TOT hours. Others do it as a "safe alternative" to traditional TOT'ing. We have a martial arts studio a block away who held an indoor Halloween party for kids on Halloween night. On the eleven o'clock news that night the owner was interviewed and said they did this to "celebrate the light of Jesus Christ, and not the darkness that is Halloween." The funny part was that when the kids left the studio, they saw our house and came anyway for a little "darkness." I'm not opposed to the concept, but what pisses me of is the fact that these self righteous boors feel they must offer an alternative to anything. Leave Halloween alone and appreciate the traditions that come with it. Let the kids experience the night as it was meant to be. I also see the trunk or treat fad as another example of the growing laziness of the American culture. Hell, I can buy some cheap candy, skip deocrating my house and not carve a pumpkin, sit on my ass in my car and hand out candy in a parking lot, then drive home. How convenient. I look at the hundreds of hours I put into doing Halloween each year and frown on thes folks who won't make any effort. I don't know if trunk or treat or fall festivals pose any real threat to traditional Halloween activities, but the trend seems to be growing. Close minded religious zealots are by far the scariest things we'll encounter on Halloween.


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## Reynard Muldrake (Oct 29, 2004)

I went to a Trunk-Or-Treat last year, but it wasn't on Halloween. They're having another one this year, again not on Halloween. I don't think it's any substitute for regular trick-or-treating, but it can be fun. The one I went to was pretty cool... people really decorated their cars, came in spooky costumes, told ghost stories, had a hayride... I think it depends on the church throwing the thing what it's like.


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## Madame Turlock (Nov 2, 2007)

I don't believe in, or support Trunk or Treat but sometimes alternatives are needed. My grandson lives in a small town that doesn't have many sidewalks so the children end up walking in the street after dark. But what this small community does, is to go all out decorating the Community Hall for a party and block off the "three blocks" of the downtown area so the little kids can parade in their costumes and get rides in the fire engine before it gets dark. Our community has started a very large community haunt and service groups are donating funds to buy more props each year. I don't think those options take away from established home haunts any more than having Santa at the mall takes away from the excitement of going to see houses that are lit up like a Christmas fantasy land, caroling and drinking hot chocolate...with a peppermint stirring stick. But I'm a bit shy about expressing my humble opinions so don't throw any rotten tomatoes OK?


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## Spookzilla (Nov 4, 2007)

jdubbya,

Exactly! You nailed it exactly.



> Close minded religious zealots are by far the scariest things we'll encounter on Halloween.


Can you say Taliban? And we don't think it can happen here? Sorry folks we already have our own version of the Taliban living among us, their religion may not be Muslin, but they are here right next door. Call me paranoid, but the more trunk or treats and "fall festivals" in place of Halloween really makes me wonder? If you need more convincing what about no more Santa, and Christmas becomes the "winter festival"? It only takes a few to rule the many as the poor people in to many countries past and present have found out.


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## Madame Turlock (Nov 2, 2007)

You know Spookzilla there is nothing I love more than seeing someone as shy as I am about expressing their opinion. I don't believe in Trunk or Treat, Fall or Winter Festivals...and the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real in my world and always will be. But I don't want to talk about that thing that lives under the bed or the dolls that must remain locked in the closet at night OK?


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## Spookzilla (Nov 4, 2007)

> But I don't want to talk about that thing that lives under the bed or the dolls that must remain locked in the closet at night OK?


Awh Madame, don't you like feeling those bumps in the night under your bed or those faint cries from the closet? I know I do because it makes me feel so safe and secure.


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## creepyhomemaker (May 10, 2008)

You know I don't know about trunk or treat very much but here where I live the city puts one on. People line up down the main street and kids go from car to car getting candy. Now tell me how is THIS safe. When I was a kid if I had gotten tainted candy, I could almost have told you which house it came from. But there is no way you could remember which car you got something bad from. It could be a way for bad people to hide in plain site. Again I don't know to much about it, I have never went to one. I think the next generation of kids are not going to have the wonderful memories that we all have of trick-or-treating. I think it's a shame everything always ends up less about the experience and more about the material. We HAVE to save trick or treating and Halloween as we know it. WE are just the people to do it.


