TRICK OR TREAT - YES OR NO

[FussyElmo]

My youngest two who are 8 and 7 have never been trick or treating and are quite desperate to go.

So I have been around the neighbours and checked if they are ok to knock on. I have warned the kids which houses we can knock on and which ones we cant.

What do you all do?

[Mouse]

It's quite popular around here, so my children have been trick or treating when they were younger (all too old now). They only went to houses that had pumpkins Outside and more often than not, it was just to people they knew.

We put a pumpkin on the porch for a couple of hours and hand out sweets. Some years we get lots of children knocking but other years there are very few. Once we move the pumpkin the children stop knocking, so it's not a nuisance. The mindees that live close like to come round and I have to pretend to be scared or to not recognise them!

[loocyloo]

We usually say that if a house is lit up and decorated, then they are welcoming visitors, if house is dark, then we don't knock!

I never went trick or treating as a child, but my children have. But for the past 2 years we've been to a halloween event at local folk museum and not been home! This year we're also planning on not being home!

[bunyip]

Yes.............. by appointment only.

I always tell my parents to book a time, otherwise I won't answer the door to the endless stream of children wearing bin liners and demanding sweets with threats.

I always think it will work this year.

I'm always wrong.

[BallyH]

My boys have all been out in the past. My husband would accompany them, waiting at the top of paths/driveways as they knocked the doors. Then he'd waved to the house owner and walk behind them to the next house. They only ever went to houses with lit pumkins and within a few streets. Normally 6-7pm then indoors eating everything. I have a pumpkin out till about 7pm as the older age group come them and I don't like it as some of their costumes are quite scary and they're much taller than me. Lol. Most of my mindees come knocking, very excitely, about 5pm onwards. I also have to react scared and try to guess who they are. Come 7pm our house will be dark and quiet at the front and hopefully no more knocking.

[Maza]

It's cute in the early evening with the little kids but we don't answer the door after a certain time. Last year was our first time going trick or treating and it was such fun. It's strange how this particular festival brings out the community spirit, ooh, pardon the pun! DD can't actually stand sweets, but it's more about having fun.

After we have been out we then out our pumpkin on the doorstep for about half an hour as DD also loves being on the other side too. We have to put a note next to our pumpkin saying 'Please ONLY buzz flat 3', because our other neighbours aren't up for it. Thankfully last year everyone respected it.

[Mouse]

It's cute in the early evening with the little kids but we don't answer the door after a certain time. Last year was our first time going trick or treating and it was such fun. It's strange how this particular festival brings out the community spirit, ooh, pardon the pun! DD can't actually stand sweets, but it's more about having fun.

After we have been out we then out our pumpkin on the doorstep for about half an hour as DD also loves being on the other side too. We have to put a note next to our pumpkin saying 'Please ONLY buzz flat 3', because our other neighbours aren't up for it. Thankfully last year everyone respected it.

I'd be tempted to put a sign saying "please only buzz flat..." and whatever number your awful downstairs neighbour's flat is!

[Maza]

I'd be tempted to put a sign saying "please only buzz flat..." and whatever number your awful downstairs neighbour's flat is!

They'd get the forensics out to prove it was us who left the note!

[FloraDora]

Taking your own children to friends and neighbours who are joining in is fine.... Encouraging randomers to knock all night and put up with the glares when you offer pathetic sweets is not.....in my opinion!
In our area over the years we have had children groomed and old folk petrified ...the trick in crossness of pathetic offerings ( they want money!) got quite bad....so I don't encourage it and have a Saltbox sign saying No trick or treats thankyou now.....I'm the dark windows miserable neighbour now...
Though this year we are away so I won't suffer from guilt of not taking part or being the miserable one!
Personally I think it's all been taken over by the Americans......and I don't like this aspect.
As a child trick or treat wasn't heard of - we carved turnips ( British !! pumpkins are an American import idea) and bobbed for apples, it was a bit like a harvest celebration.
I'm in Margate ...they have a lot of community things going on...there was a funny Zombie walk last night....the Winter Gardens have got a scary maze thing which was fun and there is a family party like theme at the Dreamland this afternoon...I won't be going to but it all looks like simple fun...a bit like having a community bonfire and fireworks to encourage everyone not to have individual ones ...much safer....statistically.

[natlou82]

We go trick or treating but like others we visit people who we know who are into it or go to decorated houses. I light a pumpkin in the window when we are in and blow it out at around 8pm as I think that is late enough and there's only teenagers out past this and I don't like answering the door to them.

[samb]

We don't trick or treat. I struggle with the idea of asking for a treat and if not getting it then play a trick on them. I do understand that if you've planned to knock on certain doors of known friends etc then you are guaranteed a treat but surely the kids are still conjuring up trick ideas? Or do you not tell them about that bit? It just doesn't sit right with me.

[Maza]

We don't trick or treat. I struggle with the idea of asking for a treat and if not getting it then play a trick on them. I do understand that if you've planned to knock on certain doors of known friends etc then you are guaranteed a treat but surely the kids are still conjuring up trick ideas? Or do you not tell them about that bit? It just doesn't sit right with me.

I know what you mean, it is a weird concept. We don't mention the 'trick' aspect and DD has never questioned it. I used to hate it before last year too, but then we got invited along by a friend of DDs and had a lovely time. I couldn't quite believe how 'feel good' it all was. There were so many houses with pumpkins outside that there was no need to bother the houses without (not that there should be any need, but you know what I mean). All the parents were encouraging their little ones to be polite. I really hope tonight has the same feel.

