Haha!!! I grew up mostly in Minnesota, so I learned about having to wear a snowsuit over or under my costume for trick-or-treating! It worked well under my spider costume, but I learned pretty quickly not to bother to go as a princess…

We had great Halloween parties in my ward!! One of my better Mormon memories!

As far as “trunk-or-treat” is concerned, I’m really glad it wasn’t invented until after my childhood was done. (I guess I should be thinking “Don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it,” but it sounds sooo crappy compared to a party + real trick-or-treat.)

One time Halloween fell on a Sunday when I was a kid, and it actually wasn’t so bad. My mom wouldn’t let us trick-or-treat, but she did let us answer the door for the trick-or-treaters, and let us play it up! I dressed as a witch, and my mom set up a cauldron with dry ice so that it would give off creepy smoke. The candies were in a bowl in the cauldron, so I got to give kids some “witch’s brew” as their treat!

Those were the days, with a cool Mormon mom!!

Trunk or Treat is just one of the many trends in alternate Halloween activities that is disturbing. I don’t care of someone wants to have a church sponsored activity, but to do that and then go home, turn off your porch lights, and ignore the rest of the kids in your neighborhood seems anything but neighborly!

I vaguely remember a couple of fun Halloween parties at church when I was growing up… They got to be more fun right around the time they stopped doing them, of course. By that time I was old enough to hang out in the restroom adjusting my makeup and costume and giggling with the other girls. And then a decree was made from on high, and out into the dark and wintry nights we were cast. Trunk or treat sucks, ’cause it’s freaking cold and dark and not at all cheery in the way that some of those parties were. I get the idea behind spending less money and expending less effort, but UGH.

Honestly, I’m surprised that Salt Lake hasn’t come out with some kind of revelation concerning Halloween and its unholy origins. Maybe trunk or treat was a step in that direction.