To think that trick or treating should be confined to your own street or friends/family

Well, I left a bucket of Halloween sweets on the front whilst I was doing jobs in the back and someone has taken the full bucket of sweets already in less than five minutes 😂Hard to believe some kids are so hard up for a few bags of Haribo!

As I live rurally I have always taken my kids to a friend’s neighbourhood to celebrate Halloween with them. My kids knock on those doors. I bring sweets, and give them out to neighbours who are not mine. I can’t see the problem.

That interjection (and there are many, but that one has recently caught on) dates from 1917. The phrase comes from Ontario, Canada. In 1911, six years before it was recorded there, guising (the practice brought over by Scots/Irish immigrants) is first recorded in North america in the same place, Ontario Canada.

It is a very straightforward chronology.

Souling is unconnected. That's a Christian practice. Guising is secular.

you’re being ridiculous.

what about the families who don’t have friends or family nearby.

I’m a 90’s kids and just trick or treated on my street, we lived on a cul de sac, we didn’t have any rules, we just knocked at every house, lights on or off, decorations or no decorations.

I nannied while in london and all the kids just knocked everywhere, I don’t remember any rules.

Come on..
No one is going to build parking just for one night a year.

Just put up with it fir a couple of hours.
Go away for the evening if you have to.

Thats just looking for reasons to bash people.

Yep.

English is Nov 5th (or at least were).

I know one or two English people will say "but we celebrated halloween, we went round the doors" (we have this topic every year), yes but tiny pockets, and probably with an Irish/Scottish family influence. If it was mainstream in England, as is the case in Ireland (and I know it is in Scotland), then it would have been a big thing on television, or shop windows.

Here, Easons (and other shops) was always full of 'false faces' (masks). Went to uni in England the following decade and there was barely anything. You see it mentioned now of course on the BBC (largely English centric), with tv shows such as strictly dressing up.

I could write the exact same!

It's an Irish/Scottish thing. In England it may have been regional, ie. in small pockets, hence never mainstream. Having grown up in Ireland it was very surprising to see how little it was marked in England when I was at Uni there.

The English, historically anti catholic, has Guy Fawkes (used to burn effigies of the Pope too) on Nov 5th, the Irish and the Scots, Halloween.

And I'd hadnt heard of the term "trick or treat" (early 80s) when I was celebrating Halloween. We did not use that interjection at the door. We also carved turnips (pumpkins a more recent thing).

That interjection dates from 1917, and the practice of kids in disguise, guising, is recorded in Scotland and Ireland in the 1800s, a practice that was then transported.

I am 70 and I definitely didn't do trick or treat and had never heard of it as a small child. I think it is a regional thing.

I liked it during Covid. The village organised it so there was a map - houses that were going to decorate contacted the organiser who added to the map. The maid were then £1 each from the village shop (which went to the village hall fund I think). You bought the map, took your kids to see the decorations, and each one had a tub of sweets you could take one from.

I know it spoiled the house knocking and actual "trick or treat" shouting, but it certainly made for a quieter night for those of us who don't mind it but do have things to do and don't want to be at the door 50+ plus times (not exaggerating, also would have people waiting at the end of the drive to come up when the current ones finished).

Doesn't seem too noisy tonight but I have heard a lot of dogs barking.

This is the kind of thing published in a county newspaper about our village. It's absolutely heaving outside already (and only just gone 5pm) but barely any houses decorated this year compared to previous years. Such a shame but its not sustainable and does spoil the "community atmosphere" for the "community".

"For several years now, the popularity of Halloween in xxxx has grown from a few houses in xxxx to an annual community event throughout the village. Visitors come from near and far to see what residents have come up with for their houses, experience a true community atmosphere and have some spooky trick or treating fun. This year, a charity collection is being made for xxxxxx children's hospice. Visit www.xxxxxxx to make a donation. Visit the Halloween houses on the evening of October 31."

They come in droves around here, with pillow cases. They do the whole town.

Ok, to those posters who think there's nothing wrong with it, what do you say to the several posters on this thread whose communal street efforts for Halloween have been ruined because they've had too many visitors and have now had to stop celebrating?

As with anything, it does become a problem if specific locations are becoming overwhelmed with visitors. This isn't an organised event, it's done on the goodwill of the public. Everyone thinks "oh it's not a problem, I'm only one person", but when 200 people are thinking like that then yes, it's a problem.

This wasn't really an issue before social media, because you might go round to a friend's or a cousin's but now there are posts with hundreds of people on Facebook going "go to X street, they've done well" and while X street might have planned for the 50 kids that live in the village, they haven't planned for the 100 coming from Y town.

It's not not about the sweets but it's not just about the sweets because the ones they're getting are the same of those that have been piled up in the kitchen with no restrictions, that they haven't really touched for at least the last week.

Plus my kids go to school in that neighborhood and we walk which is better than massive cars bogging up the pavement.

Im not actually bothered about the number of sweets. It was just to illustrate a point. That everything cycles around our village, and then we have people who come from outside who are happy to take and take and take but not give anything back.

This is still how it’s done in Scotland. I’m not from here and was very surprised by all the jokes and songs. To be honest, it makes the whole giving out candy to large groups of kids take forevvvvver, and you have to act like you’re enjoying all the performances. But I’m always bah humbug this time of night and then by the end of the night I think it’s a lovely community event. Some of the houses around here go all out with decorations and there are two older ladies for whom it is clearly the highlight of their year.

OPs post seems a non issue to me. We’ve not done it some years and many of my neighbours never do. You just don’t put decorations out. 🤷‍♀️

I would if anyone actually knew where our house was. Even delivery men struggle to find it or the electrician that we had round today.

So should I stay in and not let my excited 8 year old go out? Find it weird you are so focused on sweets and the number of them. 🤷 Luckily no one here seems so stingy as you. What about the kids with no gardens? Should they not go anywhere either?

Halloween was definitely a thing in the north east before the late 80s.. one year my dad carved turnips but wasn't going to risk a tealight so wired them up with batteries and little bulbs for us to carry around.

But this is ridiculous. No one needs to buy funsize mars bags, most kids are fine with a starburst.

It’s not about the sweets, god knows there are too many, it’s about the FUN! Seeing young children laugh and have a memorable evening seeing displays.

My kids are still very young so we can’t really do much as we’re out trick or treating but usually have a tub of celebrations to hand out to anyone who comes after we get back.

But I’m looking forward to ramping up my efforts when my kids are older and no longer want to actively participate. I love seeing little people’s faces.

If you’re not enjoying the young kids, then don’t do it. It sounds like you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

I could easily give my kids a pack of haribo but wheres the fun in that? Your comment about people on holiday just giving their kids sweets shows you don’t get it - how sad to sit in doors and have a sweet, there’s literally no point of it. Which is fine, but just don’t do it.

Absolutely I'm surprised there weren't more horrendous turnip carving incidents. Give me a nice hollow pumpkin any day.

I'm going to defend the pumpkin takeover. Anyone who has ever wrangled a turnip into a lantern is probably on board too.

Because I give 20 treats out, but my kid gets 20 treats back...

You get 30 treats by going to a nice road, and aren't giving anything back.

These things stop working when people just want to take and not give anything back.

Houses in my village got through hundreds of sweets last year because we're seen as safe and kids go to school here, but there's only actually 22 kids under the age of 12 who live here