Halloween - trick or treat ...

[Dee1975]

Posting here for traffic to get some ideas.

Just wondered what people think it will look like this year?? Will you take your children trick or treating? All be it with an adult who knocks on the doors with a stick?
Will you welcome trick or treaters? Will you throw the sweets at them ??!!
How will it work ??!!!

I love Halloween and our house is already decorated! I’m leaving a couple of cauldrons of wrapped sweets out for trick or treaters. I’ve organised a Halloween themed treasure hunt for DS with small toys and sweets. We’ll watch Nightmare Before Christmas, have some themed food etc. Usually I have a massive party and organise the trick or treat trail for the local kids and parents.

I dont think it's a good idea with covid 19 going on. I usually get 50ish children at the door. This year I've already told my children that we're not doing it, due to this pandemic. They agree with me. I shall turn off my doorbell and ignore it this year. I have left a bucket of sweets out in the past, but it got completely emptied within 40 minutes!

I think I'm going to try and hang up individual bags of Haribo (mini ones) off a long streamer/string, using pegs, and decorate around them. Have this out the front with a sign warning them of curses if they take more than one! Obv some kids might take the mick, but that's life. I haven't quite figured it all out, but that strikes me as a no contact way to do it!

I had thought about putting out a large pot of sweets- I have a cauldron for such purposes.
However experience in recent years shows me that kids are "rummagers", even if I make up identical bags kids will tend to put their hands in and touch a few bags to examine before deciding on a bag.
So I am worried about lots of cute but grubby hands spreading bugs.
I like the idea of hanging up goodies, I don't have anywhaer to hang stuff, but thta would make better sense.
I actually suspect many parents won't be taking their kids out at all and just having indoor fun at home.

I live in a very small village so I’m going to ask on their fb page for the general consensus.

If most people say no, then we won’t go out.

If people say yes they are, then I will take part too.

I don’t really see how it’s going to be too much of a problem. The children are outdoors, you can hold the bucket and pop the sweets in the bag and if it bothers you that much, you can wipe over the door after every child

The children are outdoors, you can hold the bucket and pop the sweets in the bag and if it bothers you that much, you can wipe over the door after every child

I can’t hand out sweets from 2m away from the door, even with tongs. I’m not happy to break the SD rule. We get a lot here too usually.

I think it's really sad as it's one of the highlights of the year for my two but we won't be doing it this year. We're going to decorate the house to the nines, invite my brother and their cousin and have a tiny Halloween party/scary movie/games and sweets at home instead.

@MovedByFanciesThatAreCurled - the 'begging' thing gets tiresome, doesn't it? Members of your community invite you (through the pumpkin signal) to knock at their door for a bit of Halloween fun - how is that begging?! @EveryDayIsADuvetDay?

@WhoAmIWhoAreYou - what games will you be doing?

My local community are doing autumnal/halloween window decorations. My kids are too old to go out trick or treating (they're in their 20's and would if they thought they could get away with it 😁) but we will do crafts, baking, and watch spooky films. I'm sending a Halloween treat box to dd at university and my neice. On the night we'll leave a small bowls of individually wrapped sweets on the wall which I'll refill regularly then when it slows down I'll have a walk round to look at other people's windows 🎃🦇 It might be different this year but I'm damned if Halloween is cancelled (I'm looking at you Guardian journalists)

RoobyMyrtle

Some great ideas there!

Pity that Halloween falls on a Saturday this year- it's always great when that happens- all day to prepare costumes, decorate, adults can have a little alcohol,.
Normally on a midweek with school and work it's all a bit of a squueze to get everything done.
I have been looking forward to a Saturday Halloween for years.

I know, I love it when it falls on a weekend usually as less rush and more time to decorate etc. Leaving sweets on the wall is a good idea.

I doubt very much it will be allowed or people will invite this year.
Do you know, in April I thought we would be fine by now and had said as it falls on a Saturday that both kids could have a sleepover this year, as DD had her 13th birthday in lockdown and DS always has trouble with his as it's at the end of the summer holidays.
I usually DJ kids and adult Halloween parties but all of the ones booked on a yearly booking have all been cancelled one after the other. That's 5 of them. Along with Christmas and New year as well.
It's just looking like a whole quiet year here.

I think it's inevitable, I may still decorate the house to give local kids something to look at, same as I did VE day and Easter but handing out sweets when rates are going up is not a good idea.

I love Halloween and the kids are already working on costumes. The parents WhatsApp group have pretty much created a route of houses in the kids bubble for those who want to still do it.
There's a pretty good trick/treat etiquette here anyway, no lit pumpkins or decorations then no one knocks so no worries about disturbing people who are shielding

How will it work with the rule of six? You will have to have five or fewer people in a group including a supervising parent for younger children if you assume that one person will meet you at the door.

I grew up in Ireland and Halloween was always a big thing in our family.

Assuming things stay as they are, with the rule of six etc, I think we'll do something like a tree, as suggested by a pp^^. That's a great idea. I will also do loads for the kids, but in the house. Growing up we always had a special meal and games. I don't know if I'll let dc trick or treat though. I actually hadn't even thought of it until now and it's really saddening, but I don't think I will. Mine are younger, so one won't even know what's going on, but the older one will be a bit sad.

Instead of trick or treating why not celebrate Samhain with your kids?

We're going to do it. But we'll trick or treat to the houses of children in my dcs bubbles only.

I'm going to leave a bowl of treats on the front step and let kids help themselves. Pity we can't do parties.

What about bon fire night? Anyone else dreading the mess from lots of small back garden events rather than safely arranged formal ones? Covid isn't the only thing that can kill you...

No trick or treating this year
Think we will do a little party and film, treat hunt in the garden
Might decorate the house a bit

We’ve been away last 3 years and attended parties but have no hope of any of this this year

I'll be glad to see the back of it, and I really hope that trick or treating stops altogether tbh.

Every year I put a sign on the door requesting nobody knocks, and every year kids do.

Organised parties sounds much better than inflicting Halloween on folk who don't want to participate.

I am considering making something so I can do a no contact sweet delivery, involving, plastic tubes, a window and a Halloween themed doorbell.

I can use tongs to deliver the sweets down the shoot and all the child needs to do is hold the bucket over the end of the pipe.

@DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult

I'll be glad to see the back of it, and I really hope that trick or treating stops altogether tbh.

Every year I put a sign on the door requesting nobody knocks, and every year kids do.

Organised parties sounds much better than inflicting Halloween on folk who don't want to participate.

Yes, I've seen this a few times on MN. There is clearly an element in some areas where people don't follow trick or treat / guising etiquette. Nobody without decorations out or lit pumpkins should get a knock at the door and I have to say, in the years we've lived where we do, that has always been the case.

Sucks if people don't know how to behave though and I coukd understand why you would rather it went away!

How will it work with the rule of six

That’s a consideration I hadn’t thought about other than groups of six or less going around. If the house has five occupants then two or more trick or treaters would push people over the legal limit. I suspect the rules will have a clause that per address or similar to stop all those that think it’s six per room etc.

Nobody without decorations out or lit pumpkins should get a knock at the door and I have to say, in the years we've lived where we do, that has always been the case. I've had knocks with the porch light turned off.