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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Any other Mums refusing to take the kids out trick or treating?

244 replies

Theboulderhascaughtupwithme · 31/10/2014 08:37

Just wondering if I totally mean/unreasonable. We do a lot for/ with the kids, clubs, weekend days out, doing stuff at home etc etc but I just cannot muster any enthusiasm for taking me out trick or treating. I find the whole concept of trawling round the houses letting them beg for sweets cringe worthy.

Strangely I have no problem with other kids coming to ors and always have some sweet etc ready for them which makes me feel I am being a bit unreasonable.

Also I don't want to fork out on costumes and I am totally not able or into making them.

So I guess I am giving myself permission to just not do even tho my eldest particularly has been keen and asking to go.

What's other people's stance?

OP posts:
Flowerfae · 31/10/2014 20:17

no, never have been. We had a halloween party at my mums house and they had their friend there with them, they had a halloween hunt for their sweets and loved it :)

Ilovenicesoap · 31/10/2014 20:18

No -she had never heard of guising .
Why are you concluding she is dim, uniformed or unobservantConfused
She looked at me like I was bonkers when I mentioned it !

OddFodd · 31/10/2014 20:20

As a very tiny family of two (me and DS), I'm glad that my friends embrace halloween as much as we do (I was brought up in the US so I always TOT as a kid). The houses round here really get into it - there's whole families dressed up, scary music down the street and front gardens full of dry ice and gravestones. It's all excellent fun and we've had a lovely time. :)

We only ever go to houses with lit pumpkins outside and we know most of the families out on the street and in the other houses.

TalkinPeace · 31/10/2014 20:22

A Scot not having awareness of Samhain is an odd thing
they may call it All Souls or Halloween or any other name
but the celebration of the start of winter on 31 October ish is around 5000 years old

drspouse · 31/10/2014 20:23

I am starting to like it and I particularly like the idea that a lit pumpkin means you can knock. DS really enjoyed seeing the children's costumes- he's a bit young to go out really. We have spent time in the US and the neighbourhood regulations are a bit OTT there!
But I don't really appreciate those who knock at 7 just as DS is in the bath (though I know they aren't to know) or at 8.30 after we've turned off the pumpkin.

squoosh · 31/10/2014 20:23

Simple. Because you never mentioned guising in the post where you said your colleague had never heard if 'it'. I assumed you meant she had never heard of Halloween.

Anyway, speaking as a non Scot living in Scotland I'm very surprised to hear of a Scottish person who has never heard of guising. Uninformed and unobservant indeed.

groovyolmutha · 31/10/2014 20:32

Halloween as now is an cheesy Septic (Septic Tank - Yank: rhyming slang) money making rip off.

I really enjoyed it when DD was younger! Much against my better judgement. Bit of a guilty pleasure.

However, this year it seems really distasteful. Have had little girls at door with fake injuries at door and some of the costumes are a bit 'tarty'. We don't live that far from where a famous murder of a young girl took place recently and I find it all too crass.

Little pumpkins, witches and spiders are OK but given the choice, I would have it banned in favour of bigging up our own traditions, like 5th November which seems less popular. I don't see why a 'Guy' is more politically incorrect than a 10 year old in a slutty costume with fake abuse injuries.

TalkinPeace · 31/10/2014 20:33

Its really simple :

if you want to take part, put out a pumpkin

If you are walking along a road, only go to the houses with pumpkins

then its a friendly inclusive thing

oh, except for my hoodie boys but they are mostly in prison now

grocklebox · 31/10/2014 20:34

I don't give a crap whether you do it or not. But the whiny killjoys who bang on about it being begging and other rot need to wind your necks in.
If you/your kids can't tell the difference between a fun tradition of dressing up and being given sweets by your neighbours and panhandling on the street there is something really wrong with you.

Ilovenicesoap · 31/10/2014 20:34

Er story you referred to "guising" in your post at 20.01.

She is 28 and was WTAF are you on about Confused.
I don't celebrate Halloween - does this make me uninformed?
What about Diwali or Bodhi ? do you celebrate those ?
Just because people don't celebrate what you do doesnt make them uninformed - it just means they are different to you.

TalkinPeace · 31/10/2014 20:36

grocklebox
I'm not whiny.
Gangs of balaclava wearing 17 year olds are effing scary
the window repairs cost me several hundred pounds

FWIW I'm a yank
I have no hassle with participatory events, but zero to harrassment

squoosh · 31/10/2014 20:38

I'll try and break this down for you really simply.

I maintain that a Scottish person who has never heard of guising is uninformed. It's a common Scottish tradition which every Scot I've come across has heard of. It's like hearing an English person say 'Guy Fawkes Night, what's that?'

Uninformed.

Summerisle1 · 31/10/2014 20:39

Of "tricking" it was interesting to see a whole bunch of kids attempting to buy eggs in Waitrose tonight. They were probably about 12 and having staggered to the check-out, laden down with dozens of eggs, permission to buy them was declined. One of their number complained because "My Mum wants to cook omelettes tonight" but failed to be convincing. So they sauntered off into the night to test the gullibility of Tesco.

Was rather glad I didn't live in town tonight, it has to be said.

grocklebox · 31/10/2014 20:39

gangs of marauding teenagers smashing windows have nothing to do with small children trick or treating. And if thats what the teens are like where you live I doubt its only on halloween, so its irrelevant to the topic at hand.

OddFodd · 31/10/2014 20:40

I find the use of the word 'slutty' on this thread a lot more disturbing than any of the costumes I saw out and about today Halloween Hmm

squoosh · 31/10/2014 20:41

Yes I'm not crazy about the use of the word 'slutty' either. Try 'age inappropriate'.

storytopper · 31/10/2014 20:42

soap - I just mentioned guising in Scotland in response to someone else saying that the whole thing was an American import. Other posters took up the cudgels about people being uninformed or otherwise.

TalkinPeace · 31/10/2014 20:43

grockle
wow, thank you for your open minded attitude

and how do you excuse the 6 year old and his mum this evening?
the one who asked for money as I did not have sweets ....

lomega · 31/10/2014 20:45

When DS is old enough I plan on having a little party/lunch or something wit h family/friends, as I quite like Halloween myself. I'd rather do that than have him beg at doors.

Ilovenicesoap · 31/10/2014 20:45

Maybe she doesn't celebrate it sqoosh
I must admit I was really taken aback considering we are always told it is such a tradition.
She is very nice so I doubt she was pulling my leg.

Coconutty · 31/10/2014 20:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TalkinPeace · 31/10/2014 20:47

Ah, yes, halloween parties are GREAT fun - its the begging at strangers doors I have a prob with

variants of apple bobbing and teenagers is HOURS of fun

Plateofcrumbs · 31/10/2014 20:47

DS is far too small to participate in ToTing but we have had a pumpkin out and had half a dozen lovely sets of kids at the door. We always ToTed when I was small - I loved the excuse to dress up, I think I enjoyed Halloween more than my birthday.

I hope the idea of pumpkin/decorations to signify houses that are taking part catches on properly - I think it's a really fun tradition when the people taking part are all up for it.

grocklebox · 31/10/2014 20:48

who needs an excuse? 6 year olds say stupid things, you smile and ignore. Unless you're a total grinch who is against fun things like halloween.

Ilovenicesoap · 31/10/2014 20:49

Sorry I am totally confused as to who I was talking too.Blush
my lovely Scottish colleague was Confused what are you on about? when I mentioned "guising" which is totally at odds with what we are told on here !

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