Dreading Halloween...

dandelionclock30

No I wouldnt be doing all that Im afraid. Just stay out, go to the pictures or for a swim then do some shopping etc. Hopefully nobody will be coming after 10ish, and if they did I would'nt answer the door.

LEJC

aileth wrote: »

No one puts decorations up around here, so I guess they see everyone as fair game unfortunately. The whole evening feels like a game your 'neighbours' play to try and extort as much free sweeties out of you as possible. None of the kids have any manners, and I think out of all that came last year I can only remember one lovely little girl (who had made a huge effort with her costume) who actually listened when I told her to take two. The rest grabbed handfuls, and in fact I remember one lad grabbing two handfuls, running to his mum, shoving them in the pot, then running back to me before I had closed the door and grabbing two more while the mother smirked.

I actually agree 100% with you on this one...although I would even go as far to say that the children who now seem to come round arn't even "neighbours"...or not ones I know and bump into the rest of the year....it just seems to be a time when the youth loving within a 2 mile radius of our house decide to descend upon any house with a light on!!

tea_lover

I hate it too! I can't believe anyone lets their children go to strangers' houses and ask for sweets/money... it's just wrong!

I never open the doors and it's obvious I'm in. The worst I've had so far is banging and shouting (no egging) but it's so frightening to be sat there with horrible kids hammering on the doors. Am also worried this year that they'll frighten the cat.

Will be so glad when it's over again for another year.

Reggie_Rebel

Wire the doorbell up to the mains

aileth

It's also pretty shocking how many what I would consider really young children go around unaccompanied. Last year I remember a couple of must have been six to seven year olds going around houses alone, not a parent in sight.

I remember when I was young, we used to spend weeks planning the costume, then we'd go round to the houses with decorations on (on instructions from my dad), we'd say please and thank you, only take one sweet, there'd be this old fella down the road who would always say trick and leave you totally stumped about what to do, then there was an elderly couple who always used to give you satsumas and you'd thank them but then mutter and grumble afterwards!!
So different now...

celyn90

I also hate halloween - we don't live in a great area either so I don't answer the door. We just draw the curtains at the front and spend the evening upstairs playing board games.

virgo149

We operate in 'stealth mode' on Haloween if we are unable to go out. No lights in the hallway and blinds/curtain drawn.

The only reason we do this is that we have literally hundreds of the little darlings roaming the streets where we live as it's a relatively self contained, still new'ish estate of around 900 houses - it's like watching packs of wolves walking around the streets at times.

Thankfully over the years, most in our street have learnt they get nothing from us so don't bother, the others give up pretty quickly. Most seem to take note of anyone NOT showing a pumpkin in their windows as a sign not to knock - have a look in your local papers, they might be running a similar scheme.

Ah, well it will only be a few weeks and the 'carol singers' will be knocking.....................

stir_crazy

It was a fun thing when I was younger, but my parents said that when we left primary school we were too old. Since moving into my house, the kids have been quite sporadic, the first year they didn't come, and I hadn't bought sweets anyway, the second year they knocked but I hadn't bought anything so just didn't answer the door, and last year I went out and bought sweets and nobody came. They must have remembered that I'm the old miser on the corner who ignores the door!

aileth

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one... I felt like I was a bit neurotic going to close all the curtains, avoid turning lights on etc!

I'm sort of hoping we'll be avoided this year, as if anyone saw my thread about the woman with her child and footballgate, she is one of the 'main' mother hens in the area, so maybe she'll tell them to avoid us as we're 'evil people.'

LEJC

Last year I was actually appalled by the actions of a couple of parents...
again I think it must have been half term and therfore kids home...it was quite evident that a couple of families had dressed their children in halloween costumes and sent them to the local shopping area with what I assume to be either an older brother or possibly at a push their dad...the children then proceeded to go up to mainly the elderly and and beg for trick or treat...clearly very few of the people had sweets to give out and the "adult" seemed to be clearly praising the kids when they returned with money which he put in his pocket...

B****y shameless in my opinion and blatent begging...if that went on at any other time of the year you could challenge it...but for some reason dress the kids in a cute costume and spin them a line and suddenly because its halloween someone will respond to it.

....or perhaps as im getting older im starting to see things as a grumpy old woman!