to be annoyed at trick or treaters who get offended when I say "No I don't celebrate Halloween

[CwtchesAndCuddles]

I hate Halloween!!! As a family we have as little to do with it as possible which is our choice. If other people want to have parties etc that is fine, carry on and have your fun, I just don't want to join in.

I do not invite callers to my house, there are no decorations up, so please do not knock on my door and then verbally abuse me for not taking part!!!

what do you want cwtches? Do you want halloween banned?

i imagine 99.9999% of ToTers are totally respectful of people who don't participate

what you are actually complaining about is rude disrespectful vandals? not halloween?

I agree that it would be nice if Halloween was opt in not opt out but for the sake of an easy life isn't it simpler just to put a polite sign up?

Cw Second that- people DO NOT like hearing the you don't celebrate Halloween. I got called a 'miserable bitch' last year by some cunt father who brought his two kids to knock on my door.

altin and they are very very persistent!!

I thought the 'rule' was if there's no pumpkin outside or visible decorations, you don't knock? Do people not stick to that?

Round our way (also Sarf London) after the little kids and their parents have been round you get hoards of teenagers, who seem to think they've made an effort by sticking on a Scream mask, and get pretty annoyed if you don't give them anything - in my book, if you're old enough to be out after dark without an adult, then you're too old for trick or treating! Unless you've made a spectacular effort which none of them ever have.

As an aside, could I put up a sign asking people to remove scary masks - DD is too little to go out but I thought she could hand out stuff before bedtime - but she's quite easily scared these days. Would people take any notice? Cos the idea of getting her to bed once she's been terrified isn't good.

What annoys me is that I go out that night and take the kids with me...only to get home and find that my plants have been upturned, eggs thrown at my door, flour through the letter box...all because I didn't answer the door.

The fact I WASN'T IN seems to have evaded them.

Cwtches is correct. In the US we were always told as children that if the light was off or no decorations, or a sign saying they are not participating, then we do not go to that house. We were, admittedly, in a small town.

Here, we don't put any decorations out, no outside light, and make sure very little light shows through the living room window as well. And STILL people come up and knock on the door expecting to trick or treat! And these aren't teenagers, these are parents with small toddler children! Would you, as a parent, go up to a house with no outdoor lights on and hardly any indoor lighting for trick or treating?? We don't answer the door, but there are a few that are persistent... you can hear them saying "oh just wait a minute, we'll knock one more time, in case they didn't hear..." Um, yes, we heard you... we're IGNORING you!!

Some people have no common sense.

Just an alternative suggetsion, put a bowl of sweets on the doorstep, then they wouldn't have to knock?

Why don't people just buy a fucking £1 bag of mix-up sweets, proffer them when the door is knocked and that's that done and dusted?

I really think that some people ENJOY being offended by halloween.

Sometimes I can be assed with Halloween, sometimes I can't. On the years I can't I just don't answer the door. It's no biggie. It sounds like Halloween offends some people and rather than just ignore it, it appears some feel the need to either preach their reasons or show their offence to the trick or treaters. Very strange.

I'm not talking about those that get egged though that sounds horrible!!

Around our housing estate,(in East Yorks) if you have a pumpkin alight or decorations, then it is ok to go and knock on that door. And it seems to be an unspoken rule that no-one knocks after 8pm.
I've never known anyone get egged, but I wouldn't want to test that out! Some people go in for it in a big way and have activities for the kids to do before they get their treats.
I never knew it like this when I lived in Hertfordshire.

Just don't open the door then. When I did it as a kids I don't remember anybody ever opening the door to say, no, go away. Seems pointless. My dds only o to decorated houses, but back in the day, people didn't really have decorations in thir windows, so you had to take your chances.

sweet jesus

DONT ANSWER THE DOOR

not rocet science is it!!!!

ppl trick or treating dont bother me. i dont take part mainly cos im too skint to even buy myself sweets the last day before payday. but when they knock my dog just wont shut up..... THATS what annoys me.

Has anybody suggested that you just don't answer the door ?

I must be lucky, all ours are pretty respectful. They always make an effort with the costumes, even the older ones. If they haven't, they don't get treats, so far I've not had to say no. When I'm out of sweets, I put a sign up (Sorry, we've run out of sweets), and we don't get any more knocks. I'm also usually the only person on the street with decorations out, so no pumpkin doesn't seem to stop people, but signs do.

Round here we put our outside lights on if we dont mind them knocking. My dd is only allowed to knock on the doors with these lights on.

You sound like you're just looking for things to get offended by OP!

For all the people who say 'just don't answer the door' as though I'm somehow too daft to have figured this out- the issue where we live is that after the cute tots in their outfits you get groups of teenagers who don't consider not answering the door a reasonable response- I don't think you would like to have your car keyed or flour and/or eggs through the letterbox

Are they less likely to do that if you answer and say no then?

When I take my DCs trick or treating, I don't mind at all if someone answers the door then tells them they don't do trick or treating, I think people that verbally abuse you are complete idiots.
I would suggest putting a sign up, there are lots you can print off via the Internet.

I take DCs out just after it gets dark and I have a rule tht if there's no lights on, we don't knock, if they don't answer within a few minutes, it means they do not wish to answer and teach the DCs to respect that, same if there is a sign up.
Last year we did get a few people answer and say they don't have anything or don't celebrate Halloween and am please to say, my DCs say thank you anyway and sorry to bother you. [hsmile]

But we do get a lot of teenagers kids knocking at ridiculous times eg gone 9, 10 pm well after my little ones are in bed, and do get a bit [hangry] with it, but just ignore the door and hope DD2 doesn't wake up.

When ComeOutFighting posted " Irish men trying to sell me leather sofas and render repair" - I misread it as ...'trying to sell me ..... reindeer repair' - which I thought would be rather a niche market! [hblush][hgrin]

On topic - if you don't want to celebrate Halloween, you shouldn't have to, and you shouldn't get abuse for it.

ill be out this year and i hope know one tricks my home,

get a sign if it bothers you that much.

if i was in i would be buying sweets etc, i enjoy seeing all the little ones dressed up.

Once the littlies have been round and I can't be arsed answering the door anymore, we turn off outside lights, close the curtains, remove the pumpkin and leave the tub of sweets outside the front door with a note to say we've gone out so help yourself. Never had anything vandalised.

I'm sure the first few take the lot, but the empty tub looks like we've made some sort of effort