In France, we start celebrating Halloween here and there. Kids can visit some stores for trick or treating in Paris and in cities around Paris. But we don’t usually knock at neighbors’ doors.

When we lived in Brooklyn, it was very similar to France: trick or treating at stores but not so much from apartment to apartment or from building to building. Probably because we used to live in a walk-up apartment with only one neighbor. I remember though that when we lived in Manhattan in an high-rise building, the doorman used to display a sheet where to put your name and apartment number if you agreed to be part of trick or treating for Halloween night. And kids used to travel from apartment to apartment following this list.

But this year was totally new for me, my husband and our 2 kids. This was our first Halloween in the NY suburbs like in movies.

I didn’t know what to expect so I asked one of my neighbor questions about the famous night. What time does it start? Can I let my kids walk into the streets by themselves for trick or treating? How many candies should I let the kids take? How long does it last?

My neighbor warned me that our neighborhood was very popular because houses are next to each others and we don’t live on top of the hill. So I followed her advice: we decorated the front garden with skeleton and graves. I went to the grocery store and bought 2 huge bags of candies. I put them in 2 large bowls in the hallway. I turned on the light of my porch to let the kids know I have candy for them. And the show started around 5:30pm on October 31. First, the youngest kids – some not even 2 year old -started to ring the bell, all dressed up in princesses or firemen. Then started at 6pm, 7-12 year old kids started to come over, dressed with more scarier costumes. And after 7pm, bigger kids- probably 13 or so- came over too. At the peak hour, the ring belled every 10 seconds. Some kids just picked one candy while others grabbed a full hand of them – usually the youngest ones- , even if we said ‘just 2 or 3’.

I hosted a party for my kids and their friends at home after trick and treating, to thank parents who walked with them in the streets and to let the kids trade their candies.

What a fun night! Now it is adults’ turn to celebrate Halloween: my hubby and I will go to our Halloween party this Friday!