Dreading Halloween...

VJsmum

I hate Halloween too - apparently I am "the worst mother in the world" as I never let my two do it.

Tell a lie - I did once when we were caravanning somewhere where we knew everyone and all had entered into the spirit of it.

My 17 year old and I will be in London at a show that day and she wanted to go with her friends on the following day - but I won't let her, and she needs me to drive her there

Better_Days

Person_one wrote: »

I like that!

In fact, I'd be tempted to buy a load of satsumas and apples, put them in a big bowl or bucket on the doorstep and make a sign saying 'Help Yourself Trick or Treaters, Happy Halloween!'

I bet you won't get a single knock on the door.

Good idea

I hate Halloween too. I see trick or treat as blackmail. I can understand why young children enjoy the dressing up and the sweets, but surely it is not a good lesson to teach them 'give me something nice or I will do something nasty'? Parents may see it as harmless fun, but it isn't always.

And when groups of older children get involved it can be quite intimidating for the vulnerable. It is easy to say 'just don't answer the door' but it is not nice sitting alone in the house with people banging on the door, not knowing who they are and wondering if they will do any damage. And why should people have to sit in darkness pretending they are not at home, because they don't want to be disturbed by children knocking at the door wanting a 'treat'?

The Hampshire Police poster is a good idea too - I do hope it works when people who don't wish to be disturbed. Perhaps if such posters were well publicised then everyone would be happy and the children would only knock on doors where they are welcome.

lushlifesaver

tea_lover wrote: »

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.

This sounds like me too!

We never went trick or treating as children, for a start it's another over emphasised American import/phenomenon. There's no real purpose to it and like many have said the 'children' coming round make no effort at all!

At my parents house (they live in a really awful, rough area) they are lucky enough to have a full height front gate which gets padlocked shut!

We are reasonably lucky as we live on the corner of a sheltered housing scheme for the elderly so very little bother but we will still keep lights off as much as possible to the front and curl up together with the pup at the back and pass the evening with a film night.

We're both in our twenties and expecting our first and have decided together that trick or treating is definitely off the table. I disagree with Halloween in general but may find a party at a friends house acceptable. Bf hates it too as he feels there is no reason to dress up like that/cover your face and go door to door asking strangers for things! so they will be getting a firm message at home.

One time when I lived in Sheffield there was some young ones being dragged around by their siblings (my age) who outright said the standard thing now was to give money. We refused and offered sweets which they took big handfuls off...the siblings then egged our house - not impressed at all! It's disgusting behaviour

aileth

lushlifesaver wrote: »

One time when I lived in Sheffield there was some young ones being dragged around by their siblings (my age) who outright said the standard thing now was to give money. We refused and offered sweets which they took big handfuls off...the siblings then egged our house - not impressed at all! It's disgusting behaviour

What a coincidence, I live in Sheffield.

I'm very tempted by the poster, but I'm also a bit concerned that it might make my house a target, what with being the only one with a poster.

skintandscared_2

Thanks for the tips about putting a poster up. I've googled and there are lots to choose from. I'm printing two to put one on the front door and one on the inside of the front window (in case someone decides our "trick" should be to remove the poster from the door!!) I don't want to sit in the dark all night and I can ignore them - but the pup won't LOL!

Buttonmoons

I'm 26 but when I went trick or treating when younger, the normal up here was people gave you money - It somehow has migrated to sweets.

I take my daughter out, usually her best friend and my sister too, to the village where my mum lives, it's mostly families there, there is lots of kids going around, it's a safe place, some people really go all out and turn their house into a spooky house - I almost wet myself last year :rotfl: they had people jumping out on you and everything. Really good fun.

My daughter enjoys it, not just for the sweets, she loves dressing up, being scary, telling her incredibly bad jokes at the door - especially loves when someones dog comes out because she's animal nuts. I think it's good fun and I'd hate for it not to be a tradition anymore.

If the living room light is off - we don't knock, same as if there is signs up etc. Knock once, no answer - you leave. It's a shame gangs of them are ruining peoples impression of it.

Mind you when we got home last year, and I live in a skyscraper, 2 teenagers knocked on my door (girls) said trick or treat, they had a mask on so I said no it's for children and closed the door. They were about 16/17 - bit old for it I think!!

Pollycat

We had a real shock when we moved to our house on a new estate.

I swear they were busing kids in from neighbouring villages, I couldn't believe how many there were.

I didn't find it too bad when I knew some of the kids & parents but over the (20) years since then, they've all grown up and I don't know any of the kids.

Still even after that, I always used to buy lots of packs of treat size chocs - mars bars, buttons, mini boxes of smarties, rolos, milky bars etc - put them in a Tesco bag-for-life (yes, I really did buy that many!) and give a choice to all the kids who came knocking.
I even used to have a stock of little plastic bags for those kids who didn't have a cauldron to put their stash in.

One year, some scruffy kids came to the door and I held out the bag saying 'choose one'.

One brat took a handful! :mad:

I was bloody furious, grabbed his wrist and said 'Drop them NOW!'.
I sent them all off without anything and refused to answer the door to anyone else.

So, for every year after that, we now go out before 5pm and don't come back until after 9pm.
We move the car so those kids squeezing past on the drive don't scratch it.

Aileth, can you sit in the back of the house with all the front lights off?
If not, I'd take myself off out for the evening.

Money? There's no way I'd give money out to someone knocking on the door.
I won't even give anything to carol singers if they can't sing a 'proper' carol - no 'we wish you a Merry Christmas' for me! Let's have a proper carol or you go away empty-handed.

aileth

Pollycat wrote: »

Aileth, can you sit in the back of the house with all the front lights off?
If not, I'd take myself off out for the evening.
.

Think that's what I'm going to do. Our spare room at the back has very heavy curtains on it, so think I might get a nice blanket and put netflix on the computer and maybe a bath by candlelight to keep the light down.

I think what scares me the most is like someone mentioned above, looking through the letterbox or continuously banging, aggressive banging, and just not giving up on trying to get someone to answer. The idea of someone shining torches through my window terrifies me, but I'd like to think that's rare.

Abbafan1972

I live in the West Midlands and the police here issue stickers for those that want them, they are luminous green or orange and say "Trick or treat? - No thanks!".

We don't to get many knock the door, but I just ignore it anyway.

bagpussbear

I love Halloween, but that’s because it’s my birthday! However, for that very reason I hate the trick of treaters actually. If I am at home celebrating, I don’t want my evening to be interrupted by yobby kids – so you have my sympathies OP!

There really is only 2 things you can do if you don’t want to answer the door – go out straight from work and don’t come in until after 10pm. Or stay in and make sure the front of the house looks like there is no-one home. Disconnect the doorbell battery. Ignore any knocks. If you have a driveway, move your car to the street for the evening perhaps.

I used to give out sweeties to kiddies who came, and it could be very sweet seeing a little one’s face light up when you gave them something and they were so thankful. But then you’d got the older ones who wouldn’t even dress up or put on a mask, just thought they could turn up on your doorstep and demand money. One time I had a couple of eggs smashed on my pathway, even though I was out for the evening. So I don’t bother any more.

I understand in America, families that don’t want to be disturbed leave a large bowl of sweeties on their front step for visiting kids, with a sort of message ‘please help yourself/don’t disturb’ and ‘when it’s gone, it’s gone’. But knowing this country, the first bunch of kids would take the lot!

Is there a friend you could go out for a meal, drinks and take in a film? I think if you are that anxious OP, that would be the best thing?