To not give anything to carol singer?

[DuckandCat]

Just had a knock at the door and I answered to a little girl of about 6. She looked really shy and uncomfortable and began to quietly sing at me.

I asked her where her Mum and Dad were because I couldn't see anyone and she pointed to a women standing about two houses down. She called out to her to 'sing Jingle Bells', which she did

Anyway I asked her what she was collecting and she shrugged, I didn't have anything to hand so I said thank you and shut the door.

AIBU to think this is odd? I feel a bit mean now for not giving her anything and I know DH will say I was tight when I relay this story later I just found the whole experience weird.

You meanie!

A bit of choc or 10p wouldn't have hurt. I don't do trick or treat ( aka money with menaces) or a mumbling teen " carol singing" but a shy 6yr old? I would !

Aww bless her!

Nah fuck 'em.

If you give to one around here, you'll have a steady stream of out of tune snot faced singers by the end of the evening.

Bah humbug!

She was six years old! Mean, tight, pms maybe?

She probably harassed her mother to take her singing

Oh no, maybe I was a bit mean

I do do Halloween and always get sweets in, but I'm expecting them.
But this just felt different. Almost like her mother had sent her out to collect cash, I felt sorry for her and it's freezing out!

Carol singing is just that - carol singing. In my book, that means singing songs about the arrival of baby Jesus not just a random Christmas song - eg Hark the Herald Angels Sing or Away in a Manger.

A couple of boys knocked at our door once, sang a couple of lines from a Christmas song and didn't know any more even though I waited for it. I asked for a Christmas carol and they didn't know any ......

It sounds a bit like begging to me. But if people are so hard-pressed they have to send their little girl out 'carol-singing', I'd be inclined to give generously. They may have been in real hardship. Problem is, it only encourages them, but I'm a bit soft.

I always give to the church choir who come round, and the Lions etc. Plus any village children with their jam-jar lanterns. It's Christmas after all.

Every year we wait for Carol singers and we never get any our house looks like Santa's grotto from the 12 th of December and we always give loads at Halloween so all the children know they could come to our house.

I think it's a shame that it's a tradition that's dying out,when I was younger we always had carol singers at my Mum and Dad's door.

Yabu poor little thing.

Oh god that's horrible :(

Poor kid. Who shoves their child up to strangers doors to sing alone for money?

It's begging. Using a child to beg.

In all honesty i would probably have been very confused, told the child her singing was lovely and then gone and asked the parent where the rest of the singers were and was she expecting money.

I will only give to charity and not to chancers trying to pocket the money!