AIBU to think that teenagers carol singing are just begging

[Norudeshitrequired]

2 teenagers knocked on my door this evening and started singing a Christmas carol when I opened the door. I immediately sent them away.
These girls were dressed in very fashionable clothes and I don't think for one minute that they were trying to raise money to feed themselves. I think they were just after extorting some cash from the local residents.
What would you have done in this situation?
Personally, I think it is just begging and that nobody should give money to teenagers who are knocking on the doors of random strangers. We have a lot of elderly people living alone in the area and these two girls would be bigger, physically, than a lot of the elderly people and might come across as very intimidating.

Humph. I wish someone would come sing Christmas carols at my door! I miss having carollers!

As long as they are good and they have obviously rehearsed i wouldn't mind....running out of steam half way through the first verse of we wish you a merry xmas would get a closed door.

I don't think for one minute that they were trying to raise money to feed themselves.

WTF?! Do you live in Dickensian London? Do you have carol singers confused with little match girls? Since when has carol singing been a means of feeding oneself?

This is like the Trick or Treating threads with a festive twist.

Chavtastic?

They might have been wearing Jack Willis though.

usual

I was the worst. I'm talking Lacoste Tracky, burberry socks, nike shocks and enough gold to rival Mr T. It's a wonder I was never mugged.

I thought begging was a means to feed oneself?
Or a means to buy fags and booze, neither of which I wish to contribute towards.

Don't you need a licence to busk?

Not for a long time now (well, not for 'casual busking' at least - I don't know about those statue people or anything). I speak as the daughter of a prolific busker, who got moved along many a time (and he was trying to get money for food, incidentally) before there was a huge court case (in which Dad's friend was instrumental) that meant that busking was no longer illegal!

A woo hoo!

oh right so first they were wearing 'very fashionable clothes' which became 'hooded tops and jogging bottoms' and now they are 'chavtastic'...

Would you have felt better if they were wearing Boden?

I went carol singing for the local hospice when I was fifteen. We didn't have licences, badges, collecting tins or anything like that. I think our coats probably had hoods, too. I very much doubt we were capable of intimidating anyone and we made a few quid for a good cause.

Sad how times have changed if the teens of today face attitudes like yours.

norudeshitrequired they were not begging they were wassailing.
if you want to shut the door on someone it is your prerogative.
They were probably after money for weed

I'd rather give a donation to someone who sings a tuneful carol outside my door (in the week before Christmas mind, not the middle of November!) than to kids at Halloween.

'Chavtastic' - lovely phrase

I used chavtastic to describe myself, because I bloody was!

People used to either give us money or yell 'you're too early'

I have never even seen a Christmas caroler, outside of the mall ones. Nor that is was done as a group of 2! I was under the illusion they did it for fun, and jolly neighbors would bring out plates of cookies and mugs of hot chocolate, then they'd be on their way to serenade other neighbors.
Had no idea people still did it, or that it was for something more than fun.

I don't think it's begging if they were singing.

Ah we sent my young dsis carol singing one year, we needed an extra 4 quid to go to the pictures

You sounds like you have a massive downer on older children

NewtRipley Define "singing" though...

SING

youmakemydreams

I agree

oh newtripley lots of people do - one minute you have delightful little children that people smile at. the next minute you are in charge of public enemy number one - will never forget the look on one PFB dad's face when he saw my teen (who looks like an extra from This is England) and his friend on the go karts at some fun park - when he wanted to balance his babe in arms on the go kart seats instead......pure pure hatred.

EXTORTION

op - I don't think it was extortion either

yy Nigella

I've watched shop keepers look at my gentle, kind, funny 13 year old with pure mistrust