Is three hours of trick-or-treating too much?

For the last two years, Greenfield's trick-or-treating has been from 1-4 p.m., a switch from the nighttime hours it previously had. But do kids really need that much candy, and do residents really need to set aside three hours to answer their door?

We posted the question on the Greenfield Patch Facebook page and turned the replies into the photo gallery with this story.

One resident emailed the city and wrote, "Can we reduce the time for trick or treating to 2 hours? 3 hours is just too long. .... The children in the neighborhood are done in 1 hour and then it seems kids from other communities come around. Please consider minimizing the time."

Speaking of children from other communities, in an unscientific Patch poll conducted earlier this week, readers were split down the middle when asked if they cared if out-of-town kids came to their neighborhood to trick-or-treat.

With that poll we told readers that neighborhood associations in Wauwatosa have their own trick-or-treat hours — but they make sure those days and times aren't publicized to discourage non-residents from showing up.

The city's Legislative Committee would have to discuss and then propose such a switch to the Common Council, should a change take place.