To think driving to roads where there's good trick or treating is a bit wrong

[sahknowme]

We live in an area that puts a lot of effort into trick or treating (assumingly for the "local" kids). There's recently been a thread on a forum asking for streets/routes that are good to drive to for their kids to trick or treat, and our street has been mentioned.

AIBU to think this is a bit wrong/grabby, and we are doing it for our local area - not for randoms to drive from all over town?!

[DeadGood]

Genuine question OP and others that agree with her - is the problem that you are worried about your "treats" running out?

Or is traffic an issue?

Or so you just not like people from Other Places enjoying your atmosphere and hard work?

Personally, I have always found halloween to be a bit of a letdown - nothing like what you see in American films, where the streets are teeming with children, creating a great atmosphere. For that, you need numbers. So personally I would be all for more people coming to the area, it gives a great feeling. If traffic causes a real problem, I can see your issue. But if it's a matter of the treats running out, FFS, buy more. If you're begrudging a couple of extra pounds spent on a big box of sweeties, then this isn't the festivity for you.

[Increasinglymiddleaged]

Because I bet most of you wouldn’t want to upset your own children like that.

I have no issue with saying no to my children when needed. A lot of people do say no to this.

[Increasinglymiddleaged]

is the problem that you are worried about your "treats" running out?

Nope, its the intrusion. It is the only thing I dislike about where I live.

[user1473069303]

I don't care where the kids come from but they:
a) need to be kids getting into the spirit of Halloween, not juvenile deliquents out for what they can grab;
b) need to be polite. I was once rudely woken up from my afternoon snooze by little brats kicking and pounding the door while the bovine adults accompanying them stood by smiling beatifically at their little darlings. In my woozy state I thought it was the bloody grim reaper at the door. They got a mouthful and the door slammed in their faces.

[Believeitornot]

What’s the limit on how far away people can come from OP?

I’m thinking I might have to stock up on more sweets as we might get a few “outsiders” - I don’t think I’ve actually bought enough on reflection

I quite like trick or treating because we end up seeing loads of dcs school friends which is nice. The dcs love it. And one of the friends Mum drove around especially because she knew that our dcs would love to see them which was sweet. Should I have turned them away...!!?

[deepestdarkestperu]

But what if none of your local friends and family did “trick or treating” or all your kids friends lived on the other side of town, or you lived in the middle of nowhere?

Would you really say they could never go trick or treating just because they lived in a neighbourhood or area that didn’t participate?

[Roomster101]

I live in a "good" trick or treat area as there are so many children. Children from DD's school come to our area if the road they live on isn't good for trick or treating. People only knock on the door if you decorate. I think this is fine.

[Fantasticmissfoxy]

Sonya I really hope one of the 'blow in's' gets a sugar rush and vomits all over your doorstep - what a disgusting way to behave.

My husband drives our kids to a specific area for guising- we live in the middle of no where and it is simply impossible to go round houses where we live (nearest one over a mile away and all very spread out)

He takes them to a neighbourhood where we have a lot of friends and where the whole area really gets into celebrating and decorating the houses etc (most of the grown ups are dressed up too).

As far as rationing / not having limitless sweets I totally sympathise - I let my children take 1 sweet from an offered bucket and of all kids did this the treats would go a lot further - they're not meant to come home with bin bags full of stuff!!

We used to live in an area that was popular - I loved it! Used to plan to answer the door up until about 8.30 then it was lights off. If there was anything left at that point I'd leave it out by the door. Small inexpensive sweets (like a lolly pop and a gold chocolate coin) twisted up in some crepe paper handed out saved any massive handfuls getting grabbed early on.

[londonrach]

Moneynuts, password cards, candy (usa word)....dm as no one in rl can do that. Sounds made up.

[Fantasticmissfoxy]

And should have said - only ever knock where there are decorations / pumpkins out, I would never ever approach a house in darkness or clearly not participating (usually about 1/3 are all done up and clearly expecting kids)

[ShiftyMcGifty]

Only one thing disappoints about Halloween in Britain. Kids' costumes. I miss the creativity in the States. Here, everyone is a witch, a zombie or some ghoul. Only some of the older kids gets creative making their own zombie costumes.

[SuperPug]

I think the other thread was about a mum deliberately targeting the richest places in London (under the pretence of seeing the decorations but then slipped in the comment about bankers), while being advised by a 20 year old who still goes trick or treating.

