The Lost Art of Trick or Treating

Trick or Treating used to be a fun adventure for children of all ages. For one night of the year children could pretend to be anyone they want to be and eat all the candy they want. There was a certain art to trick or treating that children mastered. They learned what houses gave candy and what houses gave things such as toothbrushes or raisins. And they learned which houses to avoid altogether. Trick or Treating used to be a relatively safe activity for children but in the last decade or so that has changed. Long ago families lived in close knit neighborhoods where everyone knew one another and for those they didn’t know the children were advised to past their houses. Today, not all families live in that close knit community. Trick or Treating has lost its following. Today people live such busy lives that they no longer know their neighbors like they used to. Some people live in apartment buildings. And there are some people who live far out in the countryside where the houses are few and far between. Due to these changes in the lifestyles of families, the art of trick or treating has had to change.

In today’s world, many organizations such as churches hold fall festivals in place of old fashioned trick or treating. Churches, especially, have befallen to fall festivals because Halloween is not a religiously accepted holiday. According to the religious, Halloween is Satan’s birthday. So fall festivals have taken the place of trick or treating.

With fall festivals, there is so much more to offer the children, not to mention it is in a safer environment. Trick or Treating is not a totally lost art. At my church this past fall, people filled the trunk of their cars with candy and the children were allowed to go around and trick or treat at the different cars. Still trick or treating but with a twist.

At the fall festival that my church offered, members of the church volunteered to do different things such as a cake walk. You would have members bring a box of Little Debbie cakes and that would constitute a cake walk. Also, different Sunday school classes would sponsor a game where prizes of candy could be won. Food is also a huge part of these fall festivals. At last year’s fall festival my church served hot dogs.

Churches have found that they can reach a part of the community where it once was unreachable by holding fall festivals. My church draws a huge crowd at its annual festival. Unfortunately there were many families that came because they were just hungry. It is not unfortunate that they came but that they came under those circumstances. It is for these people that we hold these festivals.

Fall festivals will be from now on the means in which we celebrate Halloween. It is unfortunate that children can no longer be safe going from door to door because trick or treating a fun activity that could be enjoyed by all. But as our society changes the way it lives and when the crime rate goes up, fall festivals have become a welcome change to an otherwise disastrous holiday.