DEAR ABBY: Since Halloween is nearly here, I have a question about trick-or-treating. Last year on Halloween I was sitting down for an early dinner that was planned for 5 p.m. so we wouldn’t be disturbed by trick-or-treaters.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. When I answered, I was bombarded with requests for candy from three boys who live down the street. It was still light outside.

I told them to come back later, when I wasn’t eating dinner. I wanted to teach them that they shouldn’t overextend the holiday and disrupt other people’s lives. An hour later I received a call from the boys’ mother scolding me for sending them away.