People Handed Out Trick or Treating Candy Using Candy Chutes

One of the beloved holidays for children in the United States is Halloween. They look forward to it for months, picking out their costumes, making crafts and decorations in school, and of course, the night of trick-or-treating, which brings in a massive haul of candy.

Across the United States, large community events, parades, outdoor festivals, haunted houses, and corn mazes were canceled or altered in response to the pandemic. If there was a large gathering involved, chances were good that they were shut down or severely limited.

And in some areas, cities and states tried to do the unthinkable: ban neighborhood trick-or-treating altogether.

Los Angeles County health officials in California gained attention for being among the first to introduce new rules and regulations for Halloween. According to the Los Angeles Times, officials attempted to enforce a complete prohibition on trick-or-treating, citing the difficulty of maintaining safe social distancing if everyone took to the streets at the same time. Less than a day later, after people revolted, the ban was lifted. You can’t stop kids from trick-or-treating.

Trick-or-treating was a no-brainer perfect pandemic-proof activity for the kids. Even for the hyper-paranoid parents, they could still have their kids wear a face mask underneath or as part of their costume—doctors/nurses, monsters, and superheroes all wear masks—and most kids have on gloves for the chilly night anyway. What could be the harm sending the kids out on their favorite night?

Some people got clever with the ways that they handed out candy. The “Please Take One” sign next to the bowl of peanut butter cups was especially popular in the pandemic, as people handing out candy wanted to limit their exposure as well. That sign was especially ignored by the greediest of our masked children that year.

Another ingenious idea was the use of candy chutes, made from cardboard tubes or PVC pipes, that allowed people to slide their candy down to trick-or-treaters while maintaining distance. There was one thing for absolute certain about kids on Halloween: they don’t care how the candy winds up in their bag, just so long as it does.