I'm the Halloween Grinch - do you follow the pumpkin rule?.

[Pancakeflipper]

I live on a small lovely street. Nice mix of ages.
The rule for Halloween on our street has been "pumpkin outside - knock here for sweets" . Allowing those not wanting spooky ghouls at their door to have a quietish evening.

Is this the rule near you?

In recent years our street is named on Facebook posts as the place to be.... (fucking stop it - we dont want everyone here) It's crazy on our street. Its no longer the local streets nearby - but driving miles for a fucking Chewit.

The pumpkin rule is ignored.
Guess its not a known rule..?

And that really pisses me off. There's lots of reasons why people don't want hoards of groups ringing their doorbell for the evening.

I salute my neighbour who diligently eats her Ferarocho chocolates, saves the wrappers, pops in cherry tomatoes and hands the box round.

It’s the rule here, interpreted as decorated/lit up, doesn’t have to be an actual pumpkin and generally adhered to. We used to do our own street and then onto a nearby estate as hardly anyone does it in our surrounding streets and most of the DCs friends lived on the estate, it was lovely and sociable but friends who lived there said it did get a bit much especially if someone had mentioned on local FB groups that it was a good place to go. We are lit up and waiting now.

The rule on our street is porch light on or off. Pumpkin or decorating makes no sense as you will have that out, but want to be done for the night or even run out of candy. When you want to stop you just turn off the porch light.

Years ago we used to get people knocking here, then decorating for Halloween became a thing, and many of my neighbours do, but I don't, and don't get bothered anymore.

We have the pumpkin rule in our street. Everyone is really good and sticks to it.

I'll bring mine in when the sweets are gone / by 7pm and that'll be it.

Same round here if the house has a pumpkin or is otherwise decorated then yes otherwise stay away

My kids are now grown up so nothing doing here

We have the pumpkin rule and everyone sticks to it. We live next door to a mahoosively over the top decorated house and we never get anyone knocking.

Our kids have grown and we don't much like anyone elses.

I think it is a pretty universal rule. It was when my kids were little 15 years ago, it was when I was young (in the USA) 55 years ago! But some kids just try their luck I guess.
We are well into it tonight - I’ve had about 30 kiddies so far! Some brilliant costumes!

Yes, if decorated people knock, if not they don’t.

Sprouts are good too.

Yes it’s the rule here

Sometimes you have to make it really obvious for people, curtains closed, no lights on, no decorations and if possible a wheely bin blocking the path to the door.

On another note the cherry tomatoes in chocolate warpers is iconic, however I would worry about being egged by irritated disappointed teens.

It’s the rule here too but not always adhered to. I’ve just seen a mini-bus full of kids dropped off at the bottom of my driveway, which feels very cheeky. My kids are older now so we’re watching scary movies with snacks - front lights are off. My dog goes crazy when there’s someone they don’t know in the driveway, so I don’t invite guisers/trick or treating any more.

Yes we are the street that always did good decs and now the whole of the area come here. You have up to twenty people at your door at any one time and kids or adults paying no attention to the roads! Now we used to participate but mine are too big now and it just pisses me off now. I need to go the takeaway and will have to dodge the kids to just get the car out. There’s a lot less decorated houses here though this year.!

People seem to follow the rule round here.

Which I’m glad about as we don’t partake in Halloween so I’d just be annoyed at having to ignore the doorbell all evening.

Love your neighbour’s idea.

'It will probably be fairly quiet' I said. Famous last words - 18 so far. 😂

If I've forgotten I don't answer the door!

I live in a naice suburb of a large American city. Every year, carloads of children get driven here from a deprived area of the city to trick or treat in a peaceful neighbourhood where they won't encounter people off their tits on drugs or alcohol, prostitutes plying their trade, drugs openly sold, or drive by gang shootings. Nobody begrudges these children their evening of fun. The whole point of buying in candy is to give it away after all.

I think it’s a rule most places but I haven’t lived here long. DH has bought sweets just in case. So no doubt he will be eating them.

Yes we very much follow the rule.

And I think it is tacky when people drive to a different area to go trick or treating. Stick to local streets near your house. And decorated houses only

People seem to follow the pumpkin rule here. I do think it's cheeky to drive elsewhere, the above isn't really an issue in most neighbourhoods.

I've heard of the rule but not sure if people stick to it round here, we don't have many kids in our village anyway.

I think people coming from out of the area to trick or treat is a bit off really. I saw a thread earlier where someone was on holiday and wanted recommendations for streets where she could take her kids to trick or treat and thought she was taking the piss.

The rule for our estate is if the house is decorated/pumpkin out you can knock.
We don’t participate as DH is grinchy and we’ve also got multiple dogs who would go nuts every time the door was knocked.
We keep the lights off, settle down in front of a movie and eat sweets, it’s rare anyone knocks on our door.

Depends on where you live. It’s hall/porch lights on here. I haven’t decorated in years but get loads of callers as the porch and hall lights are on.

No idea what to expect!!! First Hallowe'en living here after years abroad. We bought loads of "fun size" chocs today but I'm keeping the lights off as much as possible and tiptoeing around the house in the hope that I will get to eat them all myself.

I thought it was a known rule here but we've had a few knocks now. Not just one knock and wait, but repetitive banging on the door. I suspect its DDs' friends but my DDs know its not something we take part in.