Trick or Treat?

Curry_Queen

Fortunately I don't get many, if any, visitors where I currently live but DS usually goes out with one of his friends and their family to a nearby village of mainly US residents, and they have a brilliant time over there because obviously the Americans are into Halloween in a big way! He comes back with a carrier bag full of goodies and a pocket full of change! :dance:

halloweenqueen_2

Well I love halloween - which the British and Irish took with them to America. I get various sweets in - well quite a lot as I'm known for doing the decorations- - the kids around here usually only go to decorated houses and they are pretty well behaved - or scared of me - not sure!!). Penny sweets put in individuals bags are good, but we have a chocolate factory near us which has themed sweets!
I blew my halloween budget on decorations already this year! can't wait!

chickadee

Personally I love halloween. I live in a small close with about 15 houses in it and lots of children. I always take my son round trick or treating but only to houses where I know their kids will be calling on my OH as he waits at home whilst I am out. We usually buy a big bag of fun-size chocolate bars or some wrapped sweets. We put a pumpkin outside so the kids know that they are welcome and we all have a good time.

Will need to put some thought into DS's costume this year in plenty of time so I don't end up paying through the nose for one at the last minute! He has been Dracula a few times so I'll need to think up something new.

As far as treats go, has anybody any ideas for making something for the children? Maybe fudge or toffee possibly? Or chocolate in appropriate moulded shapes - I'm sure Lakeland or somebody would sell Halloween moulds. Any ideas anyone?

emr_2

Like one of the previous posters, i don't do Halloween trick or treating. My children (who are all grown up now) didn't like it, so i used to take them to the cinema, early evening shoing, on Halloween and get chips on the way home. Maybe that doesn't sound much, but it was a real treat for them. the other annual cinema trip was on the afternoon of new years' eve.

rammy007

we are going to get our own back on the trick or treaters, we had a security camera installed and we can speak on it also bought a spooky sounds cd from £1land to play over it for a laugh

little_lil

We love halloween here, we decorate our house inside and out and it is a lovely atmosphere with all the little ones dressed up turning up with mum and dad. We always have a lighted pumpkin in the window so it is obvious callers are welcome. Last year we had an inflatable skeleton sat in a chair in the hallway which resulted a fab reaction from everyone who came. (the year before he was hanging from the ceiling, but i think we scared one or two people :eek: )

We normally give out wrapped sweets but this year i am considering buying this
http://www.bakerross.co.uk/showitem2.asp?fldCatID_1=17&fldImgID=4662
which is different and we normally spend about the same on sweets.

We also put a note on the door when it comes to time for little one to go to bed and we have never had any problems.

elvis_bloggs

I give the kids Ex-lax, wrapped in nice paper.

nicki_2

I guess I had better start thinking about Halloween. Hardly had any callers last year, but I will be putting a notice up at 6.30 this year : "Young child in bed. Please don't knock".

Curry_Queen

elvis_bloggs wrote:

I give the kids Ex-lax, wrapped in nice paper.

Hey, you've just given me a brilliant idea

I've got a box full of those little bags of sweets made by Simpkins which are sugar-free, but it says on the packet not to eat more than 5 a day as they could have a laxative effect, as DS found out after scoffing a whole packet :rotfl:


Now, would I be so cruel ..... :think: ......

Lillibet_2

Rikki wrote:

I don't agree with Halloween. Its an American thing. Besides the older children that call are not happy with sweets they want money.

Erm.....Halloween is a Pagan festival that orginited in Ireland in the medieval times. It was a festival to celebrate the end of summer and the harvest and to welcome the winter when the ground would rejunivate for next seasons crops. The Pagans celebrated by dressing up in garish clothes & holding bonfires and exchanging crops & produce, the tradition of giving sweets stems from the medieval poor who would go from house to house on Halloween asking for "souls cakes" to help sustain them through the winter in exchange for which they would say a prayer for the giver. The tradition of ghosts & monsters rising on Halloween stems from the fact that the Christian church, in an attempt to over-ride Paganisim, made 31st October All Souls Day which led to rumours of spirits rising from the grave to celebrate All Souls Day.

Halloween was not celebrated in America until it was taken to them, in a very similar format as to how we celebrate it today, by the Irish in the Victorian era. The only Americanisim of Halloween is the addition of the pumpkin and the blatent commercialisim for profit.

Personally we always keep a big bowl of small sweets ready for any callers, we have never been asked for money beacuse we have the sweets on offer, we also ask the children if they can tell us why they dress up on Halloween & we are often suprised by how much they know about the origins of the day.

Locally tradition dictates that if you do not wish to give sweets to children you put a polite note on your gate/front door saying no trick or treaters please.