[Mouse]

My grandparents lived near an American airbase and we always used to go along at Halloween as it was a big event with the houses all decorated, families out and about. It's a long time ago but I can still remember how nice it was.

Where I live now it's very friendly on Halloween. We put a sign up for my MIL saying "no trick or treaters" so she never gets any knocking. There are some older kids that hang around but they don't cause any trouble and I've never seen anyone do any tricks or get nasty. I guess it depends what the kids are like where you live. If they're going to frighten you and cause trouble I can see it would be an awful time, but if the kids are happy and respectful it can be a fun couple of hours.

We're having our traditional family pumpkin carving competition this evening. It gets very serious and competitive! I've got to say that after years of having to carve turnips on Halloween, I much prefer pumpkins as they are so much easier to scoop out!

[Ripeberry]

I live on a small estate so we all know each other. But some of the 'kids' are now adults 21+ and they come to the door expecting sweets at 9pm! They annoy me lots. I'm putting up a security camera this evening as last year they pinched all the pumpkins from peoples gardens and threw them into the road.
They need a 'scare' from the police!

[bunyip]

They'd get the forensics out to prove it was us who left the note!

Oh come on, Maza. Think! You get the children to write it.

[FussyElmo]

Well I took them and they enjoyed it but the thing that confused me if you had lit pumpkins and decorations outside why didn't they answer the door.

Oh well the children enjoyed their first trick or treat

[lollipop kid]

I LOVE Halloween!!! I'm notorious in our street for going a bit crazy with it all.

As soon as it gets dark, there I am at an open door, dressed as a witch, and out come the skeletons and tombstone for the garden, plus other assorted singing 'monsters'. I have a Frankenstein's monster holding a pumpkin that sings "Monster Mash" for example, and a 'crazy cat' that rolls around on the ground laughing if you press its paw. There's even a skeleton that sits around a garden tree - hands resting either side of his 'body' and his legs crossed in comfort - as you do.

I always do apple-bobbing at my door - this year I had the apples in a massive cauldron - I put lemon juice in the water to kill some of the nasties before you ask.

I always have streams of children coming to my door and I do not allow them to say "trick or treat". They have to say a lovely rhyme:

"The sky is blue
The grass is green
may I have my Halloween?"

I reply, "Yes, you may, but what are you going to do for it?" (Sing, dance or tell me a joke - it's a bit like the "X" Factor at my house, and this is how I remember it when I was a child, only we had home-made costumes.) The children love this. The jokes are great and you never know what they're going to come out with - so funny! Then they get invited to bob for an apple (with perhaps a dunk into the water from me if I think they'll see the funny side of it - I usually guage it right); and then they get to see the numerous toys in action and get sweeties - which again come out of a 'skull' with a skeletal hand trying to stop them taking them.

Even my doorbell is a naff skeleton with a snake coming out of its mouth and flashing eyes when you press it.

My door stays open from just after dusk until the last ones have given up and gone home - last night, I was finished by 9pm. (My other half takes my two out for their 'Halloween' so I can do my bit.)

Next year, I'm going to teach the children:

"Not last night, but the night before
three wee monkeys came to my door.
One with a fiddle and one with a drum,
and one with a pancake stuck to it's bum!"

I love Halloween the traditional way. No-one asks for money (no-one gets any) and they all love bobbing for apples.



Roll on next year. I've been doing it this way for about 10 years, and I'm in London!

LK

[JCrakers]

I did Halloween for 11years. Either going out with my own two children or staying in and decorating the front porch. We live on a lovely estate and if your house is decorated then you can knock...some people really go to town on decs and outfits.

But after doing it for so long it did get out of hand, the word spread around the town and people would drop off their children to trick or treat on this estate because they had heard how good it was. By 2013 there would literally be 200 trick or treaters and the doorbell would ring every 5mins between 5.30pm and 8.30pm. I couldn't make or eat my tea...lol

So last year I didn't decorate the house, dd went out (she was 12) ds stayed in (he was 15) and myself and dh sat and ate our tea in peace. The porch wasn't decorated so no one knocked, it was lovely lol.

This year my dd went out with friends and said that hardly anyone had their house decorated....probably everyone thought the same and also their own children had grown out of it.

Its a shame its fizzled out but it goes to show it was too much of a good thing...

[tess1981]

I was gutted this year I had one trick or treater and it was my nephew ... its a quiet rural area but lots of community spirit (pardon the pun) my brother has called to my house and we heard the knock at the door we were like a comedy duo both racing to the door pushing each other out of the way. He was the only one to call and my front door and hall was fully decked out. My ds 16 had 7 friends here so I had to cook for them and we had fireworks then they all headed of to another friends around 10. Older boys and Halloween not a good combination. I told him next year I want be "doing" Halloween and I'm heading out.

[greenfaerie]

I adore Halloween. This was the first year I took my daughter trick or treating (because she really wanted to have the experience) she loved the whole thing. Though I'm quite socially awkward, so it was tough. Like others said though we only knocked the houses with decorations outside, (and only about 6 of them)

I put out a sign saying trick or treaters welcome, and decorate the windows and at mine they get a sweet out of a cauldron and a Halloween toy from a pumpkin bucket too, I'm a big kid and I love it. I don't even mind giving chocolate to the teens, they're always polite and dressed up, so I happily hand stuff out.

I just felt awful when we were out trick or treating, so anyone knocking missed us. I might put a sign up next year telling them to come back in half an hour if they like...