About out of area trick or treaters

[Daisypod]

First let me say I love Halloween and always stock up for trick or treaters.
Our area really goes for it with lots of houses decorated and the streets become really busy for the evening. It's lovely to go out with the kids and seeing the community out and it is done as much for the social aspect as it is the goodies.
But it is now getting quite a reputation for it and last year many people ran out of sweets by 6pm. People are coming from miles away because it is such a good place to come to. I am already seeing on local Facebook pages about people discussing the fact they will be heading to our area.
So Aibu to say it is a bit unfair for so many people to be coming from other areas to get the goodies and leaving some of the local kids without?
If you want to experience it put the effort in in your own areas and create the same spirit there.

@ThatMuppetShow It was supposed to be funny. Loosen your girdle.

I’m still confused by Halloween full stop as it was never a thing when I was growing up; instead it was dismissed as an American thing. (Ducks for cover)

I'm 61 and it was never a thing when I was a child. In fact, "NEVER take sweets from strangers" was hammered into us.

Ooh, maybe everyone will get sick of it and this dreadful new “tradition” will die out.

One can but hope, anyway....

My siblings and I, and all of my friends were not permitted to trick and treat when we were kids. Everybody I knew was dead against it.
Things have changed.

Why don’t you ask to see proof of residence before dishing out any goodies.

Not sure if there is a Halloween equivalent of baa humbug

I agree with you OP. I live in a similar location.

I’m really surprised that people don’t understand what you are saying - which I guess is why so many people think it’s reasonable to do this.

It’s not just the money. It’s the constant knocking. The constant doorbell ringing. The grabbiness. You make the effort for your children and local children. It’s not just about bringing the pumpkin in if you’ve decorated house. So you have the knocking for hours on end.

If you do go to another area, at least take some sweets to give to one of the people living there.

Well this year I’ve finally sat the family down and said that I’m admitting defeat with halloween. Since we’ve been in this neighbourhood (10 years) I’ve decorated the house frontage, dressed all of us in great costumes, made snacks, activated a dozen scary robot spooky light/sound decorations on rotation, and handed out special ghoulish sweets. Every year, the full shebang.

Last year I handed out 7 kilos of sweets. Mostly to sour-faced strangers from far away. One sweet each, often swatting away greedy hands trying to empty the bowl in one go. Often on my own, as my tribe wanders off to trick or treat among the neighbours. It’s been steadily getting more work, and decidedly less fun. I mean, 7kgs of sweets! Seriously? 10 years ago it was one mixed pack.

Everyone’s really disappointed, and trying to convince me not to ‘ruin it’ and ‘get into the spirit’ again. I’m tempted to go as a real witch, and cackle maniacally in a corner while stuffing my face with sweets.

Or sit quietly in a bookshop in another suburb until it’s all over...bah humbug.

There was a thread on here a couple of years ago from a woman asking for advice on the best areas (plural) of London to go Trick or Treating, because she wanted to make a special trip

Her rationale was to head for the wealthy areas with lots of Americans and then onto the family areas, as she reckoned that would get her the DCs the biggest haul

It is incredibly mercenary to think of it as a way of scrounging the poshest chocolates

They drive into my area as well, so it does happen. I don't answer the door, a tip for anyone on here taking their kids trick or treating, if no-one answers the door after the first kid brays the fuck out of the door, don't then let the rest of them continue to do so one after the other, or then allow them to shout through the letterbox, move along.

OP, I really sympathise. I live around the corner from a street famous for its Halloween decorations. People come from all over London and residents (I have a close friend who lives on the street) spend a lot of money and time decorating and providing sweets. FWIW, it's really lovely and exciting for the kids, so please know your efforts are appreciated.

Because I know that the street is always running out of sweets early and people spend a LOT (most houses routinely buy 20-30 bags of sweets to cope with the numbers), I've got into the habit of bringing bags of sweets with me to give to residents on the street - it's a way of contributing to the festivities and is always appreciated.

