...to want to send Trick or Treating back to America?

[onedamnthingafteranother]

I want to relax in my own home of an evening, not close all the curtains and turn the lights off and pretend to be out (or actually have to go out) because this whole imported idiocy turns up all evening (we are near the centre of town and get inundated) at my doorstep once a year.

Grumble grumble, I'm a grouch - also an introvert in a people job who wants to pull up the drawbridge at night. Thinking of leaving a bucket of chocs outside with a "don't knock, just help yourselves" notice. Trouble is, door opens straight into the pavement.

So not wanting strangers knocking on your door all night asking for sweets makes you anti social and an oddball? It could surely be argued the antisocial thing is going asking strangers for sweets when all that stranger wants to do is sit and relax in their own home?

No it's not a case of sticking to the 'rules'. It's a case of remembering the very happy, exciting nights I had as a child when I would be allowed to go trick or treating. It was magical and almost as good as Christmas. It still is, for children here. Our whole estate joins in the fun...it's not 'rules', it's very tradition in our Irish culture. There is one house where they sit in the dark all evening so that they won't have to open the door, but to be honest, they never say 'Hello' or wave to anybody on a normal day either so hardly surprising. I just find it really sad that some people would rather sit in the dark than open the door and give a few sweets to children. Now I will qualify all this by adding that I live in a rural community in Ireland where children are well behaved and we don't get rough gurrier type teenagers scaring people, and perhaps if that was the case I would think differently. But sitting in the dark? That IS odd!

Sorry soverylucky, I misunderstood your meaning of the 'rules'. In fairness, each to their own. It was really in response to the OP's post that I mentioned the 'oddness' of her situation. If people want to sit in the dark with the curtains pulled that's fine, but I do think actually complaining about trick or treating is doing the opposite to just quietly opting out, and is being unreasonable.

We called it guising when I was a child it isn't new or American imo you don't have to pretend anything just don't answer the door or leave sweets in a bag outside your house OR just dont open the door it is 1 night you can be miserable about it I am not keen either tbh but it is supposed to be a bit of fun for children.

Another Irish person here..... I was trick or treating back in the 60's ... its not american. We brought it with us (probably during our famine).

We called it guising when I was a child it isn't new or American imo you don't have to pretend anything just don't answer the door or leave sweets in a bag outside your house OR just dont open the door it is 1 night you can be miserable about it I am not keen either tbh but it is supposed to be a bit of fun for children.

Double post sorry

Antisocial oddball is Harsh just because somebody doesn't join in doesn't make anybody odd,

But Owch why does someone not wanting to entertain strangers all night make them miserable, or odd or anything else?

Perhaps they simply want to enjoy their evening without being hassled by the door going every 5 minutes

No, not joining in isn't a problem, but the OP asked if she WBU to want the whole Trick or Treating thing to go back to America (where it's not from btw) and was annoyed because she's an introvert...I don't think getting annoyed at the rest of society is normal, I think it's odd and that SIBU

Getting annoyed and people not respecting your right to privacy in your own home is perfectly normal though

That doesn't make sense getting annoyed at a thing some people do is not odd not everybody likes or does halloween, that is like saying if somebody doesn't go to a fireworks display or wander about with a sparkler on bonfire night is odd,

Again... sigh, he practice of going door to door saying " Trick or Treat" IS AMERICAN. If you read this en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating. It will explain Haloween and "Souling" is old. But the practice of Trick or Treating originated in 1920s USA!

It never fails to astonish me how people will just go around making statements to suit their own opinions and beliefs, regardless of the facts.

TRICK OR TREATING IS AMERICAN
If you want to argue it isn't fine! But it will be interesting to see the evidence proving that the practice of knocking on doors saying "trick or treat" existed anywhere pre1900s USA.

Hopefully now people can move on and debate the actual question of "should we send it back to America?"

I say no. I think kids ( and adults ) get a lot of fun out of dressing up and going trick or treating. It also feels more relevant to today's society as well, rather than the old practice of going Haloweening as I did in the 80s.

I've just posted on a different thread how sad I am that I haven't been able to get any decorations (last years unusable due to cat incident), and that means I wont get any callers; unless I stand with an open door calling them in. And would you let your kids near me then????

Seems that everyone knows the rules around here, no decorations, no callers, doesn't matter if the lights are on or not.

I'm late thirties and trick or treated around our street in Lancashire in the mid eighties. We got money and sweets, which was rather lovely. But it definitely wasn't as big a deal as it is now. Next thing you know, the Brits will be wearing any old costume for Halloween, as per the Americans. I now live in America, and the kids all seem to be Spider-Man and Frozen characters.

Trick or treating is American and dates from the 1920s

But....guising is Scottish and dates from well before that. My granny used to go guising as a girl, my folks did it as kids and we always did it in the 70s & 80s. We never said "trick or treat" but apart from that it's pretty much the same. - you dressed up, went round houses & did a poem or a song or a joke and got sweets / tangerines / nuts in return.

I'm taking my kids out tonight but we will only go to doors that are decorated & obviously ready for guisers.

Put your lights out, draw your curtains & don't answer your door. Problem solved!

We live in the middle of a Blair witch style wood. No one is brave enough to trick or treat us smile The irony

Yes it's like that where I live too :-)

Every Halloween I am amused by how UK takes something that works perfectly well in America (kids go out only one night a year, on Halloween, for about 2 hours, and only go to houses that are obviously decorated) and turn it into something yobby and unpleasant, then blame the Americans.

The phrase 'trick or treat' is American but my mother used to dress up and go door to door in Co Cork, in the late 1940's, early 1950's.

We do trick or treating here. No decorations out = no knocking. Even if lights are on inside, if there is no pumpkin you don't knock. Some people put a sign up saying "No trick or treaters" and everyone is very respectful of that as far as I know. However, there's TONS of very young kids round here and it's a lot of fun! Some people go all out and create very elaborate little set ups (remembers fondly the living statue that chased my girls screaming up the path).

I'm in the states and if your porch light isn't on or yr house isn't decorated, no-one knocks. Similarly we never approach houses that aren't lit and decorated. When we go out, we leave a bowl of candy on the doorstep, never heard of anyone actually doing tricks, it's just and excuse for kids to knock doors and collect candy. Starts about 6pm, all over by 8pm, even the handful of teenagers and students are gone by 8.30pm. Sounds different in the UK.

People are very respectful .... Might have something to do with gun laws

We did guising up here (Fife) as kids in the 70s and early 80s. My parents did it in the 50s - it's not new, only the "trick or treat" catchphrase gets ok my tits - we're Scottish and we guise!

Going door to door for treats at Hallowe'en is a lot older than calling it trick or treating - it has been done in Ireland for generations, so sorry NOT American, just the name. Dressing up is also not American, although the super fancy bought costumes may well be.

Anyway this another example of a tradition being picked up incorrectly and then the poor Americans getting the blame - see also baby showers and wedding rehearsal dinners. Amazing none of you pick on Thanksgiving.

We used to knock the door & say "are you wanting any guisers?" if it was a no you would go to next house if a yes you had to perform your much rehearsed party piece, so a joke, a wee song or a dance.
Only then would you get a sweetie.
None of this trick or treat nonsense with the hand out for a sweet.

As for pumpkins, try carving a tumshie.