To go trick or treating to strangers' houses?

[TickOrTeat]

Just read on another thread that a lot of posters only knock on houses of people they know presumably for safety reasons. Do most people do this? Apart from our neighbours (only a couple of whom are participating) we pretty much only go to stranger's houses. Not on purpose but just because I don't know anyone in walking distance who has young kids or is happy to participate in tnt. We usually get a few trick or treaters too. Always unknown.

I'm slightly worried now. Is it rude to go to people you don't know? Is it unsafe? I think it's very low risk considering we don't enter any houses and most sweets are wrapped (and most people are nice and peaceful) but am I missing something?

Normally we go with friends in their area in a fairly large group but this year it will probably be just me and my two young kids.

Teaching children that it’s ok to go knocking on doors at night is frankly unbelievable. You have no clue who is behind that door. What’s more, what if an elderly person lives there, who might be frightened?

Everyone on this thread has said it's only decorated houses so if someone is scared they wouldn't decorate.

I take my children trick or treating every year (to decorated houses) and they manage to understand that it's a once a year thing and not to go knocking on doors the rest of the year.

A paedophile could decorate their house. Teaching kids to knock on doors at night is the most ridiculous thing ever.

My DS was thankfully never into Trick or Treating and we never encouraged it ... but always had sweets in for children who knocked. He did ask to go one year when he was 9 but returned home (DH went with him) after 10 minutes saying it was 'boring' . He's long left home now and we barely 'know' any DC, most of our neighbours are retired folk but I leave the light on and happily distribute sweets if any DC come to the door, it's all very good natured and barely goes on later than 7pm.

I rather enjoy the annual Halloween panic as part of the traditional celebrations

Our set of streets is not very Halloween-y - we're one of only a small handful of houses that decorate and we make an effort with lots of decorations and pumpkins, to clearly signal that we're doing Halloween and trick-or-treaters are very welcome. So we certainly welcome any families who knock, yes even total strangers.

If anything, we feel rather deflated if we get only a few visitors... but it's a bit of a vicious cycle because areas with few Halloween houses will get few trick-or-treaters.

The neighbouring estate (less than 5 minutes' walk) is always super-decorated, people put their decorations up at the beginning of October and it's delightful to walk around looking at them. So everybody with young DC walks over there for trick-or-treating.

I’m happy to hand out sweets to trick or treaters I don’t know. I’ve decorated and planned to have them. It’s something for everyone to enjoy and my kids love seeing everyone’s costumes!

A mix of strangers and people we know. As others have said, if the house is decorated/has a pumpkin out then it’s ok to knock. We’re in Scotland though so it’s a bit different as we go guising rather than trick or treating. The kids tell a joke or sing a song and then they get their treat. I’m not sure I’d feel as comfortable threatening strangers…! I know it’s all light hearted but I’m just not keen on the whole idea and I much prefer some of the older traditions. (That said, I’m fine with pumpkins and see no reason to risk my fingers carving a turnip!! 😂)

Does the trick part ever actually happen? If you knocked on someone’s door and they had run out of sweets, what would you do…?

Gawd the crazies have arrived, if any child graduates from an annual tradition to random door knocking on the other 364 days of the year there's something else going on with them that's not due to Halloween

We don't trick or treat as it's not a thing in my country but we have something similar at Easter and DD went all round the estate in the years she did it, plenty of strangers. DS has only gone to people on our street though that we know, as by the time they've finished chatting to him (as he's polite and will always chat back as long as they talk) he's tired and just wants to go home

I have a baby and a dog who I'm getting ready for bed and settling down. I honestly don't want anyone knocking on the door, causing my dog to bark and wake the baby. Some elderly people or people with mobility issues might feel the same. I think that's why it's important to only go to people you know.

They are local strangers unless you are going very far for your trick or treating. I do a sweet audit when we get home and chuck anything that isn't in a wrapper, but only because of how many other unwashed child hands will have been in the buckets. I have a replacement selection at home, so the kids don't feel hard done by.

