What's your Trick or Treat experience?

Obviously since I've only been Trick or Treating once in my life (and I was too young when I went to recollect anything), I need the stories and experiences of others to show what a great time Halloween can be.

This week I'm not using the opinion of one interviewee, but of several! All of these people grew up Trick or Treating, loved it, and say that someday they would definitely let their kids go Trick or Treating on Halloween.

Gwyn- She grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of elderly people so her parents never really worried about safety issues. And I think it's safe to guess that her neighbors gave out some of the best treats. Her favorite thing about going Trick or Treating was just spending time with her little siblings. One time she remembers dressing up with her little brother as a pair of matching bears.

Angela- "You get to dress up and look adorable!" And when she mentioned that her favorite costume was dressing up like Raggedy Anne, I can imagine that she looked adorable every year. Angela loved going every year with her brother and parents. She also stated that now as a business major, she looks at it as an opportunity for "free" goods. "It's free candy!" she said, then added that if your kids are sitting at home watching all the other kids having a good time, you'd better have a pretty good reason for not letting them join in the fun. 

No, Really! It's Not All About the Candy...

Trick or Treat? I mentioned in my last post that Halloween has grown significantly in popularity as a holiday. As this article states, many adults in America celebrate Halloween (almost 66 percent), and Americans spend nearly $7 billion—$2 billion of that on candy alone—for this one night of Trick or Treating. So what's the draw? Surely it's not just to blow a hundred or have your kids stock up on candy for the next year and a half.

So here are some other benefits of going Trick or Treating, besides the obvious, sugar overdose.

• It's fun! Outside of Hollywood, when else can you dress up like someone or something totally different from your norm? You get to knock on random people's doors and are given free candy for it! Halloween is a great excuse to be just a little bit crazy and have some good clean fun.

• It's a perfect time for bonding with family and friends. First you and your kids can work on costumes together. Creating a homemade costume gives your children a greater appreciation for the costumes they are wearing. It also teaches your children how to work together, save money, become more creative and imaginative (like this dad). I asked several of my friends, who went Trick or Treating when they were younger, what their favorite was about it, and the most common answer surprised me.

Week 5: "Trick or Treat" or not...

It's almost that time of year again. No, I'm not talking about Christmas. I'm referring to Halloween which will be here in just over a week. This holiday has grown in popularity over the years, and many people decorate for it almost as much as for Christmas. A drive through my hometown neighborhood proves that.

Some people hold that it's a wicked holiday that shouldn't be observed. (i.e. Don't even give out candy that day in case people mistaken your actions as condoning Halloween.) Others say it's just a day of fun for kids and even adults, and a deeper meaning shouldn't be read into it. And then there are those who go just a tad over-the-top...

I'm not really taking sides about that in this week's topic, but instead I want to take the opposite side of my opinion about the question, "Should you let your kids go trick or treating?"

People say that most do as their parents did, and I guess that's probably the main reason for my opinion over this issue. Except for when I was 4, I've never been trick or treating. My parents had a number of reasons, all of them very good, and quite frankly, we always had a blast in my family doing other things that night (like watching movies or going out to eat or something else fun.)

But this week I'm going to defend why you should let your children go trick or treating.