Not a candy but just a shout-out to the people who went all out with decorations and turned their garages into mini haunted houses! Was always a bit scary as a kid, but all in good fun.

When I was a kid, the big urban legend (besides full-size candy bars or cans of pop) was the house that covered their porch in quarters and you could scoop a handful. My friends and I spent at least three Halloweens looking for this house and never found it. 

A toothbrush — sorry, well-meaning/probably-a-dentist neighbor, but NO.

One house gave out mini bottles of Fireball whiskey to all parents of trick-or-treating kids last Halloween. We definitely appreciated that! 

One house gave out mini bottles of Fireball whiskey to all parents of trick-or-treating kids last Halloween. We definitely appreciated that! 

A 50-cent piece

Hot apple cider. I was in elementary school and had to brave the terrifying inflatable monsters in the front yard to get a chance to try some. Worth it, even though I burned my tongue.

My suburban Maryland neighborhood was full of kids and pretty on board with giving out candy. However, a few outliers would give out pencils, homemade desserts or chip bags. My mom did not trust the homemade desserts and promptly disposed of them during the post-trick-or-treating bag search for nonexistent razor blades.  

There was always one house in my sprawling suburban neighborhood that would host a barbecue in their driveway as they passed out candy. You could snag a Snickers bar and be offered a fresh hot dog without breaking your stride.

One of my brothers once had to help me pry a single piece from a mass of hard sweets in an old-fashioned candy dish. We were just trying to be polite with the family friend offering the treat. That piece of candy stuck to my trick-or-treat bag like Super Glue.