Not to have a trick for trick or treating?

[LuckyAmy1986]

Taking the kids out tomorrow (they are 3 and 4) but I literally can't think of a trick they can do, it needs to be something simple. But then if we don't have one, what if someone (unlikely) says trick instead of treat and then we all just stand there? Then it looks as if we just expect sweets, very entitled! Any ideas? Or is it ok to just go without at their age?

[bellabelly]

Nobody has ever said "trick" to my lot, in about 6 years of trick or treating! But you could prep them to say boo, or something?

[TractorTedTed]

Of course it's fine! In fact I certainly wouldn't be encouraging my children to play tricks

Surely if they don't want to give your children a 'treat', you just say 'sorry for bothering you /disturbing you' and go.

And if you only go to decorated houses you'll be fine.

[MoistCantaloupe]

Get one of them to levitate. OR, they could fill their mouth with pea soup and vomit everywhere Exorcist style?

Hopefully no one will say trick, but if they do you could always get them to recite a really easy riddle?

[EngagedWithALeaf]

TractorTedTed, I think this relates to the old Scottish concept of guising (not sure of spelling) where the child does a “trick”, e.g a party piece, like reciting a poem etc, to earn their treat - NOT the modern more American idea of playing a nasty trick on someone who won’t give you a treat!

[HairsprayBabe]

A halloween joke would be fine I think, or any joke for that matter. Easy to do and most children already know a few jokes!

[HairsprayBabe]

Why don't angry witches ride their brooms?
They're afraid of flying off the handle


Who won the skeleton beauty contest?
No body


What do skeletons say before they begin dining?
Bone appetit !


Where do baby ghosts go during the day?
Dayscare centers


Who did Frankenstein take to the prom?
His ghoul friend


What's a monster's favorite play?
Romeo and Ghouliet


What do witches put on their hair?
Scare spray


What do you get when you cross Bambi with a ghost?
Bamboo

[theymademejoin]

This is where the americanisation of Halloween causes problems. I much preferred the guising of my youth. You went to houses, none of which were decorated as there was no such thing as Halloween decorations, you sang one of two very specific songs, and the nice people gave you money which you used to buy sweets and the mean people gave you a few monkey nuts.

Nobody expects kids to play a trick but as pp have said, give them a riddle or say boo.

[AlpacaPicnic]

We cut out a load of ghost shapes out of paper once, and decorated them, than if anyone wasn't in or didn't have 'treats' we gave them a ghost!

[BamburyFuriou3]

Mine tell a knock knock joke. They know two

[TractorTedTed]

Engaged ah ok, that makes more sense!

[LuckyAmy1986]

Ok I think I will go with a joke! Thanks for the ideas. I wouldn't expect someone to say trick but I do remember when I was little there was a man who said trick and my dad had a plate covered in shaving foam in put it in the man's face (like it was a cream pie or something). I would NEVER do something like that but it just haunts me that a) someone said trick and my dad did this and b)how angry the man was!
I will only go to decorated houses of course, but it's quite a big thing round here, everyone seems to get involved. Won't be out long anyway.

[LuckyAmy1986]

AlpacaPicnic that is a really sweet idea!

[cheeriosatdawn]

Didn't realise that that's something one does here. In the States it's absolutely not.

For us, the phrase "trick or treat" isn't literal. It's just what children say when someone answers the door.

Weirdly, were one to take it out of colloquial usage and go for historical usage instead, it actually means "give me something nice (the treat) or I will do something unpleasant to you (the trick)".

In short: no matter how you dice it, you have no worries re: your children needing to perform.

(Reform school on the horizon should you opt to encourage them to go down the path of taking the phrase literally, however, is a distinct possibility.)

[UnicornRainbowColours]

There’s a rule that if a house isn’t decorated or doesn’t have a pumpkin outside or in the windows you leave them alone.

I think your over thinking it tbh. I think “thank you anyway” is the way to go if you insist.

[LuckyAmy1986]

Of course I would only go to decorated houses, and I wouldn't encourage my children to do any nasty tricks either, I just thought something little to say in case someone said trick.
I think because of that experience with my dad that maybe I am over thinking it!
Thanks for all the ideas though!

[Bloomed]

Theymade that's interesting about guising. What songs were sung?

[theymademejoin]

The one we used to sing was:
Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do
If you haven't go a ha'penny, god bless you.

I can't remember the words of the other one but it started with "come on auld woman". I think there was something about skirts in it too.

We used to all go back to one of the houses for games afterwards, You'd duck in a basin of water for coins, try to bite an apple hanging on a string. There was also a game with saucers with different things in them and whichever saucer you touched (you were blindfolded and they were shuffled) forecast something. There was soil in one of them, which forecast death of someone close to you, water in another which forecast travels. I can't remember the others.

The brack (a fruit cake eaten with butter) also had things in it that meant different things. The ring meant you'd marry in the next year, a pea = poverty, a bean=wealth, a stick = beat you life's partner (not sure if this was physically beat or do better than), a rag meant you'd never marry.

[Santawontbelong]

My neighbour actually wants my dc to 'trick' him and we haven't a clue either!!

[my2bundles]

Ive been taking my kids trick or treating for 16 years, they are various ages. Not nice have we been asked for a trick so don't worry. We only ever visit houses which have pumpkins or decorations as we do need to respect people who don't wish to take part.

[BernardBlacksHangover]

theymademejoin

That's exactly what we did in Ireland in the 80s-90s.

I now live in England and the number of people who say they hate Halloween as it's just an American import, makes my eyes roll out of their sockets. No it fucking isn't smarty pants!

Maybe I take that personally though as I'm American born, but grew up in Ireland and live in England, so am a bit of an American import myself !

[MissionItsPossible]

I was humiliated as a child when I was asked for a trick and I lamely replied I'd be back next year.

But I did go back.

With silly string.

[ProfessorCat]

We've always taken a bag of cooked spaghetti and peeled shallots. We tell anyone who asks for a trick that it's a Feely bag of worms and eyeballs and they're welcome to have a squeeze.

[thecatsthecats]

Or instead of a joke, they could 'curse' the household with a spell? Nothing actually happens, but they'd have fun doing ti?

(now my imagination is running amok with a film idea, where kids use an old book to do just that, but the spells actually work!)