Do TBM's only do Trunk or Treat or also Trick or Treat ? What's the whole idea about Trunk or Treat anyway ? What's in their eyes wrong with Trick or Treat ? I don't get it, because children are normally accompanied by their parents. It's not that it's dangerous in anyway.

..from my experience of living in the midwest, but w/ many Utah's coming back to this locale, is that this practice originated in Utah.

I think it started because Halloween was somtimes on Sunday, and they would then have a trunk or treat to keep the kids from doing the evil Sunday treating. Now it seems that Trunk or Treat is a main stay.

It's really just an example of the mindset in the morg. They are always looking for ways to do things more righteously, differently, and better than everyone else. Some molly mormon somewhere came up with this in a presidency meeting, and the next thing you know - other wards felt pressure to stay up with the rest to do the same....

It is fear of poisoned candy, predators etc. Trunk or treat is supposed to be safer although I don't think trick or treat is usually dangerous if parents take a few precautions. Trunk or treat isn't all that safe either. we had people dealing drugs out of a car at one last year.

At the risk of getting slammed by everyone, I'm not too opposed to a Trunk or Treat. Things are different now. I don't turn my kids loose to run the neighborhoods till after dark as when I was young. Now, the 'no mask' rule is crazy as everybody knows, the Lone Ranger wore a mask as was more honest than anybody I ever new.
I like the conventional trick or treating as well. Be smart and supervise your kids. If they are old enough to run around by themselves after dark, they are probably too old for the door to door stuff anyways.

Besides : Tailgating at the football game or a Jimmy Buffett concert is just an adult version of trunk or treat.

Things are different now. Things are a lot safer now. This fear of our neighbors is so unhealthy for our society.

The only children ever killed by Halloween pranks were murdered by their parents. All this X-raying candy and other scare parents to death stuff is just nonsense.

You are hurting your kids and your neighborhood by locking up your children. By not knowing your neighbors, you make your neighborhood less safe, not more so. By knowing your neighbors, you have more people to look out for your interests.

Trunk or treat is about Mormon tribalism. It's to alienate outsiders and strengthen the bonds between Mormons. It's especially insidious in Utah, where most people are Mormon so they really are just excluding the few non-Mormon kids. My cousin in Sandy hates it and refuses to let the church run his social life. He gets invited every year and gets mad because he wants kids coming to his door and taking his boy around to the neighbors, not parading around the church parking lot that he doesn't attend.

They might be in danger if they have fighting violent parents or if they run in front of cars.

But they're safer if they know their neighbors and if their only adult extended support group is not accross town at a wardhouse but is one or two doors away from where they live. This includes kids who live in dangerous neighborhoods.

I taught in a high crime very poor neighborhood. It only takes a few bad druggies and gang members to make a neighborhood dangerous, the rest of the people are usually good and decent neighbors who are getting by without much money. At least that was my experience. And kids who knew their neighbors felt more secure. They felt comfortable knocking on a door if their mom was late from work and there was no one in the house to watch out for them. They knew where to go if their parent had a seizure or if there was an earthquake or they couldn't find a phone in an emergency. And they were comfortable trick or treating with a parent nearby to watch out for them, especially if they went out early and were home before 8:00 or 8:30.

I've dealt with many kids who were injured by cars or parents and never seen a personal example of child harmed from going trick or treating. We need to get our priorities in order.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2010 12:44PM by Cheryl.

In my Las Vegas ward, trunk or treat is more of a missionary tool. People are encouraged to bring non-members. I remember it being a lot of fun when I was a kid, and as far as mormon activities go, I think it is pretty tame.

My problem with trunk or treat is two fold. 1. It is boring.2. It is at the ward house and if I show up I am going to be marked as a golden contact.

If you don't feel safe sending your kids out, go with them or make rules about where they can and can't go go.Older kids can go in groups and stick to the neighborhood..Most neighborhoods are safe.If yours isn't, go with them or go to another area. BTW, there have been no verified accounts of any kids being poisoned. That started when a guy poisoned his kids on Halloween to get their life insurance money.If Mormons want to do trunk or treat, fine, let them do it on another day.Don't ruin Halloween for everyone else.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2010 03:20PM by bona dea.

because running from car to car in a parking lot teaches kids that parking lots are a safe place to play. Not true.

It's also very bad practice to accept candy from people in cars because this is a tactic kidnappers and perverts use.

Many many many more children die or are injured each year from cars than from candy. Kids need to be reminded to use caution when they cross a street or driveway and if they're young, they should never walk around parking lots without holding an adult's hand.

There have been wild claims of tainted or poison Halloween candy over the years, almost every single one of these assertions proves to be false.

Here are a few Halloween safety rules:

1. Used flashlights, not candles, for jack-o-lanterns.

2. Walk with children who trick-or-treat.

3. Teach traffic safety as you walk through the neighborhood.

4. Point out safe houses where kids can seek help in emergencies. Remind children that most adults are good people who will be glad to help them. Anyone with a bad intent will be the aggressor. Be wary of those who make the first move to approach a child would be more suspect than someone a child looks to for help.

