Halloween in condo/apartment buildings - Update in OP

[Bubblegum]

Hi friends. I have contacted my condo board to see if we could plan something for the kids in the building for Halloween...but I'm not sure what. Ideally it would be trick or treating but I don't know what works best logistically. I have lived here for 4 years and no one has knocked on our door and I know that no one hands out candy. 
Does anyone have anecdotes/ideas? 

The board voted against trick or treating in the building. So on to plan B, rent a car and drive to the suburbs. 

[emma]

do you have a community party room? Can you throw a Halloween party or show a kids Halloween movie?

[Cher]

My buildings in the city had ToT’ing. You would sign up what time you would participate and then all the kids in the building were given a sheet with the info. Kids from other buildings came through and were given the sheet as well.

For example, I got home from work at 630/645. I signed up from 7pm-830pm. Any kids that ToT’d in our building saw you could ring my doorbell between those hours. You didn’t have to participate if you didn’t want to. In which case, your apartment wasn’t listed on the sheet. I liked it because I knew I had an hour and a half and then I was done.

[greykitty]

Does your association have a party room? Maybe set up sort of a trunk or treat between certain hours if some residents want to do a small party - might be a nice meet and greet for residents as well? I guess it would be dependent on how your condo is set up (high rise/individual buildings/small building?) Are there are a lot of kids in your association? Do the kids maybe go visit single family homes in the area with school friends?

That said, I know my association has never been really keen on meet/greets, etc, in general, but all you can do is maybe try once and see what happens.

[filingjointly]

When we were in a condo we could sign up for trick or treating and then we were given a big bright orange pumpkin to tape to the outside of our door when we were home and handing out candy.

[mothafuckinteatime]

Aren’t you outside of the US? Is Halloween/TOTing a thing where you are?

SO grew up outside the US and is baffled by all the holiday stuff we do. And he finds TOTing to be the weirdest thing.

Too bad, he’s marrying an American full of holiday joy.

[sudokufan]

Sept 25, 2018 12:28:35 GMT -6 filingjointly said:

When we were in a condo we could sign up for trick or treating and then we were given a big bright orange pumpkin to tape to the outside of our door when we were home and handing out candy.

+1 when I lived in an apartment

[Bubblegum]

We have 2 party rooms but I like the idea of ToTing door to door.
The sign up sheet is a great idea.

[greykitty]

Sept 25, 2018 12:31:44 GMT -6 sudokufan said:

Sept 25, 2018 12:28:35 GMT -6 filingjointly said:

When we were in a condo we could sign up for trick or treating and then we were given a big bright orange pumpkin to tape to the outside of our door when we were home and handing out candy.

+1 when I lived in an apartment

Just curious and maybe not an issue - did non-participants make any pushback about noise made by kids running up and down the hallways at all?  Or just grin and bear it one day a year for XX hours?

[Bubblegum]

Sept 25, 2018 12:30:34 GMT -6 mothafuckinteatime said:

Aren’t you outside of the US? Is Halloween/TOTing a thing where you are?

SO grew up outside the US and is baffled by all the holiday stuff we do. And he finds TOTing to be the weirdest thing.

Too bad, he’s marrying an American full of holiday joy.

Yeah we do Halloween in Canada. I grew up in Poland and my first Halloween was when I was 6. I actually had a panic attack at school because I had no idea what was happening and my mom had to pick me up. Fun times.

[ripper]

Sept 25, 2018 12:30:34 GMT -6 mothafuckinteatime said:

Aren’t you outside of the US? Is Halloween/TOTing a thing where you are?

SO grew up outside the US and is baffled by all the holiday stuff we do. And he finds TOTing to be the weirdest thing.

Too bad, he’s marrying an American full of holiday joy.

I think she's from Canada not Lithuania.  

[Bubblegum]

Sept 25, 2018 12:34:39 GMT -6 greykitty said:

Sept 25, 2018 12:31:44 GMT -6 sudokufan said:

+1 when I lived in an apartment

Just curious and maybe not an issue - did non-participants make any pushback about noise made by kids running up and down the hallways at all?  Or just grin and bear it one day a year for XX hours?

This is what worries me a bit.

