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.

I don't think it's unreasonable of teenagers to make some Christmas cash carol singing, it's only begging if they expect to get something for nothing. I quite enjoy hearing them so long as they know more than the first verse of we wish you a merry Christmas!

Would you have felt better if they were wearing Boden?

I would have felt better if they hadn't knocked on my door at all.
If my children were going around knocking on people's doors expecting money for wailing a few lines of 'we wish you a merry Christmas' I would be mortified regardless of what they were wearing, because I see it as begging and possibly intimidating.

There is nothing intimidating about two 15 year old lads singing away in the manger....just saying

That was my favourite carol singing experience, I didn't even make them sing another song

Haven't had carol singers for a few years, and none this year......yet!

all teenagers are intimidating by their very nature rufus didn't you know?

You don't even know if they were asking for money.

With the evidence you've given you just sound a bit of a misanthrope

The were not 15 year old lads; they were 15 year old girls, not that it makes a difference.

With the evidence you've given you just sound a bit of a misanthrope

You've understood me very well.

Ah so it's you not them

Apparently so.

There's a couple of people in the running for "Misery of the Year, 2013" on this thread. Unbelievable attitudes!

25 years ago a large group of us went carol singing in our late teens. We weren't asking for money; we just naively wanted to have fun and spread festive cheer. Most people enjoyed it, a few didn't answer the door so we promptly got lost - and several people were surprised and disappointed that we weren't bothering to collect for charity - so the following year we repeated it, but did collect for charity, but only from those who asked us if we wanted a donation.

At 3 houses we were invited in for a drink - all 8 of us - and the residents joined in with the singing. One door was answered by a lady who was alone with 2 youngish (say 7 and 9) children on Xmas Eve. She insisted on giving us all a glass of wine and some crisps, then her two children got out musical instruments of their own and joined in. She had a grand piano in the living room with a platinum record on the wall. She asked us to stay for half a dozen songs, and when we left said it was the most fun she'd had in ages and thanked us for making her and her children's Christmas special. A great moment - though certainly not at all typical!

Thanks for that norudeshit I can read

I was referring to a personal experience I had of two great hulking lads on my doorstop singing away in the manger... It was very sweet!

nigella I forgot that! it's probably because my nearly 15 year old couldn't intimidate his way out of a wet paper bag....the 12 year old the other hand

Fairly sure they'll have been collecting for charity.

I wouldn't mind them going carol singing if they knew some carols! I stop them as they start 'we wish you a merry Christmas...' and say that I find it boring and want a 'proper' carol. They go to Away in a Manger and I say it has to be all 3 verses, at which point they get fed up with me and go off!

Why did you send them away? They're carol singing, it's Christmas time! So what if they were just after a few quid? They're teenagers, they can't get jobs and probably saw some things that they like. Might even want to buy some Christmas presents. At least they have a work ethic

We used to go carol singing and give out Christmas biscuits to those who opened the door, just spreading Christmas cheer. People were most surprised t receive a biscuit.

Fair enough-but if you go then you do need to learn some carols! I point this out. I have even offered a carol sheet.

I don't think the teens who do it around my way want a biscuit!

Satin - the old dears loved them and small children.

Words here for anyone who fancies a spot of carol singing!

www.christmas-corner.com/printables/christmas-carol-lyrics-printable.pdf

www.christmas-corner.com/printables/christmas-carol-lyrics-printable.pdf

I have a couple of those thuggish teens wearing hoodies slouching on the sofas at the moment watching tv. They are that intimidating that they spent the evening helping out at the local guide pack where they are both young leaders, before that one of them helped coach at a local sports club. I obviously have faulty teens they are nothing like the ones I hear about.

Tradition for booze money? My friends and I always did if for local cancer hospital!

Why did they need to knock the door at all? That's really rude, collecting for charity or not. People should be free to enjoy their homes without interruption.

I thought carol singers would just start singing and the householder, if they wanted to, would go to the door, hand out mice pies and pop some coins in a charity tin.

I wouldn't give to random carol singers who call at the door, the Salvation Army is my charity of choice at this time of year - that and St Mungo's.

I don't understand why the attitudes to children knocking on the door at Halloween is so much more positive than to those found when children knock the door at Christmas. You would have thought that the best time to spread a little cheer would be Christmas.