[Tanith]

"In my experience it is the residents of the estates/'poorer' parts of town who go all out on the Halloween front while the children of 'wealthy parents who live in detached houses with zero interaction with their neighbours' who miss out/drive to the 'poorer' (fun?!) parts of town for a bit of Halloween freeloading?"

My experience, too. Our area is definitely the poorer, rougher area of town that people avoid.
Unless it's Halloween, of course! They're perfectly happy to take the free sweets and entertainment then.

"What can we do, there's no trick or treating round here", why don't you have a Halloween party? If you never have Halloween in your area, you'll never get trick or treaters, will you? How do you think we all started?
Stop looking for the easy, cheapskate option and organise something!

It isn't about a few cheap sweets. It's about other people out of the area trying to get something for nothing out of neighbourhoods they often sneer about the rest of the time.

[Piggywaspushed]

only ever knock where there are decorations / pumpkins out

So, am I not going to get any visits tonight then?

I can't be arsed to carve pumpkins and don't buy into Halloween decorations (Christmas is enough!) but I have a vat load of sweets!!

Honestly when did all this encoding begin?

On the subject of the elderly, some elderly people are lonely and love visits from little ones at Halloween.

Some of your descriptions of neighbourhood Halloweens sound a little like the PTA massive have descended! How do children get their necklace cards, for example??

shifty you Americans didn't invent Halloween : the Scots did and - yes- we were supposed to make our own costumes too and we carved turnips, not pumpkins. Can anyone Scottish on this thread tell me if this still happens or has Scotland been invaded by Pumpkins? Do they still guise or is it all just door knocking??

[AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered]

I love Halloween and always make a huge effort with decorations and about a dozen pumpkins. I generally get loads of trick-or-treaters, and parents tell me they spotted my house when they drove past it and came back with their DC. I'm delighted and really pleased people appreciate it, DS isn't old enough to ToT yet so it's lovely to sit at home and wait for the shrieks of excitement.

[venki]

Sonya, this naice place you live in, is it called Royston Vasey?

[Fantasticmissfoxy]

Piggy I'm Scottish - I do pumpkins rather than neeps purely because they're easier to carve - my DF used to do our neeps with a drill 😂 I still remember the smell..... he still carves neeps for his own doorstep. And yes my kids go 'guising' not trick or treating - they have to have a joke, a song or a rhyme ready for each doorstep and we would only go to 8-10 houses maximum.

[EvilRinguBitch]

I haven’t been to the peak ToT areas of London for a few years now but I can imagine that there is the potential for it all to get a bit out of control just because there’s a quarter of a million kids within a very short tube journey so it only takes a small percentage of them to decide that visiting Street X is “the thing to do” this year before the area gets totally overwhelmed.

[DeadGood]

"I've had people trilling 'ooh aren't they all generous' as they wander round smiling."

What bastards!

[Hulababy]

We live in a newish estate where people do this. You see the cars lined up on the min road just outside the estate.

We get dozens and dozens of T&Ters when we are at home for Halloween. Last year we counted well over 200 individual children/teens.

We always buy a lot of sweets (after being caught out in the past) but we still always run out of sweets and I refuse to give cash. Once we run out the pumpkin is turned off and a sign goes up to say we've run out. Fortunately it does seem a safe friendly crowd who come and there's never any trouble and people do stick to houses with decoration or pumpkin only and seem to respect those who aren't involved, or have run out.

Not at home this year so will be saving ourselves a fair bit of cash on providing so many treats!

To be fair it's always a nice evening at home and everyone is polite and friendly; it's a good atmosphere. But I do think it's a bit when I see all the cars parked up and children tumbling out from further afield!

[Increasinglymiddleaged]

You have no idea what it is like round here deadgood.

[Hulababy]

Not 200 sorry 300+

[FluffyNinja]

We live in the middle of nowhere, no neighbours for a couple of miles.
My DS (8) has never been trick or treating so I was thinking about driving him to the nearest town to see if there's anything he can join in with.
Maybe I just won't bother.

[ArcheryAnnie]

If you need to drive to reach somewhere to trick or treat, then you've gone too far and are cheating.

Somewhere within walking distance, even if it's not your immediately-local streets, is fair game.

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

SonyaY, that is the saddest and most exclusionary thing I've read here. You sound very proud of your efforts to impose a 'gated community' almost. I'm guessing that it wasn't your idea though, that you're just an ardent follower.

I wish I lived where you do because I would flout that rule and make all welcome. If I am treating kids then I'm treating kids. When I run out then I run out of treats but I won't be dispensing them as part of a horrible social dictat.