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## Madame Turlock (Nov 2, 2007)

Spookzilla said:


> Awh Madame, don't you like feeling those bumps in the night under your bed or those faint cries from the closet? I know I do because it makes me feel so safe and secure.


I can't feel safe unless I am familiar with the who or what originates the bumping and faint cries within the confines of my bedroom. Even then I need a strong pair of arms wrapped tightly around me to make me feel safe. (wink)!


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## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

It's nice to hear that some trunk or treats are scheduled to NOT conflict with the official trick or treating hours.

The two in my community are specifically set up to keep the kids safe from us evil baby-killers.

The year before last, I had people from the nearest trunk or treat show up after the official trick or treating time. I had already put a few props away and everything was unplugged. They asked if I would start everything up so they could see it. I told them "No, you should have shown up earlier." 
They made their choice. I only regret losing the opportunity to imperil their little children's souls.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I always thought Trunk-or-Treat was where you trick-or-treated in your swimsuit...........


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## Madame Turlock (Nov 2, 2007)

DaveintheGrave said:


> I always thought Trunk-or-Treat was where you trick-or-treated in your swimsuit...........


No Dave you've got things all mixed up...if my memory serves me right what you are describing is called the "Fall Spirit of Speedo's" Fashion Exhibit. That's where they serve those tiny little cracker bites with Liver Pate' while the latest fashion in speedo swimwear is modeled by Joe Six-Pack and friends. It's a night of horror anyway you look at it. Was that you I saw there last year? hehehe!


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## Bruja (Oct 18, 2008)

*I have to agree*

My mother used to do her decorations and one day she became one of the OTT church goers and decided to sell all her halloween things to others( she didn't want the evil in our house so i couldn't even have them) Now that im on my own i have been doing my own thing but my poor little brother and sister thats all they know except at her church it is actually a little worse then trunk or treating it is called "fall festival" and they play sunday school games to win the candy if they get the answer right... And the costumes...oh nothing scary allowed! but they have cake!!!! I agree with others that is no way to spend halloween


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## VA-Demented (May 20, 2008)

My church is doing a trunks of treats this year. We are just borrowing the name for our event as it is known what to expect (not using cars) The goal is to provide an outreach event to the community and a fun place to hang out a couple of hours. I had hoped to convince them not to hold it on Halloween, but since the youth pastor that is organizing it is also working the haunt for the local City the weekend before, there really weren't too many options.

We of course have a few people who wanted to hold a "fall festival" and eliminate Halloween, but not everyone liked the idea. The fall festivals waned in attendance several years ago as people wanted to do more events with their friends. The festival required "safe" costumes to participate and really became home to the children of the most protective parents.

The was ours is organized, the materials, candy, and entertainment are all provided by the church members and it is open to the community. There are no costume restrictions, I have even been asked to bring my stalkaround and they will likely be borrowing some props from my shed. We will have a moonbounce, food, candy, and hopefully plenty of costumed participants.

With ours, I feel the focus is more on providing the community a place to come and see that the membership is not full of OTT members. We hold community events several times a year so that participants may see the church outside of the stereotypical hellfire and bible beater roles as that is not what church is about! Many people, including some here from the sounds of it,have been burned by at least one church in the past and people tend to dredge up the worst of what they have seen. Not all people take Halloween as an evil holiday that should be eliminated.

Saying this, when I was working to recruit youth to work a local haunt, I went through their parents out of respect before addressing the youth. I probably say 60/40 split in those that would allow their children to participate. As a bonus, two of the most active families and the youth pastor participated. The sad thing is that we had a higher commitment rate from the youth groups that we drafted from, than from the rest of the pool. We were down three scenes in our haunt because of people not bothering to show up. Thankfully, several of our actors showed up with unexpected friends and saved the day!


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## Bruja (Oct 18, 2008)

*Va-determined*

VA-Demente~ sorry spelled wrong~

I was not meaning to upset you not everyone who goes to church is OTT i go to church too not all the time but i do. I was just stating my mother is one that is OTT thinking everything about halloween is evil and that it is a shame that the people who are like that there kids will never enjoy halloween in the same way i enjoy halloween


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## VA-Demented (May 20, 2008)

Bruja said:


> I was not meaning to upset you not everyone who goes to church is OTT ...



