I LOVE Halloween! When my first daughter was born 14 years ago, I could not wait to share this wonderful holiday with her. I dressed her in the cutest little pumpkin costume, but since she was only just over a month old, I figured we would just enjoy handing out candy to all of the children in our Camden community. I worked in the Camden leasing office, so I had a pretty good idea of how many families lived in our community. With that in mind, I purchased enough candy to feed a small army, just to make sure I didn’t run out halfway through the evening. As soon as the sun started to set, I sat by my front door eagerly awaiting the parade of ghosts and princesses that would inevitably arrive in just moments. Zoe and I listened anxiously for the first knock. After an hour of silence I figured that maybe my closed door was scaring trick-or-treaters away, so I opened it up to signal that I had candy waiting. Still… Nothing… I waited all night long to hand out goodies, but, alas, no one knocked on my door. I was so devastated that I practically ate all 50 pounds of candy that night! It just never occurred to me that families might prefer to trick-or-treat in the subdivisions surrounding our Camden community. Some of you might be overjoyed to hear my story as you might think that a perk of apartment living is not having to deal with Halloween trick-or-treaters. However, I’m sure there are many people who wonder whether or not they should expect to hand out candy on Halloween night. The bottom line is… there isn’t an easy answer as it depends on your particular community. The Camden community I currently manage is located within the boundaries of one of the best school districts in Texas, so we tend to have several families in our wonderful wide-ranging mix of residents. Many of these families do trick-or-treat on our community Halloween night in addition to visiting the neighborhoods that surround our property. If your apartment community is also located in a suburban area, it’s probably a good idea to plan on a handful or trick-or-treaters. It’s better to be over-prepared than face a disappointed zombie cheerleader! If you live in an urban area, you are most likely off the hook for Halloween night. If you have questions about whether or not to prepare candy for your potential trick-or-treaters, ask your friendly Camden office staff for advice. Every year is different, but they should be able to give you an idea based on the activity level of previous Halloween nights. If you are looking for family friendly alternatives to trick-or-treating, be sure to check out your Camden community Facebook or Twitter page. They may have some great suggestions for events in the area. Shortly after Zoe turned one we moved into our home in the suburbs. Our neighborhood is filled with children, so Halloween is a busy affair for us. I love seeing hundreds of little trick-or-treaters running up to my door for candy. I have not had a lonely Halloween night since!

Happy Halloween! Whether you are ready to welcome trick-or-treaters or if you wish they would stay far away, I hope your night is Spooktacular!