to really hate the idea of trick or treating and wonder why the fuck it's become a 'thing'?

[Excitedtoday]

I find trick or treating really quite anti-social. Why is it acceptable to be rocking up at someone's house on a dark evening basically begging for food? You don't know who lives there or what the effect of you knocking might be. For example, an elderly or disabled person who can't get to the door easily or someone who, for whatever reason, feels vulnerable in their own home.

Perhaps it's just because an anti-social cowbag and I hate people knocking on my door that I'm not expecting, especially at night.

And I also wonder how recently this has become a 'thing' that loads and loads of people do? When I was younger, I'm 25, no-one went trick or treating but over the last few years I've noticed my friends who are parents and family doing it as a matter of routine and I just wonder when that happened?

Is this just me being an anti-social bastard?

BTW, no children and never answer my door after dark whether its Halloween or not.

[MajesticSeaFlapFlap]

I used to trick or treat in the late 80s, hardly a new thing.

However i live in a flat and we just turn the buzzer off for night...

[73dexter]

I'm 42 and we always dressed up and went trick or treating when I was little. If you don't want anyone to knock on your door put one of these up.

[Loraline]

We always did it in Ireland growing up (I'm 39). We went around our own neighbourhood and often our parents would steer us away from houses where elderly neighbours lived. Other times people just didn't answer the door and we'd move on.

Loved doing it as a child though.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

My mum is almost 60 and remembers going guising. Yabu.

[PerspicaciaTick]

Everyone I know only visits houses which have decorated and/or put out pumpkins. So people who don't want a visit don't get one. It seems to work well.

[TwatByName]

Bingo!

[AloraRyger]

I'm 33 and remember trick or treating every year starting when I was around 6 until I was at least 13. It's not a recent thing by any means.

[19lottie82]

YABU...... Kids love it and it's not just become a "thing"! As long as kids go round with their parents to people they know, what's the problem? And the kids look great in their costumes. Lighten up!

[LagunaBubbles]

Just because you didnt go trick or treating when you were younger doesnt mean no-one else did, its not suddenly became a "thing"...Im 45 and remember going out clearly every Halloween when I was a child, except here in Scotland we called it guising then.

[NoManJan]

I'm 25 too and went trick or treating every year. We always knew the houses to avoid due to the residents being elderly or the ones who didn't want to be disturbed put a note up or didn't answer the door.

[AliceInUnderpants]

I'm 31 and we certainly went "guising" as kids.

I do it with my own children now. We only visit houses in our neighbourhood who have visible Halloween decorations up as that is an invitation to "trick or treat". We stay home first with our pumpkins lit to give sweets out to people who come knocking, then when we are done, we blow out our pumpkins and go out ourselves. Luckily, there's a large number of neighbours here that indulge the kids at Halloween

[trixymalixy]

Yawn, do we really need to do these threads every year!

YABU.

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

YABU. kids and adults in my area know the rules....if the house isn't decorated with at least a lit pumpkin then you don't knock.

In our village it's really brought the community together and some of the older people LOVE it. They wait all excited for the night....and really go to town....they admire the kids costumes and give nice treats. Some offer little plastic bugs or similar and some offer sweets.

It's done and dusted by 9.00pm. We get polite teens who've made a huge effort. I keep full sized snickers in for them...the tinies get mini ones and Halloween themed sweets.

[Excitedtoday]

Wow, I can't believe so many of you went trick or treating as kids. No-one I knew ever did it growing up.

[73dexter]

Where did you live growing up?

[Excitedtoday]

I'm sorry but I still don't see how it's fine and acceptable to knock up my door on a dark evening begging for food when I have no decorations up.

trixy Why come into a thread to comment with a yawn? If it's that boring and done-to-death for you, don't fucking click on it?

[Excitedtoday]

73 I lived in Birmingham

[EmmaGellerGreen]

It's a big thing round here. Everyone is very clear about the "rules". You must never ever knock at a house which doesn't have a pumpkin outside. If your house is decorated and you are out, leave a small basket if sweets outside. I'm not a big fan of it but all the children do it.

[WorraLiberty]

Excellent! And someone has mentioned guising too

It became a 'thing' many years ago OP.

Take part or don't take part, it really wont make a difference to anyone else.

[MoriartyIsMyAngel]

We did it too. It seems to have gone quiet in my area for the last five years or so, but I've bought a bag of sweets in case the little shits darlings come knocking.

[73dexter]

It's not begging for food though. That is a bit like saying carol singers are begging for money at your door! It is just a (supposedly!) fun tradition where kids get some sweets and dress up once a year. Just put a sign up saying 'no trick or treaters'.

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

OP....this thread IS done multiple times a year. Why don't you read some of the others? Rather than swear at people?

YABU.

Don't answer the door. Go out....people like it. It's not going away.

[Excitedtoday]

Worra But it does make a difference to me if I'm not taking part (i.e. no decorations, just in my house living my life) but cunts people are knocking at my fucking door.

[tabulahrasa]

It's a British tradition...it's happened for hundreds of years in Scotland, Ireland and I believe some parts of Northern England. Immigrants took it to America and then it spread to the rest of the UK.

So it's been a 'thing' in parts of the UK for longer than America has existed...so yes, lots of us did it as children.

[73dexter]

I'm quite surprised that no-one in Birmingham used to trick or treat.