I'm not upset, It just seemed like this thread was starting to turn down a road that I didn't like and felt I needed to voice my opinion.

I have seen many of the OTT people in my time as I have moved and changed churches. It can be kinda scary at times when you are visiting a church and they break into a really berating sermon.

I used to go to a haunt where I grew up that I saw trashed as it was purchased by a local figure who thought it better to show the horrors of the world and then shuttle people into one of several big tents for sermons on how to avoid the sins of this world. After I was accosted and persued into the parking lot for not stopping in for the sermon, I never returned. My understanding is the haunt is still running much the same way and charges way too much. If I really want to see someone shooting up behind a dumpster, I'm pretty sure I can just look around certain areas locally and not have to pay >$20 a head. To me this type of behavior will really harden the hearts of those that witness it and should be avoided.

As with Halloween and most things in life, subtilty often is more effective than smacking someone in the face!


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## wandererrob (Aug 21, 2007)

Meh, whatever. Like any other holiday, people can celebrate it how, when and where they wish. Most kids will come to my house, some mnight go to their church's trunk or treat instead. The lucky ones will get to do both. 

Regardless, I'll set up my haunt and enjoy the night as I see fit and leave others to do the same.


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## jadewik (Dec 6, 2007)

My church does Trunk-or-Treat. I don't really like it as much as doing the home-haunt-thing-- it's more difficult to set up than anything. There are plusses, but ultimately I'd rather set up at home.

I did Trunk-or-Treat in 2006 with my witch setup. It took us 2 car trips to get all my stuff there and three to get it home! Heh. However, the constant flow of kids was kinda fun. I was able to do some really interactive things-- more like a "show" than just passing out candy (I had a fogging cauldron with candy in it and bottles and jars of ingredients that I tossed in to "make the candy", then I had the kids say "trick-or-treat; smell my feet; give me something good to eat" before pulling the candy out). However, I really burned through the candy. If I hadn't set a limit, I'd have had nothing left for Halloween... so that was a major draw-back. I'd planned on stamping hands in 2007 to keep kids from doing too many visits to my trunk.

I didn't do anything with my church in 2007. The moron-lady in charge of the committee organizing the event scheduled it on Halloween (despite me telling her not to-- yeah, I was on the committee too.) I heard it was a flop. They ran out of food and candy... and the kids were disappointed.

This year, I am attending a different building. They scheduled the party for the Wednesday before Halloween JUST FOR ME! Mehehe. I'll be passing out candy in a Spook Alley they're letting me run. (I'm so tickled!) The rest of the gang will be doing Trunk-or-Treat in the parking lot. Bwahaha! I'll also be doing a home haunt. So, it's the best of BOTH worlds.

My church, I believe, does Trunk-or-Treat because it's a good way to divide up the costs of passing out candy (it is a church Halloween party for the kids... and for adults to socialize). This way, you have the option of handing it out or not... and, believe it or not, most people who come do hand out candy or give a bag of candy to someone who is handing it out. They're not anti-Halloween... but a lot of people think it's "safer" than going door-to-door.... but honestly, you get way better candy going door-to-door because people buy what they want to get stuck with at the end of the night-- at least, I know I do!


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## dudeamis (Jul 26, 2010)

My mom volunteered to do trunk or treat last year, and knowing what a Halloween fan I am, talked me into helping. I ended up having a blast. We live in a small town and neither of our homes got much trick or treaters, but we had a constant stream of kids last year and my costume, one of those big head pumpkin things (slightly modded of course) was a big hit, and has inspired this years Stalkaround style upgrade.


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## lisa48317 (Jul 23, 2010)

We had a trunk or treat on the Navy base I used to be stationed on and it seemed to me that it was geared towards the really young kids. I thought it was a good idea at the time, since my daughter was only 2 and it meant a lot less candy for ME to eat! And it was fun to decorate the back of my Blazer. 

IMO - it's fine for really little kids / babies, but extremely lame for older ones!!


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Maybe if people actually knew their neighbors, trick of treating wouldn't be so "scary" & some wouldn't feel the need for an alternative.

Most of the Trunk or Treats around here are church related & never on Halloween. Never been to one but I get the impression that most of the ones here are just another seasonal church activity no different than their Christmas party or Fall Craft Festival.

