Trick or Treat for UNICEF

[snoozn]

A nice seasonal, and small, rant for October. Am I stingy and hard-hearted for being completely opposed to "Trick or Treat for UNICEF?"

First, for those who don't know what it is: My kids get little cardboard boxes at school every year that they are supposed to bring around with them when they go trick or treating and ask people to donate to UNICEF. Now, I think UNICEF is a fine charity. My kids' school does other UNICEF-related fundraising that I have no problem with.

But I like Halloween just the way it is, darn it! I don't want my children to be little fundraisers on Halloween. I want them to have fun dressing up, walking around with their friends, and getting free candy. Even worse, I feel bad for the homeowners who have to go digging through their wallets, or make some silly excuse. I feel that these folks have gone to enough trouble buying candy, staying home, answering the door, and being nice to all the trick or treaters. It's just not fair to put some guilt complex on them that they need to give every kid with a cardboard box a quarter.

So, am I mean or what? Trying to take money out of the hands of a wonderful charity for children!