To go trick or treating to strangers' houses?

Gawd the crazies have arrived, if any child graduates from an annual tradition to random door knocking on the other 364 days of the year there's something else going on with them that's not due to Halloween

A mix of strangers and people we know. As others have said, if the house is decorated/has a pumpkin out then it’s ok to knock. We’re in Scotland though so it’s a bit different as we go guising rather than trick or treating. The kids tell a joke or sing a song and then they get their treat. I’m not sure I’d feel as comfortable threatening strangers…! I know it’s all light hearted but I’m just not keen on the whole idea and I much prefer some of the older traditions. (That said, I’m fine with pumpkins and see no reason to risk my fingers carving a turnip!! 😂)

Does the trick part ever actually happen? If you knocked on someone’s door and they had run out of sweets, what would you do…?

I’m happy to hand out sweets to trick or treaters I don’t know. I’ve decorated and planned to have them. It’s something for everyone to enjoy and my kids love seeing everyone’s costumes!

I rather enjoy the annual Halloween panic as part of the traditional celebrations

Our set of streets is not very Halloween-y - we're one of only a small handful of houses that decorate and we make an effort with lots of decorations and pumpkins, to clearly signal that we're doing Halloween and trick-or-treaters are very welcome. So we certainly welcome any families who knock, yes even total strangers.

If anything, we feel rather deflated if we get only a few visitors... but it's a bit of a vicious cycle because areas with few Halloween houses will get few trick-or-treaters.

The neighbouring estate (less than 5 minutes' walk) is always super-decorated, people put their decorations up at the beginning of October and it's delightful to walk around looking at them. So everybody with young DC walks over there for trick-or-treating.

My DS was thankfully never into Trick or Treating and we never encouraged it ... but always had sweets in for children who knocked. He did ask to go one year when he was 9 but returned home (DH went with him) after 10 minutes saying it was 'boring' . He's long left home now and we barely 'know' any DC, most of our neighbours are retired folk but I leave the light on and happily distribute sweets if any DC come to the door, it's all very good natured and barely goes on later than 7pm.

A paedophile could decorate their house. Teaching kids to knock on doors at night is the most ridiculous thing ever.

Everyone on this thread has said it's only decorated houses so if someone is scared they wouldn't decorate.

I take my children trick or treating every year (to decorated houses) and they manage to understand that it's a once a year thing and not to go knocking on doors the rest of the year.

Teaching children that it’s ok to go knocking on doors at night is frankly unbelievable. You have no clue who is behind that door. What’s more, what if an elderly person lives there, who might be frightened?

I'm literally deliberately going to strangers' houses tomorrow and avoiding the cunts people who live in my cul de sac! Can't stand the neighbours and certainly don't want to go knocking here. The close over the road however... perfect trick or treat territory!

I buy loads of sweets for Halloween and decorate the house. We got all the neighbours kids coming round and also some strangers we don't know. It doesn't matter to us we love seeing all the kids and parents dressed up and having fun. I am disappointed when we were don't get any 'randoms' all trick or treaters welcome.
It is a fun time and should be enjoyed by those who want to join in and participate.
Happy Halloween 👻.

What ??? LOL, what is the point of doing that? . Here in Buckinghamshire we knock in all the doors from houses that have been decorated.

Decorated houses only. It's very busy where I live and lost people take part. Nobody bothers unlit or undecorated houses.

Of course you can go to strangers houses! I will have hundreds of children at my door on Thursday night and I won't know many of them.

Of course. The decorations are an invitation.

Taking 2 year old for the first time. He's all about skeletons right now so Halloween has come at the perfect time!

Of course it's ok.
This is why they decorate.

We had 80 kids round last year, I knew 5 of them. We decorate the house. Don’t forget MN can generally be very uptight.

I don’t think it matters as long as you only go to houses that are decorated. I get over a hundred trick or treaters at my house and I don’t know any of them apart from one family with a boy who I used to teach. I really enjoy it. I buy lots of sweets and put decorations and pumpkins outside so children know it’s okay to knock on my door. It’s obvious that I’m participating in Halloween so I don’t think it’s rude at all to knock on my door if you don’t know me.

There are often posts in my local FB groups from people saying they bought loads of sweets, and were disappointed that hardly anyone knocked.

So if they have decorations, go for it.

We only go to friends, family and neighbours.

Obviously knock people you know, but if there's houses with Halloween decor then just go for those too. If it's quite a family area, with houses directly facing the street, then it's kind of expected you might get knocked on. Obviously don't bother if all the lights are off.
Don't do tricks on people's house that don't reply or refuse though. That part is kind of not really a thing. 🤣

We went to as many as we could find, whether we knew them or not. My dc are 12 & 13 and take themselves now, thank goodness!

It's fine.

This subject tends to bring out the neurotic every year 🤷‍♂️

Perfectly fine if they're decorated with lights on etc. That's them signifying that you're welcome!

Remember, this is MN. Adjust your interpretations of the posts accordingly. Some need any excuse to show they're above anything they see as tacky. Others need to prove that they know Halloween is American and thus automatically awful (even though they're wrong). Others would faint at the thoughts of answering their door to a stranger on any day of the year. And others would never dream of doing something nice like giving a child a few sweets if they weren't going to be somehow repaid.

We decorate and always get loads of kids. All strangers, we don’t have or know any kids. So seems perfectly normal. I can’t imagine anybody who has gone to the trouble of decorating their house for Halloween, whether for their own benefit and enjoyment or that of trick or treaters, is going to be outraged at being included in a Halloween tradition.