Trick or Treat?

chewynut

I always seemed to end up on my own for Halloween. Everyone else went out and I was left answering the door by myself. You don't really do that kind of thing in my neighbourhood!

I used to turn every light off in the house and still they'd come knocking.

Somehow we haven't had any since we got a dog who squeals at the top of his lungs in delight whenever we get a visitor. I've been saved!

jackieb

flo22 wrote: »

I imagine that is true in England, but Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man will all claim they've been doing far far longer than the Yanks. But turnips none of this namby pamby easy to hollow out pumpkin malarkey - to carve a big turnip (and thats a Swede to you English) takes dedication and a big box of Elastoplast

We always got a howkit oot neep. :rotfl: I still like the smell of raw turnip and burning candle.

melancholly

well i've obviously been brought up somewhere where ToTing just isn't the done thing..... the idea that you could approach strangers and ask for sweets at any point in time is mad. now i did get some last year, but had absolutely nothing to give them. i wasn't expecting them and just don't keep sweets in the house. they did interrupt a movie so i was a little miffed that i missed part of it for some children to extort some treats (now they were cute, with parents and had made a big effort to dress up so i'm being tongue in cheek, but this is extortion - at least that's what the OH thinks!). this year i was ready with chocolates and happily gave them out.

however, no parent who sends their child to bother strangers should try and place blame on anyone else's door if people get upset. it is not the done thing to do halloween in the uk on the same scale as in the US and random children demanding sweets will understandably get some people's backs up. i'm not suggesting that anyone should shout at a child, but if the parents were a long way back, maybe they just wanted the parent to hear.

tbh, the suggestion that people should turn off their lights just irritated me! it didn't sound reasonable so i'm assuming that the story is a biased account by someone who views the situation in a polar opposite way to how i would..... so i'm equally biased, but i guess aware of it at least!

eezer

I don't sign up to chuggers at my front door, buy double glazing or sprigs of "lucky" heather just in the same way I don't give anything to teenagers wearing bin bags and a scream mask. Trick or Treat, even if it is only one night a year is wrong. If parents want to have a party then fine, but don't come begging round at my door.

elisebutt65

We have a really good tradition around here, whereby we put out pumpkins if we're up for ToT. I tend to take DS out around 6.30 for about half an hour so bring it in whilst were out getting the goodies (some lovely decorations and sound effects tonight ) and then put it back out again when we get back.

What is annoying is a load of teenagers who don't bother with costumes and stand there with their hands out. Felt like throwing a bucket of water over them and telling them it was a trick for no costumes

bratz81

I find the fact that I'm being told whether I can turn my lights on or off in my own home patronising.
I have my hall light out but my living room is at the front and I refuse to sit in the dark so some children can come begging for sweets.

They don't even knock the door, they banged on the window, scaring my cat, then stood looking at me when I opened the door (I was expecting friends round otherwise I wouldn't have). And when I ask, yes what is it they said money. Money indeed, for standing staring at someone. Not a song or trick or treat between them.

Told them, politely obviously, to go away they weren't getting anything and ignored the banging on the window the rest of the night. Wish I hadn't ignored it mind you as I now have a bloody crack in it :mad:

sazzybum

It's really dies a death here now hasn't it?

Last night, I wasn't going to answer the door, but there was only one knock and a couple of dressed up 10 year olds stood at the door saying 'erm..sorry to bother you, but are you 'doing' Halloween?'

That made me sad. I remember going out-big bunches of us-years ago, and the streets were full of 'guisers' (Scottish term). I felt so sorry for them I gave them loads of chocolate I had for emergency snack attacks. They thanked me profusely for it, and they didn't have much in their bags.

Times they are a-changing eh?:(

dizziblonde

sazzybum wrote: »

It's really dies a death here now hasn't it?

Thank God, considering I've so far been told on here to sit in the dark in my own home all evening (don't have rooms to the rear of the house downstairs since it's open plan), and on another forum some poor guy's getting bashed for daring to answer the door to his own home when he had a dog he was holding by it's collar.

The sense of self-entitlement and feeling that people have the right to demand what total strangers do in their own homes so that their bairns can go begging for ket has got utterly out of control.

Only ones out around our neck of the woods were teenagers with Scream masks on demanding money with menaces anyway (went out for most of the evening so saw what was out walking the streets).

Beetlemama

Beetlemama wrote: »

....would you mind turning off the front hall light for a couple of hours so the kids know whether to call?....or put up a no TorT'ers sign if you don't want the light off like some people have.

Peace out.

Not sure who started saying you were asked to sit in the dark, but it wasn't me.

Anyway, nice to see so many nice responses
Thanks guys, until next year then....

flo22

jackieb wrote: »

We always got a howkit oot neep. :rotfl: I still like the smell of raw turnip and burning candle.

lol, me too in a funny kind of way. It is a smell that lingers, usually takes about 2 days to get it out of my house.