Anyone here not answering door today

It is hard to avoid when people knock despite you not having decorations out, and egg your house/car windscreen when you don't answer the door.

That kind of behaviour should be dealt with by the police at Halloween. There should be ACTUAL laws about where you can/can't knock. Any other time of year the harassment would be punished.

There are lots of reasons people don't want to/can't join in.

Are you referring to my use of the word sad? Because I didn't name call at all, I just disagreed politely.

You do realise this is AIBU where we are supposed to give our opinions, don't you?

Why so defensive?

This is the first year I'm not doing it as my kids are older and going out without me.

But I enjoy it and they do too. Around here a lot of the houses go to a great deal of effort to decorate and it's just a really exciting night for the children. Yes, they want and get sweets, but it's not just about that.

No pumpkin = no treats here where I am.

I don't really understand why having taught their kids not to speak to strangers or take sweets from them, it is perfectly acceptable to knock on doors and do just that.

What do you mean you "don't agree with" Halloween? It's an ancient festival, what's there to agree with? By all means don't enjoy it or celebrate it, but saying you "don't agree with" Christmas or Easter or Eid would be weird wouldn't it.

I live in a part of the road that does not decorate. Prior to moving here, I always had decs, parties etc but let it slip, complicated as we have 2 front doors and the one nearest the road isn't used.

I vowed last year that 2024 would have a pumpkin. I've actually go a load of small ones I'm going to arrange as a trail up the drive to lure ToTers to the right door. And lights. And other things. A local friend (who finds my adoration of all this amusing) is coming for Negronis. I'm going to be Prof McGonagall again, resemblance much more marked this time!

If all this is in any way linked to about remembering the past/lost loved ones, for me today brings back happy memories of childhood and some of the (rare) good times with my parents getting on, and my late DH who indulged my Halloween love.

For those not taking part, have a peaceful evening. For those who are, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We'll be out trick or treating so I decorate the front of my house and leave out tubs of sweets 😊

Gawd MNland is the most miserable place on the planet.

We've been guising since at least the early 80s when I was a kid.

It's a brilliant night round here, houses are decorated, little kids go to the decorated houses and do a 'turn' ie tell a joke or sing a song. Some houses just have sweets outside and that's fine.

No begging, no chavs, no smashing anything, no intimidating people, just proper neighbourhood fun for those who want to take part. It's one of our favourite nights of the year.

We're in Scotland btw.

Nobody uses the word chav anymore. YABU.

I feel anxious answering the door if I am not expecting anybody (CPTSD) so won't be answering anyway. Round my way on Halloween trick or treaters usually only knock on doors where there house is decorated with pumpkins or other Halloween decor.

I don't expect a lot of trick or treats as we live in a town where most residential are well into retirement.

I'll be answering the door and putting my pumpkins out.

My dd loved trick or treating when she was younger so it's nice to do it for other children now and let them have a little fun. It wouldn't be much of a night if everyone was hiding in their houses with the curtains shut and not answering the door.

I blow out the lights at about 8pm and close the curtains to discourage older teens on the scrounge as all the young kids have finished by then and there's still lots of the evening left to watch a horror film 👻

I dont do any of the holidays.

Bucket of sweets in the porch, note taped over the doorbell asking people not to ring or knock because we have an anxious dog but telling them to help themselves. Our dog barks himself to a frenzy when anyone comes to the door and that's the most stressful bit. It's worked in the past. Obviously takers, because about 2 thirds of the sweets will be gone but no nuisance to us. It seems a good compromise.

YABU for using the word chav.

Yes, all the children in the street went out ‘guising’ mostly home made costumes, Mrs Mop etc, wee ones had cowboy outfits, nurses outfits. You went to the neighbours, who would’ve expected you, then you had to ‘do a turn’ a poem, joke, a song etc and you were given monkey nuts, apples etc. No such thing as Halloween decorations in 1960’s Glasgow!! No-one begged for anything! 😂

I’m Irish too and don’t know what you’re referring to here? I do know the history of Halloween too.
Most Irish people I know enjoy Halloween. The exception might be if there are nervous animals in the house.

It was done in Yorkshire too.

Just put a note on your door however most kids know not to go to a house not decorated. Why are they Chavs? You come across very miserly.

It all depends on your area and your previous experience doesn’t it.

I’ve never in my life experienced nasty people knocking at the door on Halloween, scary threatening teens, or heard of any egging or flour type tricks for anyone I know. But I do know that it happens elsewhere.

Round here, it’s all very nice, people knock at decorated houses only, nearly all the kids say thank you v nicely, none are actual scary, even some younger teens are nice and older ones don’t tend to go round, or if they do generally with younger ones to look after them. So I might roll my eyes slightly at someone living here saying that they “had to hide inside to be safe” as it’s just not a problem here. BUT it’s possible they might have experienced bad behaviour elsewhere and feel scarred from that, so fair enough, even if it’s not an issue here they might feel too anxious so I do get that.

My kids are older teens now so they stay at home and give out the sweets. We love it when lots of people come by - it’s disappointing if you only get a few callers.

I live in a flat and no one has ever knocked in the 5 years I've been here. I am going to put some sweets in the lobby later though.

Same here. Not for the same reasons - I just don’t agree with Halloween and think TOT is stupid.

You are aware that this isn't a universal concept and that some folk do knock at undecorated houses, right?

I cannot understand why folk need to name call.
For those in the back, we're not all the same and someone having a different view doesn't make them 'sad' or 'scrooges' or any other derogatory term.