To not answer to trick or treaters on the 30th?

[happyfeet5]

I feel bad but we’ve had 3 knocks now and really don’t want to be disturbed over dinner! Find it very unusual that anyone would encourage DC to do this the night before Halloween? Understand that Monday is a school night but Sunday is too!

AIBU to not answer?

What are your thoughts on all of these? Do you think people are as upset with carollers?

@PuzzledObserver your Halloween was like mine. I actually carved a swede last year for my grandson. It was far more scary than a pumpkin ! The bug celebration in my area was Bonfire Night x

@Medoca hmmm, good question.

I'd say carolling is much more up MNs street. I've never seen a poster say that carollers are 'boiling their piss.'

Shoot me down, but I think the MN demographic sees trick or treating/guising as a working-class activity, whereas carolling is slightly more in the middle and, therefore, acceptable and 'nice.'

@Medoca the others though;

• Greedy kids; it's Halloween, they're excited, the want as many sweets as possible, they take their chances. Despise the word greedy.
• Americanism; meh. Probably. Doesn't really bother me either way.
• Trick or Treating/guising; ditto.
• Begging; the kids aren't pleading. It's what every other child is doing.
• Teenagers; the poor teens always get a bad rep. I live in the NW where the day before Halloween is known as Mischief night and have never had any problems.
• Knocking; 31st only. Any time before 9pm.
• Sitting in the dark; if you don't want to join in, fine.

None of them particularly worth getting bent out of shape for though. That's why I sit with my bingo card, same for the firework threads (won't someone think of the poor animals) and Christmas threads (budget, visiting, menu, too many presents.)

Yeah, I think I feel the same. Just nice to see children getting out of the house and seeing neighbours. Who cares what it’s called? Being a young children household, it’s been a lovely way of meeting other adults that live here in the same situation as us. Lived in London most of my life, but things have changed since we had children. It’s been great to make new friends as an adult - there are not many opportunities these days!

Totally ignore them. Close all blinds and curtains, limit the lights and blank it out.

i love where i live and the brats don’t come knocking.

OP is not saying you can only do halloween on weekends. She was trying to understand why the parents of this child went trick or treating today, and considered it might but because it was a Sunday (weekend) and Halloween is on a Monday. But OP then pointed out that makes no sense as both Sunday and Monday are school nights.

Any need to call children brats? Enjoy your miserable night sitting in the dark. Bet your kids will be delighted.

Thank you for that @Ludo19 .

I will. Im a mile from the country lane so pitch dark anyway.

and what has my kids have to do with it?

Well I assume you don't let your 'brats' enjoy Halloween either? You can all sit in the dark together muttering about 'begging', while they wish they were out having fun with the others.

@WeepingSomnambulist You wouldnt have know trick or treating because that came over from America around that time. Before that, it was called guising and has been going on for hundreds of years. Just not in England.

I grew up in Wales, as it happens, and it was unknown there. Anyhow - my point is, it’s not something that was a tradition where I grew up, or indeed where I live now (England).

So it feels like an import to me, even if it was originally Celtic and has been through the American melting pot before coming back.

There are quite a few modern/contemporary customs which I don’t see the point of, so I don’t engage. And some more long-standing ones, as it happens.

My 20 yr old would not be amused if i took her out trick or treating.

and my 18 yr old? Probably in the pub.

hav You realised that people who comment in Mumsnet have older kids? Or in fact no kids? We dont all have primary ages ones you know.

We've never really "done " Halloween. I've never taken my kids trick or treating (they're teens now) although they've occassionally gone to a Halloween party. I generally dont have any sweets in to give out so we don't answer the door. To be fair we rarely get people knocking as we don't have a pumpkin or any decorations.

So because your kids are adults, all the younger ones are brats? Did you refer to yours in that way when they were little or is it just other people's kids who are brats?

Mine never went knocking on doors asking for stuff. Living very rurally our community held organised parties.

We have one of these up and won't answer the door.
Trick or Treat is no more than 'extracting money with menaces" - pah !

www.hampshire.police.uk/contentassets/48d3c2f4abac42b4b4cd5dc823ae8680/trickortreat.pdf

I won't even be answering the door tonight, in fact the front gate is getting locked so that no one can get in the garden!

Where we live you only knock at the decorated houses, and the kids all went after school this afternoon. yanbu

And living in a friendly village, our community welcomes trick or treaters. Kids round here do not knock at houses with no decorations and are polite and respectful. They are not begging, they are not brats and don't go around egging old ladies windows.

Well a gold star to your quintessential English village then.

LOL. You're the one who just had to mention they live 'rurally'.

I live in a pretty standard Scottosh town, where we have our share of anti social behaviour. A war memorial in the next town over was vandalised by teenagers. We do have anti-social teens.

But nothing ever happen on halloween! All the estates do a treasure map of which houses are taking party. Everyone signs up and then each estate has a person who produces a map with all the participating houses and you can pick it up or get it from the town facebook page.

So we all know which house are doing it, no other houses get bothered and there is never any egging or vandalism.

I live in a block of 9 flats, and have never once had trick or treaters in the 11 years I've lived here. There's only one family with kids living here, and the oldest is maybe only 2 or 3, so not really old enough.

"live in a pretty standard Scottosh town, where we have our share of anti social behaviour. A war memorial in the next town over was vandalised by teenagers. We do have anti-social teens.

But nothing ever happen on halloween! All the estates do a treasure map of which houses are taking party. Everyone signs up and then each estate has a person who produces a map with all the participating houses and you can pick it up or get it from the town facebook page.

So we all know which house are doing it, no other houses get bothered and there is never any egging or vandalism."

That sounds ideal as both get what they want. People who want to go out guising can and they know where to knock, and these who don't want people knocking are respected.

Sadly our little town has had its fair share of antisocial behaviour and the last 2 Halloween's certainly have peoples houses egged. This year it's not been restricted to Halloween so am dreading tonight. My oh saw empty cartons of eggs just dumped on his way home on Saturday so clearly there was bother somewhere but not in our street thankfully this time.