It's the growing distrust and paranoia that has been burbling since 2001. It's also modern laziness. People don't want to go buy candy for strangers and answer the door all night when half the kids walking around don't dress up or are being taken house to house in minivans. Both of these groups put the other ones off so there are even fewer participants the next year.

I watched it happen to my mother first. She used to go all out, and then over the years there were more and more stupid excuses. "No one is dressing up anymore" "I don't recognize half of these kids" "There aren't enough kids" "These kids are out too late" and then one year she didn't even put the light on. I saw the same thing when it was my turn to start passing out candy, and I'm not going to lie it's a little obnoxious seeing group after group of kids in street clothes trying to take half my bowl in one go. They don't even say trick or treat anymore. More recently after moving to a 'dry' area I started going out with my friends and their kids. Maybe every 4th or 5th house was participating. After 3 years they didn't even want to bother. We just throw them a little party now and they have a blast.

​

If anything Trunk or Treat is helping, not hurting.