The great thing about Halloween is it's optional. If you don't believe in it or just don't feel like participating for whatever reason, don't do it, turn the lights off or go out, whatever. Let the kids move on to a house that does it.

Unlike our neighbors across the street who allowed their teenage daughter to have a party in the backyard while they shut off all the house lights & didn't give out any candy.


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## Baldzillabill (Sep 25, 2009)

Doing this is actually fun. I have done it for the past 5 years at my church and we see almost every TOTer in the county. I always haunt my truck with my props and skulls, usually with a theme of some kind. Although some churches frown upon really scary costumes and imagery, Its never stopped me and I go to this church. lol!! 

I always push the envelope with my theme. One year I did the bone yard with lots of skeleton bones laying around and me all in black with a chrome skull mask.....it still scared lots of kids lol!
The whole neighborhood comes through there so yes one can rack up on candy as they stop in as they are TOTing through the rest of the town. 

I enjoy doing it cuz lots of people are there and thats a chance for me to see all the different costumes and show off mine as well. 

I know most of you may not like the "church" doing something like this but it is kinda safe for the kids and adults and in some small way keeps the Halloween spirit alive in my small town.

I am fortunate that my preacher loves Halloween as well so he doesn't question me about any of my costumes or themes. (although I reserve my blood and gore for other events) ....and if I had a preacher that wanted to raise a fuss about my trunk (or truck) haunt, costume, or theme......I have plenty of verbal ammo to keep people like that at bay and I am such a non-conformist, ...I'd do it just to piss them off anyway. NO ONE will tell me or my family we can't dress up or haunt our vehicle at Trunk or Treat. 

I always find a way to display some props....every year my zombie torso I named "Slim" always makes an appearance some how in my truck haunt. Some examples:.... The first year he was with me, we had a pirate theme...giving out gold coin chocolates and "Slim" was under the truck decked out in pirate gear. (Wish I had pic) then for two years in a row I had a star wars theme. I was Darth Vader and "Slim" was wrapped in a black sheet so it looked like a cloak and I placed him on top of the truck above me looking down as the evil Emperor. Now days ....Slim sits in the back with mini strobes on him. I still get lots of comments on Slim. People love it and always wait to see what I'm going to do next with my theme and Slim.


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## CaliforniaMelanie (Sep 8, 2008)

Can I ask what "OTT" means? I've never heard the term.

I mentioned on another thread that I feel Halloween is cyclical...remember, TOTing really only officially started as a neighborhood-by-neighborhood Halloween thing post-WWII, and actually, it was to get kids off the streets and not causing mischief! How ironic. That's also why so many towns used to hold Halloween parades and many still do. It was supposed to be an "alternative" then as well...but kids STILL wanted to TOT. I feel that's a good sign for how things come and go, but the most fun, most interesting things remain...and that includes the "darker" side of Halloween.

One of the things I love MOST about H'ween is that you get to see all your neighbors. Someone posted above that neighbors don't know one another and that this may be what's contributing to general distrust, and I agree. I don't see any way to reverse that, BUT I do feel community stuff on one's own street -- like TOTing -- helps foster at least a little of that feeling again. From a kid's perspective: On H'ween, everyone, every single one of your neighbors (well, except the grouches with their lights off) LOVES you. It's an awesome feeling.

I feel Trunk-Or-Treat and "fall festivals" add to, but can't really overshadow H'ween. Someone stated that after Trunk-Or-Treating (which does sound like fun, at least for very small children), people showed up at his house for the scary stuff. I don't believe we will ever do away completely with that desire to be spooked and scared and have an awesome time, touching (figuratively) things in the dark and addressing gory stuff that's "inappropriate" to even think about, much less decorate with the rest of the year.

We do TOTing in town. It's not on Halloween, the actual day. It's on the Friday before. When H'ween has fallen on a Friday, TOTing in town still didn't interfere because it took/takes place early in the day (I think it usually ends at around 2PM). So now we do both! I don't go to church but I wouldn't be averse to attending a church-operated fall thing as long as it wasn't bible-thump-y, and I have seen that in fact several churches in my area hold "fall festivals" with apples and toys and games and all that. Why not??

