To ask if Mumsnetters open their door to carol singers?

In the Adrian Mole books, he goes carol singing as a teenager to raise money to buy his family Christmas presents, after all his savings had been confiscated. He and Pandora wear their school uniforms because they think it will be worth more, and the old ladies cough up "conscience money" to the tune of twelve pounds.

I thought it was a thing rhat only happened in movies

And if you want more paranoia, the Christmas episode of The Thin Blue Line (oh, when TV comedy was actually funny!) had villains singing carols to draw the family to the front door, so they could break in at the back door. When the police try to catch them, they arrest some genuine carol singers, including the bishop and the local MP.

We once had a German au pair who opened the door to some carol singers in 1986, and she was totally stumped; she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Say "thank you"?

Beware of Scrooge households, the sad song "there are no lights on our Christmas tree" has this verse:
Some carol singers came to our door,
I've never seen dad so mad before.
He grabbed the leader by the coat,
And tried to ram his lantern down his throat.

Also, whenever I hear the carol "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", I keep thinking of Scrooge rushing out with a long wooden ruler.

They're quite popular here in Ireland. We do get the teens who are clearly gathering their drink money, there's quite a few local clubs and some charities. I did get one woman last year on her own and sang some hymn with about 25 verses. Unfortunately this year I don't have cash in the house so had to do a mumsnetter thing and ignore the door.

I would, but haven't seen any since the 90s. Should bring them back

As a child and teen in the 70s and 80s I remember this, and I think it happened one of two times in the leafy part of London where I lived in the early noughties. But not since then. Shame really. But given that MN is weirdly firmly opposed to door opening I can’t see it working these days!

I have a vague memory of carol singers from the local church knocking on the door once or twice when I was a young child, but it's not something I've experienced in the last 40-ish years.

I believe the full range of Mumsnet advice on how to handle carol singers would be:

• 'Log it with 101'
• 'Get a Ring doorbell, OP'
• 'Change the locks just in case'
• 'Do a Claire's Law'
• Debate whether 'it's a safeguarding issue'
• Assume that the carol singers had SEN, were ND and/or had dementia
• Complain that the singing made them anxious because of 'sensory issues' or misophonia
• Profess to be 'baffled' for some reason because some people handle carol singers in a slightly different way to them
• 'OMG they're probably lonely, it really wouldn't hurt you to to invite them in, give them the figgy pudding they're demanding and then meet them 'for a coffee' every other day for the rest of your life, what happened to being kind'
• Assume that if the carol singers are men, singing on your doorstep is either 'creepy' or 'typical male entitlement'
• Ask the carol singers if they meant to be so rude
• Tell them to fuck off and die and then blame that aggressive response on perimenopause for some reason
• Suggest that the OP's DH should open the door to share the 'mental load'

Whose Carol Singers?
Where does she live?

Church groups do it around where we live. But they don't knock on doors. They just stand outside and sing and people open their doors and watch. I think it's lovely.

Our local church goes round doing the carols and I always open the door to them, some of these ladies played a part in raising me lmao, I couldn't ignore them.

I never know what to do though. I find it hard to just stand there smiling benevolently, I feel like I should be joining in or doing a dance or conducting them or something.

In my 46 years on this planet, I’ve never known carol singers come to the door. Admittedly the first few years are a little hazy, so maybe they did back then.

If they did, I’d open the door and probably join in (is that even allowed?).

I'd bloody love it if carol singers came knocking, but it's never happened while we've lived here sadly. It looks like so much fun on Christmas movies!

That sounds lovely. I actually think most people would love to have carol singers but the whole thing is dying out. Worrying about them calling round is the equivalent of worrying if your crinoline is creased or whether you have been invited to the ball at the Manor House or not!

We do it locally. We put letters through doors giving people notice and ask them to put a lit candle in the window or on the doorstep if they would like us to knock. It is a lovely evening. We collect food for the food bank not money and everyone is very happy to see us.

Never had any but I’d personally love it. I wouldn’t have cash to offer though, I never have physical money.

I used to go Carol singing with my church but the last time was 20 years ago and this was a full choir, not had any Carol singers for at least a decade.

We do get the Rotary Santa sleigh down our road which I always like.

No, nobody pays for music now!

I don't get them, but I certainly would 😊.

I definitely would but I would also assume there had been some sort of supernatural break in the space time continuum and that I would be opening a door to the past.

Then I suppose I would feel disappointed that it’s still 2025 and I would just give them money.

I would, if there were any. One year, we took our instruments outside, and played carols in the front garden, which drew some admiring glances.

I can't open my front door to anyone because the dog is in the way, barking and snarling and desperate to be allowed to leap out through the gap and give anyone on the doorstep a good growling at. I open the front window instead.

We get carol singers from the church two doors down. But this is a tiny hamlet where everyone knows everyone and 80% of the village goes to church (I make up most of the remaining 20% and am regarded as a well-meaning heathen).

And yes, I do know how lucky I am to live where I do.

I would if I had any cash in the house! I assume they would be collecting?
it’s been a couple of decades or more since I’ve seen carol singers though!

As a young teenager groups of young people from the church we attended would go round to the houses of parishioners to sing, and we’d be invited in for mince pies etc, I have fond memories of that! But we didn’t knock on the door of randoms, even then (early 80s) it wasn’t seen as acceptable or a good idea!