to have told ds he can't go trick or treating?

[wannaBe]

he asked this morning. A friend is taking her dd and some others tomorrow. And I've said no.

It's glorified begging imo and I really don't get this huge halloween histeria that seems to have erupted over the past few years.

if they already think its ok to do things like that then i doubt it would be confined to one particular night a year?

I don't see why we should adopt US customs.

I'll keep a few sweets for those brave enough to face our dark drive.

My children will be staying in. I don't mind traditional Hallowe'en parties, though!

misery arses

dd1 has been told she can't go out as I don't get in from work until 5 and it would be too much of a rush job to charge around the streets

she is 5

I have got stuff in for her to hand out to anyone that comes round and they have a chocolate skeleton from Thorntons each

what has teenagers, taking the mick got to do with whether you take your young kids out, and how can it be consituted as begging if you only go to houses that are expecting you or know you very well and have their lights on. I think it is sad when neighbours have gone to the trouble to but things in and noone turns up. Its like saying no thank you to pressies at xmas. The rule of thumb is if the outdoor light is on come round, if not dont.

I think it entirely depends on local traditions, because some areas have celebrated Halloween by trick or treating for a long time and it is a tradition for families (like in the States). So it probably is a fun thing. Where I live in London it is not a traditional thing. I certainly didn't do it as a child, and none of my friends did either. For me and for many other people Halloween is michief night, and quite scary at that. I have told my children that they will not be doing it, and I will be turning all the lights off in my house in the hope that no one thinks I am in (and I will be frightened as I am on my own this year). We have had not just eggs (several times) but fireworks thrown at our dog and bb gun shots at the front door. Last year the tree in the front garden of the house over the road was set on fire. The local police try to discourage it and I think they are absolutely right.

We did it when I was a kid but we called it guising. Only to people we knew in the culdesac. Had to sing or tell jokes. Good performance = better goddies (no money). Then we would end up at one poor souls house and have a party dooking for apples and all that.

My two haven't up till now (10 & 8). They go to grannies dressed up, and used to call into grannies neighbours that were expecting them and had goody bags in for them.

I don't see it as american, we never called it trick or treating, we never did tricks on people apart from scaring anybody out walking their dogs. It came more from the tradition of "penny for the guy" than anything american. It just evolved to dressing up the guy to dressing up ourselves, coincided with halloween. (All homemade outfits.) We talked and so do the older kids around here now about "guising at halloween" My kids are adament it is "trick or treating" Too much american telly!

I know one mum in a different town who made up 40 goody bags last year and ran out, she is making 50 this year.

twinsetandpearls - I want to live on your street. I think it is so nice to have that community spirit and it should be in more places.

I have a really mixed experience of Hallowe'en.

I grew up in Scotland, where Hallowe'en was noted with apple bobbing and readings of Tam O'Shanter. There was a mix of traditions between Hallowe'en and Guy Fawkes in the custom of Guising - Penny for the Guy, but dressed up in ghoulish costumes. We were never allowed (or wanted to) do this ("not quite our class dear"), but we always made guisers work for their money.

Living in England, it's a case of 'trick or trick'. Revellers are seriously disappointed when you offer them a fun size Milky Way, when what they really want is to egg your house.

In the US, it is a totally differnt thing. It is not particularly focussed on the dark - costumes can be anything, so it is easy to dress up young children. Communities really rally around and make it as much fun as possible, and even British expats can shock the neighbourhood by serving mulled wine to all adult chaperones (shocking to Brits by serving it out of season, but shocking to Americans because of the alcohol content).

To me, T or T is an American tradition that we have only adopted in a piecemeal way. If it is to work here, it has to be adopted hook, line and sinker. That means that everyone in a community has to get behind it and play along with it. It can be fun and community building.

The big issue I have with Hallowe'en is that it is revelling in the dark. For our family, this is pretty easy to overcome by giving treats rather than demanding them. Howver this is a sticking plaster over a bigger problem.

Funny ScaryScienceT I am scottish too, I think we have always had our own tradition up here. Grandparents all talk about when they dressed up for halloween too. Non of the mischief that others talk about.

We sometimes get a few teenagers in binbags, but I usually say sorry nothing left I gave it to the little ones.

One town in the south west scotland has an unspoken tradition that all guising and parties are on the Friday before Halloween anyother night and they get turned away.

Yeah, the thought of giving anything to someone who had just slipped on a bin bag - I remember making the sing or do a dance for their 10p. Here in England, you worry that they will do some damage if you turn them away.

The one thing we have here similar to Scottish guising are the dreaded carol singers.

LOL at carol singers, back in my day (OMG did I just type that) we would even be welcomed at old folks residential homes if it was organised. they loved a good song and laughed at our jokes, they liked to see all the costumes.

wannaBe - I sympathise. I hate it too, and I used to put my foot down firmly, turn the lights off & batten down the hatches. You can imagine how popular this made me. Then a couple of years ago I was persuaded to let them go with a small group of neighbouring dch (and a parent) just to the houses of people they know in our road. They rigged up costumes from black clothes & sheets, and being out inthe dark was a big adventure. Everyone seemed pleased to see them.

My point is that you may hate it, but your ds will resent you and feel he's being punished if it's completely forbidden, and it's possible to compromise.

sktribble, you talking about kilmarnock?

I don't think that a bit of resentment every now and then is an issue. In fact it's pretty much unavoidable unless you are going to go along with everything "anyone/everyone else" is apparently allowed to do. I said to my children I thought it was a nasty tradition which we weren't going to participate in and they don't appear to be that phased. They may think differently when I turn off all the lights and hide tomorrow!

pointydog yes killie, someone at work was telling me.

empen my house is going on the market in February, I would put it on buying and selling but no one looks there anymore

yes, dh used to work there and couldn't believe it at first. Apparently they got rid of it due to its 'badness', kids complained, they reintroduced the week before.