Halloween rant

Holy shit thanks god my DC are grown up now, what an awful lot of fuss over a few sweets.

YABU. We decorate and also go out. Sometimes I'm working so it's all on DH. He can't do both so he takes DS out for a bit. He hands out treats to those who come when they're in though, and I give little treat bags to the neighbours' kids if I know this is happening.
In our area we get well over 100 kids at the door every year and almost everyone goes for it, so I know they won't miss out.
Remember this is meant to be fun and participation is voluntary. If you don't like it for whatever reason, just have a wee party in your house.

From the conversation had with MIL yesterday the houses who have stopped have children who have left school within the past few years.
DD is 16 in December and out trick or treating with her friends. and I think I'd have been told DD was too old if they were the same age 😬..
I've worded that last sentence horrifically but no idea how I'd correct it.

Even "firmly couples" can have one parent unavailable for a while. And that shouldn't mean the DC can't go out T&T-ing

It'll all even up over the years.

(Unless overly-entitled people attempt to justify keeping a score)

If they made an effort to dress up and were polite, I think that's fine, personally. My own dd stopped out of choice when she started secondary school, but we definitely had a few younger teenagers around last night. They were all lovely and they were most welcome.

I decorated the house for the kids (not elaborate mind you, a few cheap decorations). And then yes we went out for about half an hour trick or treating ourselves, because my kids obviously wanted to! What’s this entitled bs that I must stay in if my house is decorated?? ‘Sorry kids house is decorated so no trick or treating for you’, really? I blew out the pumpkins and turned the outside light off when we went so no one should have come knocking.
YABU and ridiculous.

I live in an affluent area, put up decorations but as a single parent to a 6yo had no choice but to take her out trick or treating.

Last 2 years I've left out an honesty box and within 10 mins it had been "dishonestly" emptied (as shown on ring doorbell footage!)

So maybe they will reciprocate in a few years, when their kids are a bit older. Or maybe they won't, it's up to them.

We gave out tons of treats last night but nobody forced us to. It's a choice, and we did it because we thought it was fun.

Nobody is obliged to give your kids sweets. If you choose to give out treats, nobody is obliged to reciprocate. There are plenty of people who will do it because they want to. Why not just let others get on with doing their thing while you get on with doing yours?

God I'm so glad I never have to get involved in Halloween again! It's the absolute worst.

@Mannerscostn0thing , just some food for thought for you..

Some people may enjoy decorations and that side of halloween but perhaps they don't like children? or long for children and have struggled with infertility for years? Maybe they cant bear to be around heaps and heaps of endless children/families on THEIR doorstep, feels like personal and invasive in some ways? Or perhaps they have crippling anxiety? Perhaps theyre not British/familiar with trick-or-treating? Cant afford to give out sweets? (You say you live in a naice are but you certainly don't know the intricacies of anyones finances).

My mum came to my area last night to help me take my children out trick or treating for a bit, she did comment how nice it was that so many people in our area participate even if they don't seem to have children of trick or treating age (pensioners or parents of little babies)

Apparently, in her (much posher) area so many go out or don't participate that there would be no point going round there streets.

I agreed that it's a lovely thing to do for the houses that stay in to hand out sweets or leave the honesty box on the doorstep (which is what we did). If they didn't do it, there would be no opportunity to trick or treat for anyone. It's an event that relies entirely on the generosity of others.

I wonder what 'slightly too old' for trick or treating is?

My 13 year old went with her friends and had a great fun evening.

I think you should only decorate if you're going to be in. This is how the children know what houses to go to. No decorations means no sweets where I live.

I'm just happy that nobody bothers around where we live. I hope they don't start in the future.

Sounds like a nightmare.

There's always a few people who spoil it for everyone else.

So if you're a single parent or the other parent is out at work, or ill or whatever, either

• you must not decorate your house, or
• if you do, you cannot take your DC out trick or treating

The sensible answer is surely - decorate if you want to, go out for your own T&Ting, and be ready to receive callers once you're back. Common sense seems to have gone out of the window.

But yes, some DC are greedy little buggers left to their own devices, and need to be trained to take no more than one or two items (depending on size - of the item, not the child)

They also need to be trained not to drop anything. It's hell for families with dogs when there is chocolate or anything containing raisins on the pavement

Jeez. Get a bloody grip.

Your geets are not entitled to sweets just because a hoose is elaborately decorated. Also maybe one parent did bide hame but was stuck on the loo having a shite and not able to answer the door? Didnae think o that did ye?

This just about sums it up. Every year there's so much angst about Halloween. There's even been a thread about sweet givers not being jolly enough.

There are lots of reasons why people might have decorated their house or gone out/not answered the door.

If your dc got to dress up and were given some sweets then I'd say that's pretty fortunate.

Halloween does drag out the arseholes in many cases though.

And some of them stay in 🤣🤣

Last night MIL wanted to take DS for a little walk around her village, she said it was funny the amount of people who were not participating, but had children just slightly too old for trick or treating now, or actually had children who had been out that night.

One neighbour had their door kicked repeatedly by a child who's parents were lovingly looking on, when they opened the door, the child was shouting "I saw you, ignoring me!" And proceeded to smash their pumpkin up...according to neighbours atleast. I'm a bit shocked that people would allow their kids to act that way.

It would be fab to hand out treats to people who have stayed in to hand out sweets.

Halloween does drag out the arseholes in many cases though.

I did my best to read the long whiney post but to be honest I must've missed it.

So how do you know all this?

This.

Also OP, it will never be everyone out trick or treating, not every has kids and those that do don't young trick-or-treating aged kids forever!