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.

Trick or treating isn't the only way to have fun. 🫣

Well, going to stranger's houses is fine by me - so long as they are decorated for the occasion. It'd be very boring if we only got the neighbour's kids - they've all grown up.

We go to decorated houses only and I go to the door with them. They also don't eat any sweets until we are back and I do check them before they can eat them.

I'd close the door . Take a sweet if you don't want that then try somewhere else.

You shouldn't teach your children to fear strangers. A healthy respect of what could happen for sure, but danger to children is more likely to come from their family or "trusted" friends.

But you do you.

IME handing out a few goodies once a year, having indicated (by decorating with pumpkins) to a few kids builds community.

And of course children should be accompanied by a responsible adult and only go to decorated houses.

I give all the adults a zombie eyeball to eat (fruit) and now some will ask if I have any left. It's fun

Check for what?

Sorry for asking here, but do you generally just go to the door and the owner hands over a sweet? This is what we had been planning to do, but when speaking to my mum she thinks we should take people into our house to “do a turn” (we’re in Scotland).

What’s the norm? I don’t want to seem anti social!

In my experience, what happens is that the supervising adult stands back a slight distance and directs the dressed-up mini-vampire/witch/IronMan to knock/ring the doorbell of the decorated house with the lit-up pumpkin.
The resident opens the door.
The mini-vampire/witch/IronMan shouts (or mumbles, if shy) "Trick or treat!" and the resident exclaims "Ooh don't you look scary!" whilst holding out a bowl containing wrapped sweets/chocolates.
The mini-vampire/witch/IronMan takes a sweet or two, sometimes with the supervising adult in the background reminding them "Only take one! Remember to say Thank You!"
The mini-vampire/witch/IronMan (ideally) says Thank You and leaves with their supervising adult.
The resident closes the door.

Nobody will know whether the mini-vampire/witch/IronMan's house has itself been decorated for Halloween and so they won't know whether you are taking a turn.

Sometimes people organise a small posse of mini-vampires/witches/IronMen from several families under the supervision of one adult, leaving spare adults at their various decorated houses with the lit-up pumpkins to be the resident with the bowl of sweets there. Or, if you yourself have a spare adult, you can leave that one at home for the same function.