People used to bring their kids into our neighborhood because it was large, safe and everyone gave out the "good stuff". Plus the couple that lived across and a couple of houses up from mine would do a haunted house. They have this breezeway between the house and garage with a pass door at the back of the garage. She would block off the front where the garage door is with a big tarp so the kids couldn't see in the garage and make the breezeway really dark and creepy with hanging down stuff.
She would wear a witch costume with her face all made up too.
We go all out for Halloween. We have a big spooky old house with a dancing ghost in the attic, visible through a large fan-light. We also have a real ghost somewhere. Our signature treat are boxes of Freihoffer's chocolate chip cookies. The parents love 'em. And, Gobux is exactly right about word of mouth spreading like wildfire.
When we lived in Spokane, "Toots" always went all out! She did the wicked Witch thing too, including some gnarly teeth, green make-up, and a fake nose! She's great at it! She still travels into the city to take my grandkids out. Her latest thing is Medusa! She wants me to "invent a way to make those rubber snakes wriggle all over out of a wig. I figure I might be able to use a "stamp processor" and that wire that expands and contracts with how many volts you give it. It will be my paste of resistance!
Way back when, during my "egg slingshot" days, there was an old gal that cooked us peanut butter cookies! She would bake at least 12 dozen and be out by 8 pm. We always hit her place at least three times! After that she would tell us "that's enough! Save some for the other kids!". She made the best cookies I have ever eaten. I delivered her newspaper, too! The tips were always coooooookies!!!!!!!!!!! I actually delivered newspapers longer than I wanted, 'cause she told me I was the best paperboy she ever had! Man! Those were good cookies!!!
