Trick-or-treating: It's in the bag
By The Salt Lake Tribune (October 30, 2008)

Marissa Ulibarri, left, Anastasia Gonzales, Taylor Ham, Maddie Porter and Rebecca Henkels are ready for their big night out on Halloween.

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Halloween isn't just about walking around and getting free candy. Trick or treating is an art, a skill, a strategic mission. To get the best tips, Tribune staff writer Lisa Schencker asked an experienced team of experts: members of Girl Scouts Troop 292 (and a little brother). Here's what they had to say:

Rebecca Henkels, 11, dressed as a rabbit in a hat
Q: How long should you spend trick or treating?
A: Two or three hours. When you get tired you just pop in the Hershey's.

Q: How many pieces of candy should you take when you get to a house where no one is home but a bowl of candy is on the front porch?
A: It's responsible to take one.

Q: What's the best thing for people to give out on Halloween?
A: I love king-sized. Anything that's big.

Q: What do you do with the candy when you get home?
A: Eat it and save some of it for school lunches.

Anastasia Gonzalez, 10, dressed as Alice in Wonderland
Q: Does what you wear for Halloween have anything to do with how much candy you get?
A: I have noticed that the people that just come in bags or don't have any costumes on, my mom doesn't really give a lot of candy to them. That's why I wear a really cool costume.

Q: What do you do with the candy when you get home?
A: I sort them into Starbursts, Hersheys, Tootsie Rolls and Dots and then I put them in bags.

Q: What's the worst thing people give out for Halloween?
A: Probably when they say, "Oh, I forgot it was Halloween and don't have any candy," or give you a bag of carrots.

Q: What do you do when you run out of room for candy when trick or treating?
A: I put it in my pockets. When we run out of room in our pockets we go home and dump it out.

Taylor Ham, 11, dressed as a 1980s girl
Q: What's the worst thing people give out on Halloween?
A: I don't like when people try to give out apples or pencils because it kind of ruins it.

Q: Who's best to go trick or treating with?
A: Friends. You can stay out longer because your parents aren't there to tell you what to do.

Q: What do you do with the candy when you get home?
A: I clean out a drawer and organize my candy when I'm bored.

Q: What should you do when you run out of room for candy while trick or treating?
A: I usually bring two pillowcases with me. When one of them is full I give it to someone else to hold, my brother or mom.

Marissa Ulibarri, 11, dressed as a school bus
Q: What do you do with the candy when you get home?
A: I have my mom and dad check it just in case. I eat some of it, and the ones I don't like I give to my mom and dad.

Q: How much candy should you eat the night of Halloween?
A: When your mom and dad say to stop eating candy you should stop, but I don't because it's too good.

Q: What advice would you give to other kids this Halloween?
A: Don't be rude. Always go with somebody. Never go into somebody's house. Wear something that shines so your parents can find you.

Q: Who's the best person to go trick or treating with?
A: I like going with my sister and brother, anybody I know who's not bossy.

Maddie Porter, 10, dressed as a candy corn
Q: What's the worst thing people give out on Halloween?
A: I hate it when people are dentists and give out toothbrushes.

Q: How did you decide to dress up as a candy corn this year?
A: I asked my mom if I could be a hamburger, but she couldn't make it in time, but I still wanted to be food.

Q: Does what you wear have anything to do with how much candy you get?
A: Some people will only give you a little bit if you don't have a really good costume.

Q: How long should kids spend trick or treating?
A: If you really really like candy, you should go out for like 10 hours and go through neighborhoods 20 times and dress up in different costumes.

Nicholas Gonzalez, 7, dressing as a mechanic
Q: How much candy would you like to get this Halloween?
A: Four million pounds. I want it to last me a whole year.

Q: How many pieces of candy should you take when you get to a house where no one is home but a bowl of candy is on the front porch?
A: If your mom and dad are with you, and the sign says, "Take one," you should take one because if you take two they might get mad at you.

Q: What advice would you give to other kids for Halloween?
A: Be nice to people so they can give you one piece more.

Q: How much candy should you eat on Halloween?
A: I think you should eat seven pieces and save all the king-size and big candies for another time so you don't waste up all of your candy.

All photos credit Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune