Trick-or-treaters beware

I take Halloween very seriously.  When I'm not raising the dead or concocting a poisonous brew, I'm getting ready to pass out sweet treats to the darling neighborhood children.  It's something I enjoy and look forward to all year.  In the past, I've given out handfuls of candy for especially awesome costumes...this year, I'll reward the trick-or-treaters who go the extra mile with a full-size candy bar.  Yum!

Some children, as you can imagine, are not so darling.  Some children just show up on your doorstep with a large bag and an even larger sense of entitlement, and think that because they've bothered to show up you are required to give them candy.

I don't think so.  If children want candy that I've paid for with my hard-earned cash, and even more importantly, candy that I've managed to avoid eating so that they could have a delicious treat, then they need to put on a costume. Seriously.

This was a huge problem at our old house.  Naturally, I had to take steps. 
 

I made this sign from a piece of countertop.  It's spray painted with textured paint for a stone look, and the wording accurately conveys my feelings about the 'no costume' issue.  Have I mentioned I'm quite serious about Halloween?

And yes, I've enforced this rule on many occasions.  And no, my house has never been egged or teepee'd because I've taken this stand. 

 

So to all the potential trick-or-treaters in the new TMI neighborhood, consider yourselves warned:  you had best be wearing a costume when you ring my doorbell.

Or else...