Trick or Treating Nowadays

[RebulahConundrum]

What's the etiquette with trick or treating these days?
I've recently moved to a village where there are a lot of kids. In my entire adult life I haven't really lived in places where there are a lot of kids (or at least not ones who would go trick or treating) so I'm not sure what it's like these days. I know I could just not answer the door but I'd like to be neighbourly and give out sweets.

Would it be considered weird for someone who doesn't have a child to give out sweets? Do kids even like sweets these days or do they expect money? If so, how much is standard? Will my house get egged if I run out of sweets? How many bags of sweets should I get?

Only knock on doors that have some form of decoration

A pumpkin outside or in the window counts too

Sweets are fine!

Sometimes I draw little pumpkin faces on some tangerines, and place them in the bucket with the sweets

Surprisingly enough, I run out of those quicker than I do sweets. Kids love em!

Can you ask on the local Facebook what the etiquette is? I only suggest this as our last village had a policy of prearranging which houses could be visited, regardless of decor places outside. Whilst the neighbouring village had a policy of only those with a lit pumpkin outside were accepting of visiting children known or unknown.

Love the tangerines idea! Good point about the decorations, I'll get a banner or pumpkin or something.

It's not weird for adults without kids to hand out sweets. There are several on my road. I wouldn't start giving out money!

Children love sweets still, and it's a lovely thing to do. Not weird at all here- and where I'm from up north, expected.

Thanks @Alphabet1spaghetti2 , I'll ask on the local group. When I were a bin-bag clad lass we knocked on anyone's door, which probably wasn't a good idea!

@Funkyslippers @EscapeRoomToTheSun good to know sweets are still accepted. Last time I trick or treated my friends would get annoyed if they weren't given money, but I can't afford 50p per kid, or whatever it is these days after inflation.

Pumpkin or similar outside.
Only sweets in wrappers. Definitely not money.
When you run out, bring your pumpkin in so people know not to knock.

If you believe MN, Halloween is a bit like The Purge, with enormous kids running amok everywhere, egging houses and demanding money with menaces. IME it's nothing like that at all, just a steady trail of smiling three year olds pottering up your door dressed as Elsa or a pumpkin.

How would anyone know if you have kids or not? We’ve knocked on doors and only an adult has answered no on knows if you have kids inside

Defo no money my Nan does this and the next year when she doesn't give out cash she's had kids be rude. (Rare to happen) but kids always remember the best houses to knock at!.

@LuciaPopp that is slightly what I was expecting tbh! 😆 I don't know why, it's not a rough area.

My kids have only ever been given sweets or chocolate never money. Only doors with pumpkins or other decorations get treat or treaters. It's normally only ever adults handing out the sweets the kids are usually out trick or treating themselves so don't worry if you don't have kids.

Buy a selection of cheap sweets lollies and chocolate for kid’s preferences. Most people only knock on doors with pumpkin or other decorations so if you want trick or treaters then put one out (also a light on near front door so they know you’re in, I turn my light off when I get to the point of sick of answering door/too late)

you could also dress up a bit …never sure if kids are bothered but I feel less like a vending machine if I’ve got something halloweeny related on 😂

Don't give out money FFS! Only primary age Trick or Treat, at decorated houses. Give out sweets like the individual mini bags of haribo, no unwrapped stuff.

make sure it's clear what they are in case of allergies eg no snickers.

Very glad the concensus is not to give money! I like the idea of dressing up. I'm getting excited now, I'm looking forward to buying a witch's hat and decrations and loads of sweets. Am I actually 10 years old?

I love halloween too

I always dressed up to give out sweets, even when DD was too little to go herself. They start at primary age here unless they have older siblings. Only decorated houses (but mostly everyone knows everyone anyway so they know who’s happy to be trick or treated). They also tend to go in waves arranged by school mums with youngest kids out first, because if all the kids went at once there would be hardly anyone at home to answer doors!!

I have a food allergy also and although DD doesn’t, I know what a pain in the bum it can be and how it can exclude you so tend to have a separate bowl for dairy/sugar/gluten free treats, and post on our fb group so parents of kids with intolerances know to look out for the house with x decoration on & ask for things they can actually eat!

Oh and one year DD was with her dad for Halloween- my boyfriend came up to stay as he lives in a city apartment so hasn’t ‘done’ Halloween for some time. We went ALL OUT with costumes and decorations to give out sweets. It was brilliant DP even brought a smoke machine & red lighting to make the porch all spooky, we’d set the machine running when we heard kids coming up the way so when we opened the door it all wafted out dramatically

Here we go to doors with a pumpkin outside or light on at the front door.

I and many neighbours would give out party bags with sweets in them. We would normally have about 50 kids come round. Can be costly.

You might want ask the neighbours how many kids usually come out!

We don’t have DC yet but give out sweets - I don’t know any of the local parents but we put out a pumpkin as a signal. We live in an area with a lot of Muslim families so I make sure to get sweets without gelatine.

I love Halloween! We already have pumpkins in the window and started watching the occasional horror film (not too scary). No small children at home but will give out sweets to any who knock on our door.
I recently worked in a school where the very mention of Halloween was banned. Very sad!

We put out glow sticks (the bracelet ones) that we'd bought from B&M. We were out trick or treating with our toddler but went past our own house a few times and everyone was loving them. We will probably do the same this year.

In our neighborhood you turn off your outdoor lights if you aren’t handing out treats or if you run out. I had enough candy for 150 last year and I ran out in 45 minutes. We have a lot of kids in the area.

Money?! Absolutely not.

Only knock on houses that are decorated for Halloween.

If anyone egged my house because I ran out of sweets I'd be chasing them down the road on my broom stick