Have The Trunk Or Treat Events Ruined Halloween In Amarillo?

As we find ourselves a few days past Halloween in Amarillo now, I'm starting to reflect on some things when it comes to the holiday and how it's changed since I was a kid out trick or treating.

I remember being SO excited for it as I knew I was going to get absolutely loaded down with a massive bag full of candy. It didn't matter if I went with something traditional or something as large as a pillow case.

I knew one way or another, I was going home with more candy than I'd ever eat. I'd walk out of my house and just troll around neighborhoods for three to four hours, and it seemed nearly every house was open for business.

This year, we did our annual trip to the Wolflin area to do our trick-or-treating. The wife and I love looking at the houses while the kids love getting all the candy. This year, they weren't ready to be done after Wolflin.

So we stopped at home to eat dinner, then took the kids back out through our neighborhood to do a little more candy hunting.

It was an absolute letdown. We went down numerous blocks, and saw very few lights on. It was so bad that one house we stopped at mentioned we were their first trick-or-treaters of the evening. That was at nearly 8 pm.

So what has changed? Is there something ruining Halloween?

Many have pointed to the Trunk or Treats that have popped up around the city. Truthfully, I can kind of see where they're coming from. Initially created as a way to still trick-or-treat during the pandemic, they have simply grown in size and quantity.

A lot of people will head out to these events, and there's nothing wrong with that, but because SO many people ultimately attend them, it's taken away some of the allure of going door-to-door to get that candy.

I'd love to see things get back to the way they were, because I feel the kids today are missing out by not being able to go door-to-door. Plus, I miss seeing all the different costumes these kiddos dress up in.