Holiday Treats-and Tricks : Children’s Hospital: It doesn’t matter that young patients can’t go out on the streets and ring doorbells--the holiday comes to them.

For about an hour on Monday morning, 9-year-old Eric Viola escaped his illness.

Dressed in black and wearing sunglasses with red, blinking eyeballs over his breathing mask, Eric joined about 50 other young patients at Children’s Hospital of Orange County in trick-or-treating down corridors transformed into Halloween alleys.

On Viola’s left hand were two IV tubes, connected to a unit maneuvered by his father. In his right was a bagful of treats, including a candy necklace.

The necklace was “for my little sister, Robin,” he said in a soft, high-pitched voice.

Hospital workers donated their time and money to festoon the hospital with orange and black. The admitting department became a dungeon with spider webs draped against a dark gray wall. Doors were decorated with pumpkins and goblins, and toys and candy waited at stations throughout the hospital.

Ribbie, the mascot of the California Angels, distributed an ample amount of hugs along with team paraphernalia. A few Mighty Ducks players and officers from the Orange Police Department also joined the party.

For Eric, it was the first outing since he was found to have leukemia more than a month ago. Although he said he missed walking around his neighborhood with his brother and two sisters, the Halloween bash at the hospital provided a flavor of home--plus more tangible treats such as caramel apples.

“That’s the first thing I’m going to eat,” Eric said.

Witches, Wonder Woman and Popeye’s own little Sweet Pea paraded through the halls, some in wheelchairs and some led by their parents.

Detective Craig Kelsey, who visits the hospital regularly, said the party gave the kids a chance to get out of bed and collect some goodies.

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“Instead of going out in the streets,” Kelsey said, “we’re bringing the streets to the hospital.”

Marvin Gonzales zoomed by the baskets of toys and candy on his green Little Tykes tricycle. After visiting one Halloween station, the bespectacled 7-year-old rode over to a friend and said, “I have bubbles, do you have bubbles?”

Others had their own preferences.

“Sarah’s just after anything pink,” said Melissa Barba of her 4-year-old daughter, who has been receiving cancer treatment for six months.

Dressed as Princess Jasmine of Disney’s “Aladdin,” Sarah scurried through three floors of the hospital holding a Halloween bag in front of her. In the elevator between floors, she took time to count her spoils. Not waiting to get back to her room to eat, she unwrapped some pink bubble gum and popped it her mouth.

At each station, in addition to candy, there were toys for those like Benjamin Deering, 3, who couldn’t have sweets due to medical conditions. Benjamin, wrapped in a red, white and blue terry-cloth robe resembling the American flag, filled his Halloween bag with stuffed ghosts, pencils and other gadgets.

“We’ve never been able to do this before,” said Benjamin’s mother, Sharon. “He’s having the time of his life.”