Trick or Treat - AIBU

Agreed. If you don't want any callers on Halloween, don't have any lights on at the front of your house. I don't and generally it works!

We’ve had absolutely loads on our street tonight, so many houses went to town with decorations that people came from other areas. The kids were all brilliant, very polite and from what I could see avoided all the houses that weren’t decorated or didn’t have a lit pumpkin outside.

I blew my pumpkin candle out at 7.30pm as I’d ran out of sweets and had no more knocks after then.

Decorated houses only here and we’ve had nobody , but I’ve not seen many people wandering about anyway .

We haven't bothered with pumpkins this year (we usually do) and have not had a single person knock, expect next door who we know really well.
We did buy a tub of sweets though, so DCs are happy that they have that to get through.

nobody decorates their houses round where I live, if you put a pumpkin out if would get pinched. The kids just knock where they see a light on, I give sweets and have had a flurry of little ones between 5 - 6pm which was lovely, all dressed up and with their mums and it was a pleasure to see them. All of them were pleasant and polite

I had this issue (whilst I was WFH this afternoon until 6pm). Bang bang bang every few minutes.

In the end I just shoved my dogs into the garden (it’s sort of a wrap around - you can see the front door from the side gate. The dogs can’t get out but can be seen and it runs almost parallel to the path to the front door) and let them just woof away for an hour. That stopped people coming up my front drive 😁

Absolutely NOT always been the case of knock on every door. My kids are older now but even 15+ years ago it was decorated houses only.

When did this rule become a thing? Because 10 years ago when I took my ds trick or treating not one house had decorations no one did!! The odd house maybe a pumpkin but even that was rare!! Not every one follows the trend of decorations my 89 year old nan buys plenty of sweets for trick or treaters but no chance is she hanging decorations up!!

I just don't answer the door.
Not had any this year... but we have no porch light and no decorations so aren't exactly inviting!

Yes that's fair enough - only ones with pumpkins or done up we go to.

You can't be serious. You expect people to sit in darkness in their homes just to not to be harassed by random kids that they don't even know?!

It has always been only knock on houses with a pumpkin/decorations. That was the case when I trick or treated 30 years ago

It seems a sensible solution but imagine it would attract the naughtier kids to knock!

The kids on my street certainly never got that memo. They always knock on our house and its not decorated. If I don't answer they ring the doorbell over and over

This, it’s an utter joke. I shouldn’t have to sit in the bloody dark!

Actually of the 5 houses I brought my DD to this evening, 2 were decorated, but all were prepared for and welcomed trick or treaters

I printed off a sorry no trick or treat thank you poster & stuck it on front door due to it sending my dogs barmy every time the door bell goes

Unfortunately that's the problem with 'unwritten rules', not everyone is exposed to them! Maybe he's not a Mumsnetter! Hope your boy didn't have his night ruined

I don't always decorate but I'm always open to trick or treaters. There are signs people can get to not participate or just a simple note on the door saying no trick or treaters. Maybe it's an area thing? I'm in the North West and get just as many knock on when I don't decorate.

What do we think of people who decorate but don't welcome Trick or Treating? DS and his friend knocked on a house tonight with two lit pumpkins at the front door. Met by a quite bad tempered man who asked them what they wanted. DS didn't really know what to say so just mumbled something about it being halloween. Bad tempered man snapped that the pumpkins were just for decoration and shut the door on them. Poor kids are both quite sensitive and definitely lost their joy after that.

It's not basic manners. It's your imposed 'unwritten rule' that not everyone follows. Have your principles and cut your nose off to spite your face by all means! Do what you want, but you're gonna get knocks at your door if lights are on 🤷🏻‍♀️

I went out for a walk this evening around our estate. I love to see the decorations and the lovely atmosphere. Only decorated houses were being knocked at.

But about 10 years ago I lived in a different part of town and we would have children knocking even though we didn’t decorate.

Wish someone would tell the teenagers round here that they're still knocking despite the lights being off. Trying to put 17 month old to bed too. I heard one of them on the doorbell saying what's the point in decorating if we don't answer the door. It's 8pm (and the sweets were finished an hour ago)!

Which is why people like me elected to have absolutely nothing to do with it thereafter. Well done you.