What Happened To The Halloween I Loved As A Child - Why Doesn't Anyone Let Kids Knock On Doors To Trick Or Treat Anymore?

Godong. Getty Images.

Last night was maybe the 2nd or 3rd best night of the year for any child, Halloween. Rocking the coolest costume you can find, meeting up with your buddies and walking around the neighborhood and hitting all the houses until your pillow case is overflowing with Skittles, Snickers, banana Laffy Taffy, Reese's Cups, and Kit Kats. Growing up you'd start at your neighbors house and make your way all around the neighborhood, knocking on every single house and expecting something from each one. But over the years I've noticed that this has changed, kids who are trick or treating don't knock on doors anymore. If a house doesn't have someone sitting outside of it or on their steps with a bowl, they skip the house. 

Back in my day we'd knock on that door until the cows came home, no one sat outside in their driveway with a bowl, you actually had to knock on the door or ring a doorbell to get to the bowl of candy. That's a lost art now. Was it a Covid thing? Where people just left a bowl out or were hanging outside so not everyone touched the doorbell? I barely even recognized this once great holiday while walking around with my daughter last night, not one knock all night. We never even approached a door to knock on! And while I enjoy and appreciate the folks who camp out in their driveway with some drinks and a fire pit in their driveway and a bowl on a folding table out front for a drive through style halloween, would it kill some of ya to hang out inside to let the little ones knock? That was halloween! Not the drive by style, racing from door to door.  I could ask what has happened to this once great country but we seem to know where it went wrong, just let the kids knock! 

I get why you set up shop in the driveway, it's fun, easy, and you can enjoy the 80 degree weather on Halloween. But give the little ones a little taste of the traditional part of this holiday. And I'm not knocking the holiday in general, we had a great one. Tons of candy, the good kinds too. I saw my little one pass over many 100 Grand and Mounds bars, just a reminder that trying to give those to kids is weak and pathetic. And don't get me started on these new "truck or treat" events, ruining the whole sanctity of the holiday! I don't want to walk to your car so my kid can get a tootsie roll, #LetThemKnock!

We've got to figure it out, we've got to get back to our roots in this country. I don't need every single person camped inside, but a few hanging out in the living room and not out front and having the kids knock could turn this whole thing around. I also noticed a TON of houses just not participating anymore. Again, back in my day we'd knock until the cows come home, why are there so many grinches out there? Too good to give a child a piece of candy? Get over yourselves! Next year I want to see kids knocking on doors and ringing doorbells to say "trick or treat", not just driveway hopping while you're sipping on a beer with your solo stove and Spotify playlist up. Quit being selfish and ruining it for the kids.