[filingjointly]

Sept 25, 2018 12:34:39 GMT -6 greykitty said:

Sept 25, 2018 12:31:44 GMT -6 sudokufan said:

+1 when I lived in an apartment

Just curious and maybe not an issue - did non-participants make any pushback about noise made by kids running up and down the hallways at all?  Or just grin and bear it one day a year for XX hours?

I don’t remember any complaints but I wasn’t on the board or anything so I’m not positive. It was like three hours for us between 4 and 7 and there weren’t too many kids in the building so I don’t think it was too noisy or intruding into quiet hours anyway.

[pixie]

Our building doesn't do anything for ToT besides a bowl of candy at the front desk/lobby. The set up of our building isn't conducive to it with two units per elevator floor in two towers it'd be kind of a nightmare for people to get in and out during that time frame elevator wise.

Instead we do a lot of neighborhood events in our area, school parties, etc. I know of some families who go to an adjacent block to do the door to door thing.

[bobyn]

I've never seen anything about TOTing in any apartment complex I've lived in. I'd maybe consider it next year after we've moved since I don't like where we are now.

[bobyn]

Sept 25, 2018 12:42:27 GMT -6 pixie said:

Our building doesn't do anything for ToT besides a bowl of candy at the front desk/lobby. The set up of our building isn't conducive to it with two units per elevator floor in two towers it'd be kind of a nightmare for people to get in and out during that time frame elevator wise.

Instead we do a lot of neighborhood events in our area, school parties, etc. I know of some families who go to an adjacent block to do the door to door thing.

No stairs for easy movement between floors?

[mothafuckinteatime]

Sept 25, 2018 12:35:54 GMT -6 ripper said:

Sept 25, 2018 12:30:34 GMT -6 mothafuckinteatime said:

Aren’t you outside of the US? Is Halloween/TOTing a thing where you are?

SO grew up outside the US and is baffled by all the holiday stuff we do. And he finds TOTing to be the weirdest thing.

Too bad, he’s marrying an American full of holiday joy.

I think she's from Canada not Lithuania.  

🙄 SO grew up in London and Auckland and it was not a thing there.

[Bubblegum]

Our condo is massive. 20+ units per floor and 7 elevators that are spread out. Shouldn’t be a problem going door to door.

[Bubblegum]

I just thought of another bonus: not having to go outside!

[mb3]

In our building it definitely wasn’t done, but we lived in an area that was a blend of buildings, multi units and single family homes. I would at least ask about the ideas of having residents sign up. I think if there are a fair number of families in your building it’s worth doing. If there aren’t many I don’t think you’ll get the response you hope for. Hopefully they like it!

[pixie]

bobyn excellent point! totally forgot about the stairs. We've also got a service elevator in each tower they could theoretically use...

[brux]

I love the idea of it and think you should spearhead the plan of a sign-up list for participants and maybe a orange pumpkin paper what gets taped to doors, so smaller kids can make sure they're at the right apartment door each time.

[babybean]

I went door to door when I was a kid. It’s not cold and you can get a lot of candy fast. I’d look into a sign up sheet and marker of some sort (something to hang on the door) indicating who’s participating.

[starrynight]

Mostly lurk, but we have a small bldg, 40 units, and so not a ton of kids. We have a sign up sheet in the lobby and pumpkins for people to put in their doors. Some people just leave a bowl outside their door. Timing is like 5:30-7:30. No one has ever complained about the noise. People are generally happy to give the kids in the bldg a fun time.

[bobyn]

Sept 25, 2018 13:13:28 GMT -6 pixie said:

bobyn excellent point! totally forgot about the stairs. We've also got a service elevator in each tower they could theoretically use...

lol I was about to say, that seems like a glaring fire hazard.

[cmb]

I’ve been in apartments of some type for the last 8-9 years. We sometimes get trick or treaters. When I was in a secured building, they had hours where they were opened and kids could go in. They trickled in for the unsecured buildings.

We have individual entrances now, so people just ring our bell since we can’t control the outside light. We’re not home ourselves so I don’t know how many show, but we got rung a few times after we got back last year- I didn’t buy candy, so I just put a sign up saying I didn’t have any over the door bell. I don’t think I ever got more than 5 kids any year I had been home- around here, people flock to neighborhoods and take their kids there instead of going through the complex, but that might just be a thing here

[McBenny]

We used to go door to door just like any other neighborhood. If they had their light on we knocked if they didn't. we didn't.

If a lot of lights were out we would drive to nearest sub.