Trick or treating...

[bumblebee39]

AIBU or is it a bit odd/weird/rude?
Didn't want to take DC but it's become the expectation now as I don't know how I feel about knocking on strangers doors and asking for things (obviously we never do any tricks...)

Don't approve at all, witches and wizards etc not very healthy imo.

Genuinely curious as to why?
A few toddlers/ primary kids dressed up having fun is hardly unhealthy.

When I was a child we were told only to go to friends houses or houses that were clearly decked out for the evening.

What annoys me is that we don't do out house up and then we still get teenagers not in costume any time up to 4 days before. That to me is begging.

This unwritten rule about decorations or pumpkins is ignored here. :-(

I never went trick or treating as a child. None of my friends did either. It just didn’t happen in our area. I remember the first time I saw it was in ET. Obviously there are regional variations to this. My kids have never been trick or treating. We always make a big deal of bonfire night instead. Hate Halloween but every year it gets bigger and bigger with ever more plastic tat filling the shops. Whatever the Halloween equivalent of a humbug is- that’s me.

I think people's opinions of Halloween and trick or treating are down to their own personal experiences. Live in a nice family area which little tots politely knock at the doors which have pumpkins and are accompanied by smiling parents? Halloween probably not an issue.

Live in a rough area where gangs of teemagers with hoodies ask for money with a baseball bat over their shoulder? Probably going to be a less pleasant evening.

We live in the former thankfully but perhaps due to it's popularity we get tons of kids from miles around and they don't care for the 'decorations = participation' rules either. Thankfully it's our last year on this road so hoping the village we move to is a bit more sedate!

Which night will kids go trick or treating please? My 2 DS (16) aren't remotely interested but want to be ready for the kids next door and a few doors down!

My DC love it. DD's making her own mask this year.

I never did trick or treating, I have never let my kids do it either. In the area we live in are mainly elderly people who wouldn’t appreciate it I am sure.

Weds 31st, BlueJava.

I hate it, used to hide with the lights all off, but now live in an area where no-one would knock on our door, too remote, which is good for me. But I get why people do it, just wish the no decorations, no knock thing was actually adhered to.

I'm 50 and it wasn't done when I was a child.

@BlueJava I think it'll be Wed 31st this year because obviously Halloween 😁 But I get your thinking around the little ones being out on a school night. The weekend is too far away this year for people to come out. I think the majority will stick to the Wed but knock between 5-8 at the latest.

Think yourself lucky if it's at least kept to the day itself; round here it's started already and I'm told many are focusing on Friday to Sunday nights

Apparently many intend going to halloween parties on 31st and want to get their money in good time for that - and yes that's money, since sweets aren't considered enough

It's always the actual day. Mine will both have had a long day already, DD has a SATs booster until 4.30, they go to playscheme until 6, then home and get changed, then trick or treat until DS2's legs get tired, then McDonald's, then home to bed. 😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

I'm almost 57, so was a child in the 1960s. I lived in a village and we went guising at Halloween. We chapped the neighbours' doors and said ...Do you want any guisers? If they did we would recite a poem, sing a song or do a trick. Then we would be rewarded with sweets, apples or monkeynuts. A few of the neighbours made toffee apples and were always the first port of call. Some had apples floating in basibs and you had to dook for apples. Great fun!

*basins

Apostropheuse

You just described my childhood😀😀
We still have guisers. If they dont do anything they done get anything😉

Willow2017 Definitely had to perform!

I surprisingly like it. Had a first one last year and even though I am not into kids, the little ones dressed up and dragging shopping bag bigger than them were ridiculously cute. And all were polite including mums. I am putting pumkin out this year again.
Maybe I like it because I grew up in a country without it🤔

I'm 52 , I remember staying at my Grandparents one Hallowe'en (they were devout Christian Baptists who wouldn't even allow horoscopes in the house)
My GDad set out a basin with apples in water and we had to drop a fork from our mouth into the apples (rather than dookin' ) . So back then it wasn't viewed as evil or Satanic (by them anyway)

We do decorate and welcome little guests.

My DS went ToT once (with a group) and was given an opened bottle of Coke that he said tasted "weird". Not sure if they were fobbing off some unwanted drinks or it had been tampered with

I might seem like a sad killjoy weirdo but I never took my son trick or treating. Always felt a bit weird doing it but always bought sweets for the neighbours' kids. Don't even know why.

I’m Scottish so we make the children earn their sweet. We don’t live in Scotland any more and my husband always insists on a joke or a song before a sweet is handed over, usually much to the confusion of the child and parent with them :-)

It’s very simple really. If you don’t like it don’t participate. It’s not weird, not odd and not begging. It’s little kids having fun once a year, dressing up and getting sweets from people who want to give them! WTF is wrong with people 🙄

Every fucking year.

I live on a new estate and round here Halloween is massive, lots of houses put a lot of effort into decorations and loads of kids dress up.

Dd is 12yo now and I feel getting a bit old to go out trick or treating but will see how i feel on the night.

My only gripe is grabby kids who take a handful of packets of sweets rather than one and then don't even say thank you.