Am I nasty/mean

Nile

Stompa wrote:

I agree entirely, it's a crass idea in the first place. I simply don't answer the door (carol singers get the same treatment later in the year).

Me too Stompa.

Unless I'm expecting a visitor, anyone else who knocks on my door in the evening will not have the door opened to them.

The OP shouldn't feel nasty or mean, just happy that she doesn't allow her children to go out begging and hurling abuse at neighbours. Why let such rude and ill behaved children make you feel upset?:rolleyes:

msmicawber

Thank you to all who've provided the history of this loathesome custom - I stand corrected. I still reserve the right to hate it and not allow my children out or anyone to open the door on Halloween, though :mad:

Edinburghlass_2

Wikopedia history of Halloween.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

It seems sad that what was a lovely tradition of kids visiting the neighbours to do their party piece, which I might add they spent hours perfecting, has become such a contraversial day.

worriedfirsttimebuyer

Has Halloween become way more commercial now or is it just me?
When i was little, (mid 80s), we cut a bin bag up to dress up as a witch and borrowed the kitchen brush as a broom!

These days, there's 2 whole aisles in my local Asda dedicated to it, some costumes costing nearly £20! It's madness.

siren13577

Savvy_Sue wrote:

Much easier to carve a pumpkin than a turnip - although pumpkins aren't exactly easy at least you can scoop the middle out!

Not that I ever do either. Or answer the door to T&Ters. And last year, a few days AFTER Hallowe'en, some bright spark padlocked our front gate shut! It's a tall gate in a brick archway, our drive also has tall gates, so the only way in was to climb over the driveway gates and then cut the padlock off! :mad:

I know Savvy, we used to have to take turns as children, it was very hard. Your gates getting padlocked sounds like misery night or missey night in Liverpool. I'd never heard of this a few years ago but it's the night before Halloween(?) I think and kids in Liverpool armed with eggs and flour basically, throw it round etc. I think that this is terrible but funnily enough it's only restricted to certain areas of Liverpool as far as I know.

I'd murderlise (keep an eye on this word it'll be getting into OED before you know it) my son if he was up to stuff like that

ttoli

Wasnt till i read this post that i realised that i wont have this harrasment to deal with over here. Not i'm not a meanie and yes i used to get sweets etc in for my neighbours kids, but when you're hassled by 16-18 yo that you've never seen before, sorry but thats taking the P.
i must admit though i decided to get my own back last year(i emmigrated Nov 10th), i waited until my neighbours kids had done the rounds, then hid in the porch with a horror mask on and jumped out at the appropriate time!!(Well it was Trick or Treat).

margaretclare

I know there is history to this, and I can't speak for Irish, Scottish or Welsh customs. I'm English. When I was growing up, yes, we'd heard of Hallowe'en (I recall hollowing out a turnip and putting a candle in it, trying to carve a face - smell of cooking turnip!!!) but we'd never heard of 'trick-or-treating'. In my childhood, the 1940s, we had no sweets, end of!

My children, born 1961 and 1963, had never heard of it either.

The first I ever heard of it was in the film 'ET'. I'm not sure when that film first appeared, but since then the whole thing seems to have snowballed. Big business - and remember Asda is now owned by Wal-Mart - will quickly see a way of parting you from your money, usually by emotional blackmail via your children!

Margaret

funky-footprints

Im realy looking forward to taking my son trick or treating, and i am also looking forward to receiving my neighbours children. I am so glad i live in fab cul de sac and i know we dont have any 'hum bug' neighbours. I cant believe how many miserable sorts there are about !!!!

It is after all a bit of fun, a responsible parent is out every year with the children here, we dont get any trouble.

I dont aim on giving anything to any older kids that may call from the next street over ..... Im also lucky that i will know most, if not all of the callers.

hilstep2000

Sussex Police have produced a poster "No trick or treating here please" I think you can download it from their website.

msmicawber

I don't think it is a bit of fun for many (most?) of us, though, funky-footprints.

In your case, I'm sure it is, since you obviously have a close, small community with children that you know only going to friends'/neighbours' houses. Where I live, we get all sorts of strangers knocking on the door from late afternoon to late evening and, to me, it's just begging and I hate it.