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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that trick or treaters say "thank you" and move on

123 replies

golfbuggy · 31/10/2016 19:04

We're on a main thoroughfare so get loads of trick or treaters.
Tonight it feels as though roughly in 1 or 3 of them have said "don't like that" or "can I have something else". I have grumpily refused every time. (It's generally been the 5-9 year olds I'd say - the younger ones just look wide eyed and the older ones just take what they are given!)

AIBU to think that if someone is giving you sweets for nothing your correct response is "thank you".

OP posts:

JellyBelli · 31/10/2016 20:43

The last year I did it all they said was 'I want money'.

Floralnomad · 31/10/2016 20:44

We live on a largish development with lots of families , hardly anybody has decorated ( I looked when I took the dog out ) ,we didn't have a pumpkin out and last year nobody knocked . We've had one lot tonight , very polite took 1 lolly each until I invited them to take more said Happy Halloween and thank you . I assume people mainly knock on the doors of people they know and we don't really know anyone with small children round here .

Tiggles · 31/10/2016 20:49

How do you afford 200 treats?? Fortunately no one comes to our current house, but where we used to live the kids would demand money - at least a pound. After the first year we lived there when 40kids came to the door (in a single pack) we always went out. It was cheaper to sort the egged house out the next day.

Notso · 31/10/2016 20:51

Ours have been lovely. I just hand out the sweets though.
I had one polite skeleton who asked to swap his snicker because he had a nut allergy and a teeny tiny witch who said "treacle treat" and when her Mum said "what do you say?" she said "more sweets please" which made me laugh so I gave her a few extra

OublietteBravo · 31/10/2016 20:51

I have no decorations up. I've retreated to the back of the house and turned all the lights off at the front. They still persist with knocking on my door. I've reached the point where I'm struggling to be polite (they seem totally bemused that I'm not handing out sweets). I thought the etiquette was to avoid anyone who clearly doesn't want to participate. Obviously not.

Budgiebonbon · 31/10/2016 20:52

We have had some seriously cute & very polite little witches and devils. I think DP scared them a bit. We have loads of sweets left over.

Plenty of thank yous and happy halloween.

jamdonut · 31/10/2016 20:57

I've only had 2 lots knock this year.( It's always over by 8:00pm)., But I didn't have decorations up. I always have sweets just in case, though.

Only once have I ever had someone grab a handful( last year). Usually the kids take just one item, say happy Halloween and are on their way.

littlesallyracket · 31/10/2016 20:57

My mum's just posted this on Facebook, which has warmed my cockles no end:

"I've never had so many trick or treaters which meant I ran out of sweets. I apologised to one group for having nothing to offer and I was so surprised when one lad put a big handful of his sweets into my empty dish! Bless his heart. He said he had loads of sweets for himself and now I would have some for other children."

She doesn't know the kid, but wishes she did because she'd like to tell his parents what a lovely lad he is!

Gwenci · 31/10/2016 20:59

Where do people live that you get 200 trick or treaters?!?!!

We haven't had a single one so I'm currently stuffing sweets in my gob like they're going out of fashion.

Liiinoo · 31/10/2016 20:59

We only had one group. They came earlier than I was expecting so couldn't find the tub of quality St I had bought in. They all got a two finger Kit-Kat instead because I knew where they were! The littlest one audibly gasped with shock when I handed it over and the other three chorused an awestruck 'thank you'. I don't think I have ever known 40p bring so much pleasure

Armbags · 31/10/2016 21:03

Bear a thought for the parents whose kids turn into sugar crazed monsters this night.
Despite A LOT of coaching I was mortified when my 5 yo turned around, pinching a 20pence piece between finger and thumb and said 'oh it's just money'

Ditsy4 · 31/10/2016 21:04

Also at 100.
I live in a small village. I 've had four! I thought two more might come but looks like they feel too old( at 11) they were very polite.
Great to hear some are still doing their "piece" I sent home poems with Year 3 and 4 today in the hope they learnt or took them. I explained that you wouldn't get sweets in Scotland when mine were young if you didn't perform. The one Scottish boy in the class agreed. Year 3 learnt a performance poem today that they can recite. They loved it.

HighwayDragon1 · 31/10/2016 21:07

My dd (6) had a joke ready and told it to two people who jokingly said "trick" to her.

Why did the ghost cross the road?

To go to the BOO!!vies

Hulababy · 31/10/2016 21:10

Tiggles - they get one small sweet each - I got the Swizzels sweet shop tin - about £4. They have about 70+ sweets in each tin. When we started to run low I found we had some left over mini Haribo bags in too, also raided the lunch box treat box (mini chocolates) and eventually the dozen or so crisps we had in - again left over from a party.

SpunkyMummy · 31/10/2016 21:10

highway that's adorable.

Hulababy · 31/10/2016 21:11

Gwenci - new build estate full of many family homes, plus others come up, park and come round the houses.

RaeSkywalker · 31/10/2016 21:11

When I was a teen, we had several years where 100+ children knocked. It was lovely. The area has changed now though (few young families).

Thefishewife · 31/10/2016 21:12

Dh gave tins of spam last year bloody baffled they were he hates Halloween and the half arsed costumes the teenagers usually have a cheap £1 shop mask

Bell and door going all frigging night

BarbarianMum · 31/10/2016 21:16

I reckon we topped out at 140 tonight which may be a record. I live in a suburb of a large northern city. Middle class ish (but think nurses and teachers rather than lawyers and bankers), lots of young families.
Halloween is really lovely here - you only call on houses that have decorated, it's all over by 8.30pm and every single child who called here was polite

Starlight2345 · 31/10/2016 21:19

I live in a small town one area does Halloween big.. Loads of games, sweets, everyone tends to get drawn to the area.Also a couple of charity buckets.. People only go to houses with pumpkins...Firemen pulled up and handed out sweets tonight.

I left bowl of sweets on door step when we went out. Blew pumpkin out when we got home so I could get child to bed ..No knocking since.

Andylion · 31/10/2016 21:26

Two words...toffee onions....

I just googled, that Fuzzy.

One year, when I was child, we went to a house with a bunch of hippy-looking guys, (at least, that's my memory of them). They gave out actual onions. They were laughing, in a "isn't this a great joke" kind of way, not a nasty way. My friend and I laughed too.

deste · 31/10/2016 21:28

Fourth year running and still not one guiser. I have full bags of sweets each and no one wants them. All the same it's pouring down with rain so they might come tomorrow.

minionsrule · 31/10/2016 21:29

Can't believe people have over 100 callers - I run out if we get over 10!
Thought we would get some at the weekend but no callers. DS has never wanted to do it but we always get some stuff in for callers, we don't decorate but welcome anyone who calls. Sadly tonight was footy training for DS, no callers before we left, I dropped and came home and saw some treaters up the road which means I had probably missed them. Home for 45 mins, no callers, has to pick up DS, went out the back where car is parked and drove round and then saw some kids at the front door - literally just missed them but was running late so no time to stop and go back in for the sweets

Sallybowls · 31/10/2016 21:42

Its ny favorite time of the year... i love halloween xxx

teenyveg · 31/10/2016 21:43

I live in top floor flat. I went to town decorating the hallway and had signs outside and inside, directing kids upstairs to our spooky stairwell. I also had a sign saying only call on us and leave the neighbours at peace.

Had about 100 kids. All lovely and very polite. I made up little bags so no kids picking their own. All very appreciative and parents loved that we had made such an effort. I think word got out - hence so many groups.

I love having kids calling and never seen any poor manners or rudeness.

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