I agree with the sentiments expressed by Wilmalovescake.

Thanks to those who seem to understand what I am trying to say. But I also accept I am being a bit grinch about it. It isn't the having to buy a few more sweets it is the fact that the roads get clogged and it isn't the nice experience it once was. Also by the look of the cars it is definitely far more affluent people coming to a less affluent part of town! So definitely not trying to keep 'riff raff' out whatever more annoyed with the cf of the rich buggers!

I absolutely hate it - we get gangs of really entitled kids round here that take fistfuls of sweets - some come round more than once and if you tell them to go away they chuck eggs at your house. One year I told a group of teens who had been back twice that they couldn't have any more as they wouldn't leave any for other children and was told that I should have bought more then (and had eggs chucked at my front door). KIds also let off fireworks in the street - its so dangerous.

I'm afraid that this turning up and demanding stuff is an American import though and i really don't like it. The Scottish tradition of guising is much more of an exchange - the kids entertain you on your doorstep and then you give them a treat to thank them.

Like county lines but for haribo instead of heroin!

Some areas just wouldn’t really work all that well for it. Where I live it’s all very built up Georgian terraces which open straight onto the street. You would really be able to do much by way of decoration and as many people live in flats getting to the door would be a real pain. I don’t take my children trick or treating because I just don’t really like it but if I did I would have to do it elsewhere, probably in one of those new build mini suburbia places.

oh yes, the kid has to do a wee turn to get a sweetie!

But yes I am in Scotland and the kids have to follow the rules of guising

We get this a bit I think. I don't really mind, the more the merrier. I buy lots of sweets, they don't cost much and will keep.

I’m annoyed because I feel the fun side is gone and it’s all about how many sweets you can collect.

Huh? It was always about the sweets for us, and I'm 42.

We live in an area that gets a lot of trick or treaters - it's really nice, to be honest. But you only go to houses with lit pumpkins - once they have run out of sweets, the pumpkins are taken away. Or, some people leave sweets outside for people to help themselves. The streets are absolutely rammed with people, and it feels like a holiday. However, we don't get problems with increased traffic, which I would take issue with - there's enough cars parked on pavements around here without adding to it! I don't have a problem with people coming from other parts of the town - but, like I say, the Halloween "rules" are well obeyed, and you can opt in or out as you wish.

We've no wee kids round us any more, but I've had strangers (teens) knock at our undecorated, no sign that we're participating (cos we're not) house, expecting money over the last couple of years. No costumes, just an outstretched hand. Which husband shook, wished them a grand evening and then he closed the door. They sttod outside for ages going "huh?" Lol

But when we did have kids about, the rules of guising were followed. A joke, or wee song, and a single sweetie as a reward. I did make exceptions for the wee souls who were shy...they could whisper their joke to me if they were scared! I was one of those bairns and it was excruciating being made to perform!

YANBU, I'm the same as @FrancisCrawford, as children we only went to houses we knew (Scotland), part of the fun was the people (friends/neighbours/relatives) guessing who we were under the costumes, you can't do that with stangers.

I always put out a pumpkin, even though DC is too old to want to get involved now and never turn anyone away but do question kids I don't recognise, "do you go to the local school?" etc, think its strange to go to houses you don't know.

I like seeing the local children and so do our elderly neighbours, its a bit of fun. [where's the pumpkin smiley]

I agree. My old area did halloween pretty well and my new area does too but i was a little put out when i heard last year of someone coming over from my old area (about 2/2.5 miles away) to bring her children to my estate to trick or treat when they can do that at home. If you live rurally with few neighbours then I wouldn't mind so much.

We live on a tiny estate in a small rural town (pop 6000). We have lots of kids that come from the surrounding area. We were thrown the first year and had to go out for supplies. It's lovely though, nice atmosphere and everyone makes and effort and says thank you! At 8.00 pumpkins come in and curtains closed!