But the main point is that while I love to do these things with my kids _in addition to_ H'ween, I simply would not do them _instead of_ H'ween. If any of these H'ween "offshoots" took place on the actual day during TOT hours, it would be a given that we would TOT instead and not show up at the offshoots. I think a love of H'ween will survive no matter what. 

Some parents will *never* allow their kids to go door-to-door. If there were no Trunk-Or-Treat or "fall festivals," the kids just wouldn't go out and celebrate anything at all. At least this way, a greater variety of kids are being exposed to the awesomeness of the season and are maintaining positive, not left-out-of, associations with them. I think this holiday will remain alive and kicking.


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## Jmurdock (May 13, 2010)

I love a good Trunk or treat. Having the right person in charge makes the difference. I hate it when it's meant to replace Halloween, or call its a Fall festival. Phoey! 

In my opinion it should just be another day to celebrate Halloween with friends and neighbors. It's a time to scare kids, compete in car decorating and an opportunity to wear the costume you spent weeks making more than once. Or wear a second costume because you loved them both so much you couldn't decide. It's an excuse to buy more decorations and celebrate my favorite holiday of the year. I just wish I could afford a hearse for the occasion.

We are very fortunate that we are asked to do the haunted house at ours each year. Last year we had about 300 kids come threw. The first kid that came out crying made my day "Ahhhh success". We're lucky that we have free rein to do what we want ...as long as we remember to remove the portrait of the savior from the creepy clown room next time...oops. I feel for those who have boring trunk or treats they are missing out on some real fun.


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## Jmurdock (May 13, 2010)

CaliforniaMelanie said:


> .... I have seen that in fact several churches in my area hold "fall festivals" with apples and toys and games and all that. Why not??


Good point...I guess I should learn to enjoy a good Fall Festival too. As long as it's not a replacement. Just a separate celebration lol.


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## savagehaunter (Aug 22, 2009)

CaliforniaMelanie OTT is (Over The Top ) . They are the religious zellots and biggets who think Halloween is devil worship. I have no respect for that lot. They are judgemental and hurtful people who do not follow what they preach. Trunk r treat should be leagally banned. It takes the trust and fun out of Halloween. Just the other day a kid told me he can't go out this year because his OTT parent told him he can't TOT on a Sunday. That is BS. Trunk or Treat is horrible. Their is a trust and communitee spirit in going door to door.


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## osenator (Nov 3, 2009)

All I can think about trunk and treat is this 

YouTube- Dead Hooker in the Trunk

I am a huge Norm Macdonald fan...


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

LOL. I was reading this thread from beginning to end before commenting, and at some point I was thinking that people would think that Trunk or Treat would be safe until someone pushed a ToTer into the trunk and drove away...and then I saw the Norm Macdonald video. LOL, pretty funny and along the same lines as to what I was thinking I guess.

I personally don't like the idea of Trunk or Treat if it is done as a replacement for your kids for house-to-house ToTing, given you live in a safe neighborhood to begin with. I think it robs the children of the real excitement of the night of halloween. Plus I think it's good for the kids to walk off some of the candy they will be consuming! Getting candy shouldn't be as easy as walking a few feet. 

When I lived in Illinois the shopping mall stores would provide an afternoon of treats and events for the young ones. The town I live in now has kind of a main street and the chamber of commerce organizes an early afternoon event where the kids go from store to store to ToT. I guess the church thing is not all that different from that although I do believe that some church groups look at halloween as evil (I also live in that kind of area as I've heard from a few neighbors about it). Since I don't have kids to take ToTing where we live now, I really was clueless as to this whole phenomenon until a friend in the Dallas area told me her church group organized one every year. I realize a lot of work may still go into doing one but I still tend to think that it's just a lazy way out of decorating your house for the neighborhood kids.


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## rockplayson (Jun 7, 2008)

Trunk or Treat offers food, candy, games and a place where parents watch there kids but arn't dragged around all night.


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## Guest (Jul 28, 2010)

Did anyone look at the date on this thread? We really blew some cobwebs off this one!


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## rockplayson (Jun 7, 2008)

Mr. Gris, 
I noticed the date after I made my post. Opps lol.


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## ter_ran (Jan 14, 2006)

Its good to dust one off every now and then... Lol! 