5. Carry a light and/or wear white so everyone is visible.

Remind children to show respect and use good manners by saying please and thank you and by not littering or damaging personal property.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2010 03:21PM by Cheryl.

Most Mormons do not mind feeding their children out of the trunk of cars. I don't know about you, but most things I've put in my trunk, would not be fit even animals to eat. But you know most cults eat some very strange things. Pay lay ale even to the little ones.

I live in an area very heavily populated by many different churches; Baptists, Church of Christ, Methodists, etc. Many of the churches in my area are advertising Trunk or Treat. I think the mo idea must have caught on! I know a lot of Christians think Halloween is the Devil's holiday and if they have something at a church, the kids don't feel left out and they can still keep the holiday "pure and holy". Or something like that!

I don't really find trunk or treat unsafe providing precautions are taken and people are not allowed to drive where the candy is being distributed. Older kids understand that taking candy from cars is not allowed on a general basis and that Halloween is an exception, just like knocking on doors and begging for candy isn't done on other days. Kids who are too young to get this shouldn't be on the streets by themselves anyway. Same for playing in parking lots. I just think it takes fun out of Halloween for no good reason.Trick or treating is generally safe if people use common sense. Just the facts that there were drugs found at a local church trunk or treat shows that there are problems there too and that parents have to be vigilent, however they chose to celebrate. Aside from the fun issue, in Mormon communities, it doesn't give non Mormon kids many choices. They can go to trunk or treat and risk being proselytized or they can stay home. Often there are no other activities.That is a shame.

Now we all know which is the safer choice.

Maybe it's just a social norm activity with a group of acquaintances? I mostly see churches do this though. I wonder where it originated.

In my opinion, it is for lazy parents who want a way to load up on a ton of candy without having to spend the whole evening accompanying their children on a traditional trick-or-treat. My kids are not preschoolers anymore, but I would still not send them out at night alone (or even in a group of their peers) on the street. For safety reasons, I would need to go with them. I have a lot of good nostalgic memories of trick or treating when I was a kid and I want the same for my kids.

I don't think trunk or treat is any "safer" than traditional trick or treat. Kids would need to be supervised for either activity...."bad strangers' houses" and cars hurrying in and out of a dark parking lot can both be dangerous for young unsupervised kids. My main objections are that they are always held on someone else's turf, i.e., the local mormon church parking lot, where, if you show up, they take that as a sign that you are interested in being the ward project again. The other, and biggest, reason is simply that they are just lame!Marching around a circle of parked cars while the parents furiously dump candy into bags without even looking at the costumes so they can get it over with and get back to their favorite TV show is just not fun! I love traditional trick or treat. When I was a kid, that was a night one of my parents stayed home to tend the door and pass out candy and the other would spend the whole evening with us, making sure we were safe on our "treasure hunt" for the best candy. We had the entire evening where our parent's attention was 100% on us....that's what made it special (as did the concept that people were just giving candy away!!!) People used to go all out and decorate their houses and yards - you can't duplicate that very well with just a parked car. Besides, Halloween is about more than the candy. It is a time when little kids get to play with facing their fears in a safe and controlled environment. As a child, it was also a time when our parents were ours for the whole night, which I loved. The only thing emphasized at the trunk or treats is how many pounds of candy we can collect in the smallest amount of time. Lame! As a parent, I would much rather my kids collect fewer pieces of candy but be able to make an exciting, memory-filled evening out of the candy quest!

I want to have the excuse to devote the entire evening once a year towards my kids having the same kinds of fond Halloween memories that I have. I *hate* trunk or treat! Mormons just do not get that having it at the church and then stating "everyone's welcome" doesn't mean people feel comfortable showing up on their turf. They have a well-deserved reputation for being obnoxiously pushy with their religion if anyone shows any interest in their activities, even if it's just showing up so their kid doesn't get completely left out of the Halloween celebration.

I say it's fine to have it as a separate party, but I wish people wouldn't send their kids to the trunk or treat and then go home and turn off the porch light, discouraging kids who might be out doing the traditional trick or treat. Such a practice screams, "All the important Mormon children (in other words, the children that matter) have already gotten their candy stash....no need to pass out candy to those not entangled in our church/community. (Church and community, to a mormon, is the same thing with no room for nonconformists.)

Fantastic article. Thank you.

Traditionalist, I agree with you 100%! I have never attended a Trunk-or-Treat and they are all over the place here in Idaho Falls. I have way too many wonderful memories of going trick-or-treating door to door with my dad and siblings when I was little. I have made sure to push that same tradition in my own family. I think that it is downright tacky to change such a long-standing tradition of going door to door with your parents, to standing outside in a parking lot at the trunk of your car. I know my TBM sisters do this crap with their family and they claim that the amount candy they get from it is "awesome", but I don't think that that is all that matters. I want my children to experience what I did.

Trick or treating was so much fun as a kid! I loved seeing how people decorated and running into my teachers' houses while out on my route. I loved the one house that went all out and had large wax figures highlighted with strobe lights to make them seem real. Each year I had to work up the courage to walk up to the door (as well as the speech to convince my scared friends to go with me)!!! I did the Trunk or Treating once. It is just not the same.

