To go trick or treating to strangers' houses?

In my experience, what happens is that the supervising adult stands back a slight distance and directs the dressed-up mini-vampire/witch/IronMan to knock/ring the doorbell of the decorated house with the lit-up pumpkin.
The resident opens the door.
The mini-vampire/witch/IronMan shouts (or mumbles, if shy) "Trick or treat!" and the resident exclaims "Ooh don't you look scary!" whilst holding out a bowl containing wrapped sweets/chocolates.
The mini-vampire/witch/IronMan takes a sweet or two, sometimes with the supervising adult in the background reminding them "Only take one! Remember to say Thank You!"
The mini-vampire/witch/IronMan (ideally) says Thank You and leaves with their supervising adult.
The resident closes the door.

Nobody will know whether the mini-vampire/witch/IronMan's house has itself been decorated for Halloween and so they won't know whether you are taking a turn.

Sometimes people organise a small posse of mini-vampires/witches/IronMen from several families under the supervision of one adult, leaving spare adults at their various decorated houses with the lit-up pumpkins to be the resident with the bowl of sweets there. Or, if you yourself have a spare adult, you can leave that one at home for the same function.

Sorry for asking here, but do you generally just go to the door and the owner hands over a sweet? This is what we had been planning to do, but when speaking to my mum she thinks we should take people into our house to “do a turn” (we’re in Scotland).

What’s the norm? I don’t want to seem anti social!

Check for what?

You shouldn't teach your children to fear strangers. A healthy respect of what could happen for sure, but danger to children is more likely to come from their family or "trusted" friends.

But you do you.

IME handing out a few goodies once a year, having indicated (by decorating with pumpkins) to a few kids builds community.

And of course children should be accompanied by a responsible adult and only go to decorated houses.

I give all the adults a zombie eyeball to eat (fruit) and now some will ask if I have any left. It's fun

I'd close the door . Take a sweet if you don't want that then try somewhere else.

We go to decorated houses only and I go to the door with them. They also don't eat any sweets until we are back and I do check them before they can eat them.

Well, going to stranger's houses is fine by me - so long as they are decorated for the occasion. It'd be very boring if we only got the neighbour's kids - they've all grown up.

Trick or treating isn't the only way to have fun. 🫣

@Auburngal I forgot about the 1 post yesterday from a dad asking the best place to go TorT - stating that his children were older now and preferred cash to sweets!!!!

Glad my parents did. Kids should have fun. Warm memories have stayed with me of trick or treating with my friend. That's what it's about.

Well I will be taking my nearly 3 year old. It was a big part of my childhood and I'm glad it was. It is one of my most exciting memories. I have grown into an adult that doesn't beg, as have the majority of adults. It's a bit of fun for children. Are you also the type of parent that doesn't have Father Christmas come because it would be lying to your child?

However, I've read 4 posts on fb today alone, where grabby parents are asking for the best streets to take their children to where they'll get more treats. If it's just a bit of fun, what's wrong with just knocking on the decorative houses close by to you, why does it need to be planned for the most lucrative route?

I think this shows that these parents demand as many sweets as possible given free as they refuse to spend a couple of quid at B&M for a large bag of sweets. Again as I mentioned in a pp, its begging.

We don't decorate or answer the door to trick or treaters and my 2 have never been trick or treating.

I have no issue with it happening as long as people stick to the decorated houses and leave others alone.

However, I've read 4 posts on fb today alone, where grabby parents are asking for the best streets to take their children to where they'll get more treats. If it's just a bit of fun, what's wrong with just knocking on the decorative houses close by to you, why does it need to be planned for the most lucrative route?

I think going to houses which are decorated, even if you don't know them is fine. It's kind of the point in fact. It's basically invitation to knock.

The unwritten rule in our community was that you can call at people's houses who have decorations/illuminated pumpkins in the window.

We only go to decorated houses. We go in a group with other kids/parents, and we live in a small community where there are lots of people who are known. I've never felt unsafe.

I think you should only go to decorated houses or people that you know.
It's wrong to go banging on random doors for sweets and money.
You don't know whose in the house or the circumstances.

I treat decorations as an invitation. We go around the local roads and knock on "strangers" but really they're neighbours and halfnof them are familiar faces we see walking around.

It's a very friendly suburb with lots of schools though so probably depends where you live. We have small kids so go early and they then love to see all the trick or treaters come to ours. We probably had 40 groups of kids last year and didn't know any of them.

Like PP have said only decorated homes

I don’t teach my 2 year old to “fear” strangers.

It isn’t begging when Halloween decorations show that you’re invited.

I think your 2nd post, should have been in the opening post.

In your opening post (which is what I voted on), you say
because I don't know anyone in walking distance who has young kids or is happy to participate in tnt.
which I read as you intending to just call on people randomly, which would have made you very unreasonable.

Your 2nd post then clarified that you are only intending to call on people who have decorated their houses, therefore signalling an intent to join in, so that would be fine.

What I can't understand is why any parent would allow their dc to be knocking on doors of people who haven't opted in.

Eh?

Yes, a particular type of lower-middle-class Tory who is given to expressing displeasure with a little shudder and saying ‘It’s just not very nice is it?’

Lots of people don't take their children begging trick or treating. 🫣

You might revisit that idea in a few years time when all your sons school friends are going trick or treating apart from him.....