Trunk or Treat... too funny!


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## dudeamis (Jul 26, 2010)

Ghost of Spookie said:


> LOL. I was reading this thread from beginning to end before commenting, and at some point I was thinking that people would think that Trunk or Treat would be safe until someone pushed a ToTer into the trunk and drove away...and then I saw the Norm Macdonald video. LOL, pretty funny and along the same lines as to what I was thinking I guess.
> 
> I personally don't like the idea of Trunk or Treat if it is done as a replacement for your kids for house-to-house ToTing, given you live in a safe neighborhood to begin with. I think it robs the children of the real excitement of the night of halloween. Plus I think it's good for the kids to walk off some of the candy they will be consuming! Getting candy shouldn't be as easy as walking a few feet.
> 
> When I lived in Illinois the shopping mall stores would provide an afternoon of treats and events for the young ones. The town I live in now has kind of a main street and the chamber of commerce organizes an early afternoon event where the kids go from store to store to ToT. I guess the church thing is not all that different from that although I do believe that some church groups look at halloween as evil (I also live in that kind of area as I've heard from a few neighbors about it). Since I don't have kids to take ToTing where we live now, I really was clueless as to this whole phenomenon until a friend in the Dallas area told me her church group organized one every year. I realize a lot of work may still go into doing one but I still tend to think that it's just a lazy way out of decorating your house for the neighborhood kids.


The TOT is really crappy in my town, so many old people who would rather go to bed early than deal with a bunch of kids on their doorstep. I don't think I had a good score here until I was old enough to drive and TOT'd out of town lol.


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## dudeamis (Jul 26, 2010)

ter_ran said:


> Its good to dust one off every now and then... Lol!
> 
> Trunk or Treat... too funny!


I'm new and since Trunk or Treat is now my primary Halloween experience I thought I'd bring it up again.


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## Eyegore (Aug 23, 2008)

Trunk or Treat is activity that most churches do during Halloween 
to offer a safer alternative to house to house Trick or Treating.

I think the concept goes like this:

1) A lazy parent let's their child go "car hopping" while talking with other parents.
2) church member offers child candy out of their car.
3) Child gets shoved into trunk of car.
4) Car drives off, and child is never seen again!

Moral of the story,
go Trick or Treating instead!


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## dudeamis (Jul 26, 2010)

Eyegor said:


> Trunk or Treat is activity that most churches do during Halloween
> to offer a safer alternative to house to house Trick or Treating.
> 
> I think the concept goes like this:
> ...


1) Parents go with the kids from car to car
2) I'm not a church member
3) My parent's truck was full of straw wasn't any room for kids
4) No children were kidnapped

Moral of the story,
just because something is different doesn't mean its bad.


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## fravak (Dec 11, 2006)

Isn't blowing the dust off of (or adding dust to) the old and decaying what we do? 

I do a big pneumatic display in the back of a minivan and/or pickup every year at our church. It's done in the afternoon, never on Halloween Day (so we can all go out), and we host a huge pirate themed party that night at our house with lots and lots of rum.

One of the best things about the trunk or treat is all the little old ladies that make traditional popcorn balls, cookies, and caramel apples to hand out as treats.


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## Eyegore (Aug 23, 2008)

dudeamis said:


> 1) Parents go with the kids from car to car
> 2) I'm not a church member
> 3) My parent's truck was full of straw wasn't any room for kids
> 4) No children were kidnapped
> ...


It was a joke!  I see nothing wrong with trunk or treating. 
But, if it causes full neighborhoods to stop Trick-or-Treating then; 
it can be bad.


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## Yubney (Sep 14, 2009)

It's just another lure to sell you something be it merchandise or selling a idealology (gotta keep the coffers lucretive).


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

fravak said:


> One of the best things about the trunk or treat is all the little old ladies that make traditional popcorn balls, cookies, and caramel apples to hand out as treats.


Oh how I miss that stuff. Especially the popcorn balls.


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## Jeffhawk (Nov 16, 2009)

keep Halloween out of the churches!..the last thing we need is those brain washing feaks corrupting our childrens right to be devil worshipers...(this is a joke post..dont freak out!)


