Trick or treating?

[Artie30]

Is it happening this year? I mean technically absolutely yes it can happen. Many children did it last year in a covid safe way. People stuck lollies into pumpkins outside or hung sweets onto a line of string (fab ideas) but we didn't do go out. We had a Halloween party at home with our own sweets.

Kids have mentioned it and I just said we will see...

We live in an area that's quite big on Halloween. Not what I'm used to as hardly anything where I lived growing up.

Then I keep thinking about multiple hands picking our sweets from the same bowl. Even worse if they are eating them in between houses touching their faces which maybe they won't.

Am I being ott?

I have no issue with trick or treaters coming to our door just is is something my own kids should do this year??

Covid is quite high we we live too!!

I may just agree to just a few houses on our street...

Trick or treating was something I didn’t really do growing up. My parents just didn’t understand the appeal and were worried about safety and stranger danger. I’m currently pregnant with my first kid, and I would love to go round the neighbourhood with them to trick or treat when they’re old enough. I would say if covid is high in your area, I probably wouldn’t go. Maybe check with the local Facebook groups.

I am not a big fan of Halloween and it does seem a bit non Covid friendly. But it sort of sounds like it will be allowed this year.

@TechGinny

We never do treat or treating anyway, but last year I took my kids round the local area on a pumpkin hunt and gave them each a sweet every time we spotted one (until I ran out ). They loved it, so we'll do the same this year.

Fantastic idea!

To be honest I worry most about the kids out in the dark and not really concentrating crossing the roads. They always want to go with friends and the group always seems too big and gets a bit out of control. I find it a pain to manage

@TheKeatingFive it’s a lovely tradition, isn’t it? The older folks in the community always ask the kids to do a ‘turn’. Years ago it used to be the tradition in our area to go guising on Hogmanay. Kids would go from door to door in fancy dress costumes singing songs or reciting poems in exchange for money. From the 70s the tradition moved to Halloween instead. When I was a kid in the 80s we got monkey nuts, tangerines and money as well as sweets, now it’s only sweets.

Last year we invited my daughter's best friend and did a pumpkin-carving and scary-film-watching house party, but I put a bowl of sweets outside our door for any trick or treaters. This year she wants to go trick or treating but I'm a bit worried about Covid-safety. I would prefer another house party with her friends

No ,not this year ,I normally get sweets in but ,cases are rising,my son has already had a disrupted first half term ,so I don't think it's wise this year .

Out local Facebook group posted this which was good to show children

Try again

Maybe now?

I give up!

@1forAll74

I think if people like the Halloween stuff, they should just do it at home, within their family, I don't personally have kids knocking on my door, as i live off road, and thankfully don't get bothered about it all. But some elderly people in my village don't like to be disturbed by trick or treating stuff.

It's one night.

I won't be answering the door this year. Besides of covid we did trick or treating with the kids when they where younger and also handed out sweets. We've done our bit 😂 now I have teens we are going to watch scary movies and eat all the sweets ourselves. Don't fancy having to answer the door all evening. People should only visit homes who are anxiously taking part.

I’m making up cellophane bags with wrapped sweets/chics/Halloween balloons in them, leaving them in an halloweeny container in front porch next to our pumpkin…storm doors open…any child in village welcome to come get some. I think we’ll nip to a few neighbours with children in the same classes as mine, but that’s it.

Has anyone called Halloween an American import yet?

I think if people like the Halloween stuff, they should just do it at home, within their family

You can't do guising at home though.

People only knock on houses who are clearly taking part here. All the kids have a wee joke or poem prepared. It used to be you went inside peoples houses but it's been on doorsteps for years now. My mum made me take my violin round to play one year 🙈

We are lucky that we have a community Facebook page and one member organised a Halloween trail in the locality and she's doing it again this year. There is no face to face contact, children just follow a map looking for letters/clues and collect a lolly or treat from a bowl outside the house. I actually had a Halloween party for 6 of us last year in line with the rules and didn't do the trail but thought it would be more sensible than trick or treating this year.

@MazzleDazzle

My 5yo definitely won't lick anyone, I hope anyway.

Brilliant!

We’re definitely going out guising this year. My kids are so excited! They’ve been counting down the days. If Halloween falls on a Sunday, it’s tradition to go out on the Saturday instead. However, I’ve checked fb and everyone seems in agreement to go on the Sunday. Usually guisers only knock at houses with decorations and as it’s a small village, everyone knows everyone anyway. The kids are expected to recite a poem or joke to get their treat.

Are you in Scotland MazzleDazzle? We used to do this when we were kids but no-one I speak to now has ever heard of it.

I’m using the pandemic as an excuse to knock it all on the head. We used to decorate, have huge parties etc and answer to trick or treaters. Last year we didn’t, this year dh will still be in isolation and I’m reluctantly hanging up my witches hat for good.

I'll be taking DS trick or treating round the estate where his primary school is. Lots of families there so I expect a few will be doing it, we only go to houses that are decorated. Not expecting as many people to participate as previous years but he was gutted to miss out last year and he's 8 so he'll be getting too old for it soon.

Last year I got myself and the kids dressed up (3 under 8) and we went for a night-walk (it was actually really cool that particular night as nearly full-moon and lots of fog).

We didn't 'trick or treat', but I let them play 'zombie tag' and ramped up the spookiness (chat about Gruffalo and foxes) while passing the 'deep dark forest' (cul de sac treeline).

When we got home they got some sweets/chocolate each, and a light saber battle in the back garden.

They were thrilled to bits with the novelty of it all, and we will do something similar this year. We've got glow-sticks and sweets to hand out with tongs as well, if anyone comes around.

In my town no one can decide which night to go out. Halloween is Sunday so it should be Sunday but I have spoken to people who are going out Friday or Saturday because they are working on sunday or Monday. So I am going to have a weekend of uncertainty wondering if I will be getting a knock on the door and my children getting disturbed. There are no rules of pumpkins or decorated houses. People knock on any house.

Adding some pictures of 2020, just for fun. :)

Not quite the point of this thread but I wish trick or treaters would leave our cul de sac alone.
Apart from us there are half a dozen bungalows, inhabited by very elderly people and they really hate Halloween as they get frightened of answering the door to strangers and get worried that they'll get things like silly string sprayed around their front gardens.