Dreading Halloween...

claire16c

aileth wrote: »

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...

Dont loose hope its still like that where I live.

We only get a few callers and theyre normally young kids dressed up in some cute costumes with their parents, or occasionally young teens in 2s or 3s.

Occasionally youll see some silly string or flour on the floor the next day on the pavements but thats about it. I quite look forward to seeing the costumes.

ItchyFeet

How about contacting your local community support officers? They must be aware of the situation for elderly residents so I should think they would have some advice for you. Perhaps they could include you on their patrol route?

aileth

ItchyFeet wrote: »

How about contacting your local community support officers? They must be aware of the situation for elderly residents so I should think they would have some advice for you. Perhaps they could include you on their patrol route?

They have a patrol route right by our house most days so I'd like to think they'd continue on halloween... still doesn't stop them though Good idea though, I might give them a buzz to double check.

Sezzagirl

'm so sorry to hear you had such an awful time

We are luckier where we live in that there aren't so many kids around and they do seem better supervised - the young ones come round early I know to get round before it gets really dark

however, there is no way I would be even thinking about opening the door when I don't want to and especially not at 10pm!

How about putting up a poster like the one from this police force

http://www.hampshire.police.uk/internet/news-and-appeals/campaigns/halloween-no-trick-or-treat

If you google your local force, they may have their own poster. It seems to be something a lot do now

Good luck and remember, it's your home. Only open the door to who you want to

kerri_dfw

If you think rationally, the worst they'll do is throw an egg at your house as anything else they can be arrested for...it's more than likely going to rain anyway, so the egg will wash off really quickly. We just don't answer the door on halloween, I've never been out trick or treating and we don't put up decorations. I won't be taking our daughter out when she's old enough either as I think it's terrible to scare little old ladies, plus you spend all year telling your kids not to accept candy from strangers then tell them it's ok....mixed messages or what!

ostrichnomore_2

The ones I can't stand are the teenagers who have draped a black bin bag round themselves and call it a costume. Yeah, right.

Luckily though it's mostly cute little ones with nice manners.

I still don't hold out the sweets for them to help themselves. I hand them a sweet or two each, that's their lot.

zaxdog

Good grief that sounds like a terrible area you poor soul. Apart from Halloween if people are behaving in that manner I'd think about moving :eek:

I LOVED Halloween as a child (and still do as an old goth lol).

We live right on the edge of an ex council estate in a rural area and the kids are fantastic. They come round, do their wee "turn" and get a sweetie (well usually more like a handful chucked into their bags since I am an old softie) :rotfl:

Everyone has a great time and it continues a long tradition of guising :T

DigForVictory

M'husband cordially hates Halloween too. He says the 5th of November is the real, genuine thing & all these pumpkins & trick or treat lark is begging with menaces, and American to boot. He's got the pressure washer rigged. I'm thinking that just leaving front of house dark will do. (All the entertainment is upstairs anyway & I'm a devout believer in Thick Curtains.)

The one year he was away I sort of did Halloween - wore my hair loose, in a borrowed academic gown (black, baggy, unrecognised out of context), left the cobwebs in place & opened the door clutching a mug of Heinz tomato soup (mug labelled O Neg). A few sweeties dispensed to escorted little ones all dressed up (& shivering in the cold) & the disconcerted minders whisked them away. My sons were not impressed as they got the leftover sweeties & thought I'd been too generous.

balletshoes

aileth wrote: »

Hi all, I wonder how many feel the same way I do. I HATE Halloween. I love the idea of a spooky day and what not, but I really hate strangers knocking on my door. Usually OH is there, but this time he is working till 8.30 p.m. so I'm going to be home alone for the whole evening.

We live in a pretty crappy area. Last Halloween, we were both home and took turns to go to the door, and the kids were right little sh*ts, asking them to please take one, they'd grab a handful, teenagers who'd spent 50p on a mask turning up at the house in gangs and trying to mug me of the bowl with all the sweeties in, parents swearing at me for not allowing them enough, being threatened that our house would be egged for not giving good enough sweets, generally pretty horrible.

I absolutely hated it and it made me feel pretty scared in my own home. I've asked around and nobody is available for me to go to their house on Halloween, nor come over, so I'm stuck at home alone. I'm feeling pretty terrified to be honest, but what do I do? I could turn all the lights out and pretend not to be home, but then I'm literally a prisoner in my own house. I could have the lights on like normal, but chances are our house would get egged for refusing to open the door (our next door neighbour got egged because they were home but didn't open up by one of the teenage gangs).

I really hate it and don't know what to do. Help

is it a big deal if your house gets egged? the rain will wash most of it off within a day or so I'd have thought?

I wouldn't be answering the door if I were you, having read your experience last year.

I love Halloween, we don't have any of that nonsense though round here, just kids in costume with a parent or guardian in the background, no gangs of intimidating teenagers going door-to-door etc. I like Halloween, if we're home I always have a big bowl of sweets which can get replenished if needed, and I always answer the door.

balletshoes

aileth wrote: »

Could do, I finish work at 4.30 so would have about four hours to burn though

thats not that long, if you really want to be out of the house.