To think trick or treating is a complete no no!

[marmite79]

Hi all, I love Halloween. I love taking dc trick or treating in our village. People are great here and it's always a big thing.

But.. I've already told dc it won't be happening this year due to obvious reasons. Can't see how it's safe and I assumed everyone would feel the same. So many children around here in a small place. People even travel here from surrounding areas. Too many to promise full social distancing. And giving our sweets with close contact isn't ideal. People have mentioned leaving in bowls outside but multiple hands in a bowl sounds hideous.

So yeah I've already told dc that it won't be happening assuming everything will think the same. Of course everyone can make their own decisions what they want to do.

The local village Facebook group has a new post about how so many kids still want to do and how to make it safe.

Maybe there is a way 🤷‍♀️

But aibu to think that it's probably not the best idea at all? And people should make fun in other ways.

We are planning decorations, sweets and chocolate at home, costumes and sweets at home plus Halloween movies. Maybe a take away in the evening.

I really don't want multiple children knocking on the door because I don't really want to answer over and over again! I usually love it but this year sounds like a nightmare!

I completely agree with some posters about, being crammed with 100s of parents at one school entrance your allowed to use at drop off/pick up its seems like a nice break from exposure 😂

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7426221/

fair point to those saying it is transmitted on surfaces- seems to be likely. I honestly thought all the disinfecting was more about the theatre of hygiene and after an hour or so the risk would drop a lot. But still seems coronaviruses can persist on surfaces a long time.

This means the tongs, hanging stuff on washing lines, etc, won't help? But that also trick or treating is allowed under the guidelines as it's groups of less than 6 meeting, albeit lots of tiny meetings all on the same day. Hmm. I'm gonna see what infection rates are doing nearer the time, my suspicion now is that we will all be under stricter controls by end October.

Trick and treating as we know it now is not a centuries old tradition. It only arrived in UK from America about 25-30 years ago.
It was condemned in America for the problems it caused with youngsters using it to scare and intimidate people but of course we always follow America.
Never had trick and treating during my childhood.

As DC it was help the Halloween party now the DC around here use "happy Halloween". I don't have the patience to watch tricks.

Around here there is a fb group for adding pumpkins to windows. Parents take kids out and spot pumpkins. They give the kids sweets when they see one or just let them eat sweets as they walk around. Some people are going to wave from windows I think.

I am pretty sure it started here (was big in Scotland and ireland with Apple bobbing etc) and going around the streets. Went to America and turned into a money making idea (buying costumes etc) then crept back across the atlantic.
Have never liked it, always felt a bit frightened and glad it is on a much smaller scale this year.

@ElinoristhenewEnid

Trick and treating as we know it now is not a centuries old tradition. It only arrived in UK from America about 25-30 years ago. It was condemned in America for the problems it caused with youngsters using it to scare and intimidate people but of course we always follow America. Never had trick and treating during my childhood.

We have guisers which is not the same and a very old tradition. North of England had 'Mischief Night' which isnt too far away from T or T.

@nosswith
Absolutely not- anyone who tries that at my house will be told to go home straight away or the police will be called. And if I knew where the person worked and they were not wfh i would advise their employer as a Covid 19 risk

Jesus, over-reaction much?! This made me laugh out loud

You've over taken me as the Halloween fun sponge and that takes some doing lol - I hate Halloween at the best of times so won't be trick or treating, we don't usually anyway, just do our own thing inside with party food and maybe some games (just our family before you dial the cops on me )

I love Halloween too.

I was trying to think how I can give out sweets today, I'm thinking about sweets in balloons tied to the front fence.

If anyone has better ideas I'd like to hear them.

People should really have their halloween fun at home, and not wander around the streets bothering other neighbours. There are lots of elderly people near me, who don't want to be disturbed when it's gone dark at night.

There are lots of elderly people near me, who don't want to be disturbed when it's gone dark at night.

Where I am if you don't want T and T you put a card in the window. If you want visitors you put a pumpkin outside.

Or if you are me a carved pumpkin, a ceramic pumpkin and 2 ceramic skulls and some spider shaped fairy lights.

I'm quite surprised by this thread.

We don't 'do' Halloween so it doesn't affect me personally but I would have considered trick or treating to be a low risk activity. It hadn't occurred to me that it wouldn't happen this year.

Tbh im a bit that trick or treating is too risky to do when people are barrelling around pubs every night!!, i think its unfortunate, BUT as i said to my kids, most people won't this year and knocking on the doors of potential shielders is a risk!

what a good idea @sashh, i think its a shame that people who truly love Halloween are having enjoyment ruined, but people who drink heavily are always catered to .

You can still decorate your house, dress up, carve pumpkins, bob for apples, go on a dark, spooky walk etc.

You just need to mix in small groups of households/school bubbles and no go near anyone else.

Halloween enthusiasts can put 'happy halloween' signs in their windows if they feel so obliged. Parents/carers can slip their child a packet of sweets.

You just need to mix in small groups of households/school bubbles and no go near anyone else.

So basically the same as every year just without everyone diving into one big bowl but getting bags of sweets put out?

Not quite. Small groups or family units need to socially distance in the street. Don't think going up to people's doors is a good idea. Enthusiastic Halloweeners can dress up and wave out of the door, I guess.

And parent/carers doll out a few sweets to their own children rather than the usual big bowl frenzy.

When I was little we just knocked on everyone's door. Recently people seem to more arrange to go to a few houses of people they know, that could be done fairly safely with a bit of planning I think. Definitely wouldn't be knocking on anyone's door without a bit of pre planning. Equally your ideas for at home sound really good OP!

This might be a bit 'extra' but you could suspend sweets from windows...like a ghost shaped box on a string, for the kids to spot. There's all sorts of ways this situation could work for Halloween!

I'm currently wondering a remote control car could deliver sweets.