AIBU to dislike halloween????

[DontKnowWhatToDo123]

I hate answering the door at the best of times, even more so at night....so spend a few weeks prior to Halloween getting a bit stressed. The local police have just put a poster on their website to print and stick on your door saying you dont want trick or treaters, and most of the comments are about how its just an invitation to have a brick or egg thrown at your window. Now i feel so much better (NOT!!!)

not to mention we now have a 10 month old dog who barks really loud when anyone knocks, and will take a good while to calm down after so that is pretty annoying for the neighbours. (he stops with a treat bribe but he can only have so many of those)

I know I'm probably being a grumpy mare, but would you really throw bricks at someones house because we dont want to answer? dh works nights so I'll be on my own.

at a push, wibu to say no trick or treaters after dark or a certain time?

We don't put a pumpkin outside and have never had trick or treaters.

I shut the curtains. We don't decorate the house in any way.
They still knock.

That's shit on the parents behalf then Wolfie

We just turn all lights off at the front (our living room and bedrooms are at the back) and unplug the doorbell and shut the porch door and never really get any knocks coz they just assume we're out. Don't put up a poster it would make your house a target in some areas and also makes you look a bit mean so not being Halloween festive. I don't really like Halloween or "celebrate" it so this is what we've always done to avoid it.

Halloween as it is now is simply vulgar Americanism pushed by supermarkets. Just awful.

Trick of treating is anti social and Halloween seems to another excuse for people to get slaughtered and throw up.

Creambun2 Glad I don't live in your town.

Halloween is a big thing in my village, it has been long before the USA interest.
Every year I have around 50 kids guising at the door, friends around. I make warning soup, hot chocolate and warm apple cider for adult, to warm frosty fingers.
Our streets and busy with adults and kids alike dressed up visiting.
It's a lovely family atmosphere.

50 kids??? Dear god I'd be losing the will to live if I had that.

My DCs are adult now, I had a two year period when they and NDNs children walked round together with us and I hated it even then but tried not to show it

Now, I just try and ignore and the only time I open the door is if my NDN has her GC staying and she mentions they might knock. Apart from that I just ignore it.

Stuff has been in the shops for WEEKS

Halloween as it is now is simply vulgar Americanism pushed by supermarkets.

It certainly feels that way here in England. Just a couple of years ago you'd be hard pressed to find a plastic spider or a witch's hat outside specialist party shops. Now there are whole aisles dedicated to the tat stuff.

I'm very cynical and don't see it as a cultural celebration but merely as a way to sell more sugar, crappy decorations and costumes, and keep people on the constant merry-go-round of buybuybuy until the January lull. In America there is Thanksgiving to bridge the gap between the Halloween and Christmas market. I've also noticed that recent years have been hyping up Black Friday Sales! That phrase means nothing over here!!

50 kids knocking on an evening. Fuck that.

It's a pain in the neck answering the door all night. I always make sure I'm out for a meal. I can't imagine shift workers, old people, people with babies asleep, people studying, people with dogs that bark at any knock or people unable to get to the door unaided would find this 'great fun'.
I've heard if you put a pumpkin out it's supposed to show you welcome T&T's ............not sure it works in practice.

On our housing estate (lots of kids but also elderly people), the houses that are decorated get knocked, the ones that don't want trick or treaters have signs/lights off which makes it clear that they don't want to be bothered. There were a couple last year that decorated but had a sign saying they didn't want people knocking because of babies/dogs etc. It's all fine, the people who like to participate get to and the ones who don't are left alone, there's no egging/unpleasantness. This year, me and DS will be out trick or treating so we'll leave a bowl of sweets on the step.

Where I live you get knocked no matter what. Some repeatedly. We probably get about 30 knocks in one night. I turn the lights off and ignore it, but I hate it and it stresses me out. Whatever it may have been it's Americanised plastic tat and winds me up. Bit like Valentine's Day but people knock on my door.

I frequently spend most of Halloween crawling between rooms on my hands and knees with the lights off so nobody knows I’m in. DH answers the door if he’s here. I was asked if DD (4) would be going trick or treating and tried not to yelp “NO!” I hate it. Always have.

I think it is so rude to let your children beg at strangers' doors if they haven't left out any decorations showing that they welcome such a disturbance.

Halloween as it is now is simply vulgar Americanism pushed by supermarkets. Just awful.

Trick of treating is anti social and Halloween seems to another excuse for people to get slaughtered and throw up.

Now give us the downside Cream

I've always thought it was complete crap. I'm 52 and it didn't really exist in Britain when I was a kid so I've never really got it. My eldest was born on Halloween aswell xx

I'm 48 and we always celebrated Halloween when I was growing up in the UK. We dressed up and trick or treated around the local estate. My sister was a fantastic ghostbuster one year with a vacuum cleaner hose.

I don’t mind Halloween on Oct 31st, and I can even tolerate the odd trick or treater. I don’t mind the kids dressing up and having fun BUT I can’t be doing with shops, restaurants and even houses having their houses full on decorated from Oct 1st in a Halloweeny version of Christmas. It’s a day, not a season, surely?!

Why does your dog get agitated at every door knock??

Please ignore the people suggesting a "bark collar" - a collar that gives electric shocks or a spray in the face every time a dog makes a noise. Train your dog that a knock is okay and not something to worry about. It might take a little while and a little effort but it's not so difficult. There's lots of resources online. I may suggest asking a partner or friend to knock at the door while you're with the dog. Reward if they don't get upset. Ignore if they do. Continue.

Your dog's anxiety shouldn't be a reason to hate children having fun. If you don't want to hand out sweeties, don't answer the door. Don't use your dog as an excuse.

I don't see why one should have to spend the evening in the dark to deter people from knocking.

I can’t stand Halloween. Until I had kids I never used to mark it at all. Mine will hopefully outgrow it soon.

YANBU, it’s pony

I like Halloween - it’s a bit of silly fun as far as I’m concerned. We do pumpkins and have sweets for the kids. We live on a street with lots of families and generally the kids are polite, well supervised by parents and don’t knock on your door if there are no pumpkins out. I’m looking forward to DD being big enough that we can take her out trick or treating. My Mum never let me go when I was little as she said it was begging!

I’ve made up 50 mini bags (a couple of lollies and a couple of mini haribo bags) and they’ll be left at the front door on Halloween. Once they’re gone that’s it. I’ve had enough of the faff of answering the door constantly, and the threats of windows being put in if you don’t. So this year I’m doing a party for my kids and their pals, some spooky music, hot dogs, popcorn and cake. Lucky if we’d hear the door over that anyway!

I used to put pumpkin out when zoolets were small and poem on the door(which went up day before basically staing get treats til 8pm then kids in bed and wake them furious witch might slay you).first year did that i had teens tiptoe away at 815
That said i stop two years back.my lot arent allowed go knocking(way i was raised) and that year i had 143 trears doled out.huge packs parents wih little ones.groups teens....it got too much.last year we withdrew from it all.i had around 50 knick despite have light iff and no decoration.hoping this year its quieter
By all means celebrate if you chose to but dont knock on "plain" houses just the de orated ones please