Trick Or Treating - am i mean?

starbump

All the wee kids go guising in Scotland. It's not begging. You only call on houses with a light on in the porch/window and you have to do something to earn a treat. Most kids tell a joke or two. I've never seen any badly behaved callers - they are always accompanied by an older teen or an adult anyway.

However, whenever I've lived down south (in England) I have never observed any guisers. Maybe because the English think it's an American custom???

DdraigGoch

Demanding money with menaces .... I used to live in London about 20 years ago when it was just starting up. Two young lads - about 10/12 - came up on a bright sunny afternoon a week before Hallowe'en and loitered in the porch, rang the bell and said, "Trick or Treat!" I took one look at their school uniform and asked if their mother knew they were out demanding money with menaces! They fled

If we were in USA then it would be fine, but what with Guy Fawkes' night, All Saints Day, Advent etc I find that I've got quite enough to celebrate already, thank you

Currently live about a mile from the nearest house, no TorTers here...

missjennipenni

starbump wrote: »

All the wee kids go guising in Scotland. It's not begging. You only call on houses with a light on in the porch/window and you have to do something to earn a treat. Most kids tell a joke or two. I've never seen any badly behaved callers - they are always accompanied by an older teen or an adult anyway.

However, whenever I've lived down south (in England) I have never observed any guisers. Maybe because the English think it's an American custom???

I live in Scotalnd and nobody does guising anymore! They all do the same trick or treating americans & the english do!

Noctu

We live in a rough-ish area and don't want to open the door to halloweeners, but I worry that if I put a sign up saying they're not welcome, we'll get kids chucking eggs at our windows or something similar!

What do you do if you don't want to entertain them - put up a sign, don't answer the door, or answer the door and tell them you're not interested?

meeps

I have a bowl of cheap nasty wrapped lollies for the ones that don't make an effort and are far too old to be doing it anyway, and a decent bowl of mini choc bars for the nice little kids with parents in the background...

and my son won't be doing it, but he is only 3.

SPANIEL36

last year we went to a halloween party that was organised instead of going door to door which i wouldn't let my kids go to either because its too dangerous these days and we also have alot of elderly people around here and its not fair on them I have to admit that i have one of those "no trick or treaters" signs that i put on my door as the girls still go to bed at normal time plus the dogs go barking mad when people walk down the path never mind knock on the door.

we'll probably get people trick or treating tomorrow around here as they get earlier and earlier each year. last year i had carol singers before bonfire night....work that one out!!!

Fleago

missjennipenni wrote: »

I live in Scotalnd and nobody does guising anymore! They all do the same trick or treating americans & the english do!

Same here, missjennipenni. When I was small, it was guising. We had to learn a poem or a dance or song and we were only allowed to go to known neighbours, friends or relatives. The costumes were all home made, eg Mum's skirt, a shawl, hoop earings, headscarf and make up to be a gypsy or a black leotard, tights and felt ears to be a cat! The reward if you impressed people enough was usually home made toffee apples, or home made tablet or a handful of sweets and it was never, ever money! Real effort went into it and it was enormous fun.

Around us now, unknown children pitch up at your door; they haven't even learned a poem or anything and they want money! If they are even remotely dressed up, it usually consists of a black bin bag and a shop bought mask. I became so fed up of it several years ago that now I'm one of the miserable brigade and I don't even answer the door.

faerie_girl

No you are not mean.
I am 20 and have never been trick-or-treating or 'penny for the guy' and I haven't been scarred. I don't feel like i've missed out on a chunk of my childhood. If I ever have children they won't be doing it.
This is my first halloween in my own home out of my parents and I will be playing dumb.... lights off, not answering the door.
There have been some kids outside the local shop for two weeks now asking 'penny for the guy'. I really don't understand the point in these 'traditions' and I don't even see the point in bonfire night.
Right now i am listening to the damn fireworks going off, cats are hiding in a cuboard and this has been going on for 4 nights on the go from the same house.

Bogof_Babe

All the replies on here who do allow or agree with T or T have not said anything much about the "Trick" aspect. If the kids would just go away when you told them you weren't interested, that would be perfectly acceptable, but the fact is they then feel obliged to cause some sort of antisocial behaviour, which is totally not acceptable.

I think it should be renamed "tough or treat" - i.e. if the person whose door you knock on tells you to go away, well that's just tough luck.

bestpud

I don't answer the door and have never let my children go out trick or treating either. I've had neighbours complain because I didn't answer the door to their children but I don't see why I should be bullied into providing sweets for an activity I don't agree with. I've also had grumping from my children every year but it's something I just won't back down on.

They do go to halloween parties if there is one one locally and we can make it though. That's just a chance to dress up, play games and do something a bit different really and I see no harm in that aspect of it.

But then, my youngest had an american friend last year and was invited to her house for a halloween party and it scared her half to death bless her!! They really went to town on it, which seemed spectacular here but I guess is the norm over there.

So no, OP, you are not alone!