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## Shadowbat (Sep 27, 2009)

a couple of my area churches do this. My brother, Mom and stepdad were involved in their churches. It was done rather conservatively I must say. They didnt want alot of the actual "Halloween" things involved or represented. They asked if I would help out, but I refused due to this. It was the classic "evil" shpeal that you here people say that are unknowledgable. It really did upset me because my family knows better, they just didnt want to fight the majority. 

This is why I dont attend their church.


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## dudeamis (Jul 26, 2010)

Yubney said:


> It's just another lure to sell you something be it merchandise or selling a idealology (gotta keep the coffers lucretive).


neither takes place at the trunk or treat I do.


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## Shadowbat (Sep 27, 2009)

This is a bit funny. I brought this thread up to my Mom today. She told me that the preacher and his wife have been removed from their church and are awaiting a replacment. They were the main reason for the way things were being done. The church is in a transition. Alot of the older perish members are leaving because of a "younger" (40 -50) membership thats been slowly taking over. Anyway, alot of the members were upset by the way the trunk-r-treat was done so they want to change it and make it better. There is no "Halloween is evil" attitude. They dont want the gore, blood and guts, which is understandable, but do want to make it more Halloween themed. I told my Mom I may just lend a hand then.


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## Scary Firefighter (Sep 13, 2009)

Trunk r' Treats and TOTing in shopping malls is ruining Halloween. There is simply no other way to put it. Why any parent would rob their own child of the awesomeness of REAL trick r' treating is beyond me.... if they are that worried something bad is going to happen then they need to get up off their butts and go with their kid. And then check the candy when they get home....

you know, kinda like their parents did with them?


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## Shadowbat (Sep 27, 2009)

Well, in our area the trunk r treats are not replacing TOT. Its simply another event that is put on, on a different day than TOT. Some parents prefer taking their kids to something like this due to either lack of giving out or not so safe neighborhoods. We have to look at all the reasonigs behind these different activities before we go jumping to conclusions.


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## dudeamis (Jul 26, 2010)

Shadowbat said:


> This is a bit funny. I brought this thread up to my Mom today. She told me that the preacher and his wife have been removed from their church and are awaiting a replacment. They were the main reason for the way things were being done. The church is in a transition. Alot of the older perish members are leaving because of a "younger" (40 -50) membership thats been slowly taking over. Anyway, alot of the members were upset by the way the trunk-r-treat was done so they want to change it and make it better. There is no "Halloween is evil" attitude. They dont want the gore, blood and guts, which is understandable, but do want to make it more Halloween themed. I told my Mom I may just lend a hand then.


Good to hear, the old guard is always afraid of change. Its strange, Halloween is a modified pagan celebration that is suppose to be a day to remember all the saints, which in the Christian religion means everyone who is "saved" not just the named saints. And a lot of the Christian religion is suppose to be about reaching out to those outside of the religion for conversion. And yet so many of the faithful are afraid of stepping out of the church. Its nice to hear that your church is taking a postive step in the direction of community interaction. Because of the stage a trunk or treat makes, I don't know how many ToTers you get, but I love the amount of kids I get at Trunk or Treat. I think this year I'm going to be much more involved in the planning proccess.


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## dudeamis (Jul 26, 2010)

Scary Firefighter said:


> Trunk r' Treats and TOTing in shopping malls is ruining Halloween. There is simply no other way to put it. Why any parent would rob their own child of the awesomeness of REAL trick r' treating is beyond me.... if they are that worried something bad is going to happen then they need to get up off their butts and go with their kid. And then check the candy when they get home....
> 
> you know, kinda like their parents did with them?


that may work fine in the 'burbs but every community isn't as safe or even active as yours.


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## bethene (Feb 12, 2007)

wow, this is a old thread, but with halloween coming up, it is good to open the discussion again.
I can see if the neighborhood isn't safe, having a safer place for kids is good, or like mentioned, on a different day, which some churches did last halloween, but - IMHO, walking the streets at night, the smell of the leaves, and the whole atmosphere is part of the fun.kids miss out on so much in these times, the need to grow up faster, don't play out side like we did, video games, computers, tv's and the safety issues, it just seem that TOTing just a part of child hood that is also being taken away. sigh.....
and don't get me started on people who think it is wrong or evil.................


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