Anyone here not answering door today

Or we struggle with social anxiety or PTSD and really don't like answering the door to complete strangers who are hammering the door

No reason to feel bad about not doing Halloween visitors, hope you feel better soon.

We've a dilemma with this. Normally we do answer as DS goes out guising so it's only right that we answer the door to others. Tonight though DS will be out at football training, and I've been unwell so the house is not decorated. I'm feeling kind of bad not to participate tbh

No. The day can fuck off for all I care.

I won't be as it drives the dog crackers and quite frankly I cba. Around us they only seem to knock on decorated houses anyway.

Apparently it's not a thing up here in NI?! I'm in a very Protestant town though, need to ask PILs if it was a thing for them in more Catholic places.

no Brack?! Blasphemy! You need to have that little fake gold ring that turns your finger green to ward off evil spirits - and little shits in Spider-Man costumes that look far more impressive than the black sacks & rash inducing wigs we had to wear!!!

<shudder> Agreed.

Also Irish, also know the history, and would still rather a demon showed up at my door than a Christian Brother

Craictose intolerant 🤣

I'm from Dublin and agree btw. Just surprised by the dark take on things. IME (as a Catholic atheist ), spirits have always been kind of viewed as benign things to be welcomed if anyone believes in them.

Mostly Halloween is about little kids in witch hats though IME.

Spent the afternoon trying to find some brack in the local shops with no joy :'(

We didn’t think that deep about it when I was wee. A quick chorus of ‘ye canny shove yer granny off the bus’ then home to eat your spoils 🤷‍♀️ simpler times…

ROI here, and that poster is definitely in the minority. The minority known as “fun sponges” or “craictose intolerants”

As my nanny used to say “Sher a few demons runnin round for the night is nothing. Just get your ash comb for the banshee & your crucifix out for the vampires, light your candles and you’ll be grand!”

Love Halloween, and will always make an effort to make up little bags for my nephew & nieces (and any other kids close to our family like neighbors kids) - however, my dogs would be barking all night if I left the doorbell on, and I honestly couldn’t be arsed to open the door over and over again. No point in leaving a bowl of sweets on the doorstep as my neighborhood leads into another (rougher) estate and you get 15-17 year olds running around stealing decorations, sweets, etc. Also suffering a chronic illness flare up, so all in all, this year is not for me. Next year though, I’ll make the effort!!

It’ll be door locked, lights off & horror movies on for me 👍

What denomination? Sorry not meaning to be nosy and obviously no need to answer, I've just never really heard Irish people speak in that way. A few up here in NI, but they'd be protestants of the fire and brimstone type and unlikely to self describe as Irish.

We did it when the kids were little and they loved it. Now it’s just us. I don’t decorate or have a pumpkin but we have chocolates if anyone knocks.

My kids stopped when they were around 10/11 as they felt they were too big to go. But now they are at university, goodness it feels bigger than ever. They need more than one costume for all the different parties!

@Auburngal
If you don't have pumpkins/ decorations outside I doubt anyone will bother going anywhere near your house I wouldn't worry

I’m a Christian.
I don’t fear the dead, I only fear, in the sense of reverence, the Lord and seek to follow Him in all things.

I don't leave a pumpkin out now so we shouldn't have any callers. We joined in wholeheartedly when our kids were young and it was mainly their classmates that came calling.

As they stopped going out themselves though, numbers of callers dwindled so much that i had tons of sweets and no callers!!

So i stopped buying treats and don't put a pumpkin out now. Our house is in the corner so it tends to get ignored😪

That's a very unusual take on things in Ireland, do you mind if I ask your faith? It's a view I'd associate with the types in America who ban Harry Potter and such. I think Irish Catholicism and Irish culture in general have never really treated the dead as something to fear.

We made an effort with 40 Halloween bags - extravagant with lots of sweets, crisps and toys - and left them outside as we had a newborn.

As PPs said, teenagers took the lot and scattered the contents across the estate.

Now, years later, we live in a much nicer area and I'll be doing the same this time as I'll be out with the children. Here's hoping the little ones benefit this time!

I know, imagine thinking everyone has to behave exactly like you.

An actual law that you can't knock on a stranger's door?! 😂 That might be the most MN thing I've ever read.

There are already laws against harassment, egging etc, btw.

Terry Wogan once read out a comment that someone puts out an empty tub of sweets with the message Help Yourself and the man reckoned that the children will just think they are too late.

We don't decorate and don't buy sweets for trick or treaters. But it's because it would wind the dog up too much. Before we had the dog we used to join in.