I think trick o treating is just as safe provided people just use common sense. Mormons are just paranoid of "the world". There are bad people in every religion. I still go through my kids' candy to make sure it's safe even if it's from the ward trunk o treat. Doesn't matter.

goldenrule Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think trick o treating is just as safe provided
> people just use common sense. Mormons are just
> paranoid of "the world". There are bad people in
> every religion. I still go through my kids' candy
> to make sure it's safe even if it's from the ward
> trunk o treat. Doesn't matter.

I agree. In some high crime areas, trick or treating could be dangerous but it is relatively safe most places with some precautions. Obviously you don't send small kids out alone and you make rules for older ones. So what if you have to go out with the kids? It is one night a year.Whether you allow children to go out alone is dependent on lots of factors- safety of the neighborhood, age of the kids [there is a difference between preteen and teens and toddlers], reliability of the kids, where they are going and so on. Even with older kids, it is safer in groups.If trunk or treat is open to anyone and there isn't a clearly designated place for giving out candy which is safe from cars, it can be dangerous too.Predators are attracted by kids whether they are going door to door or in a parking lot.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2010 09:24PM by bona dea.

there was a zombie in the trunk. Or a severed head, some peeled grape eyeballs or something. That would be pretty cool.

Part of the fun of Halloween was meandering about at *night* (SPOOKY!), even if your parents or whatever parent pulled Halloween duty that year was waiting on the sidewalk. And I grew up in Philly. Never had an issue.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2010 09:05PM by Beth.

I have concluded that the reasons for Trunk or Treat are:

Fear – they don’t want their children to go to those non-Mormon houses because (as everyone knows) they are much more likely to be harmed there. It’s much better to only associate with people you already know and not to have to make conversation with people ‘not like us’.

Exclusivity – despite the claim that it was open to all, I have never been invited to participate. My kids were never directly invited. When I mentioned that to a Mormon neighbor, I was dismissed as too easily offended - didn't I know we could participate. My son went one year with his Mormon friend, but they decided to leave quickly because everyone asked my son if he was attending the Mormon church now. Even his friend thought it was rude.

Control – the Mormons know best. They will decide what night Halloween should be observed, when the activities will begin and end and what type of costume is acceptable. And no loud laughter & light-mindedness! They suck all the fun out of it to prove their righteousness.

Laziness – it is suuuuuucchhh a pain to walk around the neighborhood with your little kids and suuuuucch a hassle to answer the door every few minute to dole out candy.

Like in a parking lot? Am I reading this right?

Yeah, I would be one sad little kid if my trick or treating was limited to circling a parking lot and digging around someone's spare tire for some Reeses. Car trunks? Again, the occasional zombie attack or severed head might make it worthwhile.

I've seen people talk about trunk or treat before, but I figured it was, like, a series of trunks that you pack for summer camp or college that people brought to the ward house or whatever. I had no idea that we're talking about car trunks. I give the googly eyes for that one. O_o

Again, zombies and/or severed body parts would ameliorate my disappointment somewhat.

I remember once when I was little, my mother insisted on taking me to the school Halloween carnival. I thought it was lame - stupid little booths and games. No candy or goodies unless you bought them, and my mother wouldn't.

I finally said, "We've seen everything they have here. Now let's go trick-or-treating." My mother said, "Oh, no, this IS trick or treat for this year. We aren't going anywhere else." I felt totally defrauded and was furious. I never, ever, bought into the "school carnival" thing again. Total rip-off.

When our kids were little, I took them to the ward Halloween parties a few times. Those weren't too bad. The kids enjoyed them. They didn't start the "Trunk or Treat" nonsense until after we left the church.

I still love Halloween and get a huge kick out of opening the door and seeing little kids dressed up in funny costumes and handing out goodies to them.

It's traditional, it's community, and it's FUN.

Those are the reasons churches, preschools, and others choose trunk or treat.

Neighborhood cohesiveness, inclusion, fun, tradition are the reasons parents stick with trick or treating. They want to pass these healthier values down to their children.

And safety is another big issue. Children need to be brave enough to knock on a neighbor's door. In emergencies that's much safer than going to adults in cars and kids should NEVER think it's fine to take candy or other gifts from strangers in cars.

My daughter's neighborhood has a community yard sale day every Labor Day weekend. This is a chance for neighbors to mingle and get aquainted. The kids get to see who lives on their block and the ones nearby. The become comfortable with the idea of enclusiveness. Every age is included and neighbors find out who their neighbors are. When there's an earthquake or other emergency, they are quicker to come together and help each other. Trick-or-treat can serve this same purpose.

Trunk or treat eliminates from participation the elderly and those who don't or can't afford. or are not included in the sponsoring organization. This is where the fear, exclusivity, and control come in.

Then there's laziness. Walking in a circle around a parking lot is quicker than meandering through neighborhoods and finding out who lives there while hearing crickets and owls and imagining there are unseen Halloween spirits behind the shrubs and in the trees.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2010 12:30PM by Cheryl.