trick or treat??

does my head in dont mind if i only get a few but usualy they start at about 4 and can go on till about 10 knocking every 2 minutes,dont take my kids dont want them knocking on strangers doors asking for money too dangerous these days so i just throw them a little dress up halloween party,my other half dresses up and tries to scare the trick or treaters away ;D

When we used to live elsewhere used to get knocking from mid sept onwards.

Maybe not quite that early here but definitely not just on 31st. Bit like Christmas carollers - they start on 1 December! Does my head in. (Once got four carol singers at door and was so fed up I told them I would give them a fiver each if they could sing the whole of the carol they had started - silent night. Needless to say it was a silent night! ;D )

My brother in law has been known to stick a sign saying "No trick or treaters" on the front door!! It worked too.
I buy a few chupa chups lollies if I remember & don't mind giving them out to the little ones who call early on, around teatime.
It's the teenagers who come knocking at 9pm with just a mask on under their burberry cap saying (adopt Kevin the teenager type bored voice now) "trickertreat" that I ignore.

I like the porch light on idea Spendless. The bulb's gone in mine ha ha!

The theory I don't mind but the reality is that virtually nobody makes any effort, so in this country, in most places, it comes down to begging with menaces!

I actually see every year in our street, parents pull up in cars, dump a load of children in the street, and drive off leaving the children to go trick or treating! There is so much wrong with that I don't know where to start.

As an insurance policy I buy fun sized chocs but I've never had to use them yet. And I frankly don't bother about peanuts or quality stuff: it's all labelled and if you're begging for stuff it's up to you (or your parents) to check out if it's OK. If you're that delicate, don't spend dark evenings knocking on strange doors.

We plan every hallowe'en, if we're in, with something good to watch and all the lights off. With our thick curtains and double glazing you can't see anyone's in, and our house looks pretty intimidating as it is because we're still doing up the inside.

I dare say someone will come along and say we're all being miserable, weren't you ever children etc? I wish I didn't have to do this - I'd be happy to have the local children call round and happy to give them treats and act (badly) being scared - but I spend all year being scared of them as they hang around and wouldn't recognise a local child from a non-local one, even if you showed me their police record.

I find it all pretty depressing really.

I like the performance-pay for carol singers idea though!