So you don't decorate then.

Where do you all live that multiple people are coming to undecorated houses?

No. That’s why it’s important to only go to houses that are decorated. Do you actually get people knocking on your door? I never used to decorate when my kids were babies. No one ever knocked…

We don’t decorate, I hate the whole premise of Halloween, yet we always get plenty of knocks at our door.

I'm very sorry for people on this thread who don't want to participate (as is their right) but still get kids knocking. That's not cool. I thought it was fairly universally understood now that you only knock on houses that are decorated.

That being said, just because some families near you are ignorant of the 'rule' (or are playing dumb), doesn't mean you need to be so negative for everyone who does like to participate. It's a big thing in our village, we used to have 100+ kids knock every year, and a lot of houses go all out on decorations.

And as for the fear-mongering... I pity anyone who lives in a neighbourhood where the local paedo is swiping kids from his doorstep. But obviously you have a parent accompanying littleys; then when they're bigger they go in groups and stay together

I don't get why you would teach kids that it's OK to go to a strangers house and accept sweets off them?! It's literally the complete opposite of what we teach our children. Most people are nice but it would be pretty easy for someone who wasn't nice to partake in Halloween and give out something questionable.

Yes. You find the estate that’s well decorated and knock only on those with decorations. Normally tons of kids out and we wait at the end of the drive. Isn’t that the norm?

It would be much better if folk stick to folk they know imho. A decorated house doesn't mean a decent person is behind the door.
As an aside, don't knock on non-decorated doors, because that's clearly a sign that folk don't want visitors.

Far more likely to be the paedophile in the family that is the issue than a stranger. How is my kid in danger at the door of a stranger if I and my, built like a brick, husband plus strapping teens are there too? What’s this paedo going to do? Grab my kid at the door? I think not. Take a photo? Well he’s dressed head to toe as Spider-Man. The stranger is very rarely the danger.

I’m glad you’re not going in a large group. We’ve stopped offering treats for this reason - the smash and grab by a few groups whose parents would stand and watch them clean out the bowl greedily, even though I’d say please just have one or two treats each.

A child is far more likely to be abused by a paedophile already in their life and known to them than they are by a random person whose door they once knocked on while under the direct supervision of their parent(s)

I live somewhere with a Halloween Committee. In fact I’m on the Halloween Committee. Each year we produce free maps of houses to make trick or treat trails, always ending up at the church carpark where they (it’s an American type church) host a trunk or treat, hog roast and cider.
I always hand out hot chocolate (to the grown ups because of the small alcohol content), sweets and chocolates. Usually we have dog biscuits, chocolate lollies, toys for allergen friendly and balloons for babies in prams. Basically we go all out for Halloween where I live.
last year we had over 2K visitors, this year I’m expecting 2.5/3k to knock/ring the doorbell and wait. I’ve even asked my tech hubby to make me an app for next year so I can prepare the hot chocolate ready! Give everyone a time slot to visit and two slow cookers!
PLEASE come to our house on Halloween, I prepare all year for this one day!!

Have you read the thread? Everyone who has said they knock on strangers houses knock on decorated strangers house.

Don't put a pumpkin or any decorations outside and you're grand.

We knock at decorated houses only and our own house is decorated so we're expecting lots of knocks too.

If you don't want anyone knocking then don't decorate and don't out your front lights on, if you still get knocks then just hang a sign on your door saying "sorry, sweet all gone" and no one will knock.

Any decorated houses are fine. Where we used to live, the village PO, shop and pub would decorate and do games (apple-bobbing in the pub garden, and they’d dressed up skeletons having a drink at the bar, which was both sweet and canny, as half the village would then go in with their children after trick or treating), and lots of people went to enormous lengths to decorate, some to the point of making entire walkways through their gardens to the front door, or dressing up — one family dressed up as the Addams family, and another took it in turns to wear a werewolf mask and jump out on older children from a log pile. It was my nicest memory of living there.