To ask if anyone’s had carol singers this year ?

[Jumell]

And if so, how many ?

in 1982 a group of us went carol singing and raised some money for the children’s ward at the local hospital. Just before Xmas, a few of us in the group actually visited the ward to give them the money we’d raised.

it seems like a different era now

.SIGHHHHHH

Oh my !!

I'm 40 years old and have lived in a number of homes in different parts of the country, and have never had carol singers come round.

I occasionally see little choirs in shopping centres/train stations etc, but that's it.

I've never had carol singers round since I was a child in the 80s.

Not since the 80's.

It's a good job they don't they don't exist anymore, seeing as mumsnetters don't answer the door anyway..

@MereDintofPandiculation seem to remember a 50p being put into the slot on the collection box. 1970 would make me a teenager which would seem reasonable to be out at night - elder brother was also there but he'd probably have let me be run over or kidnapped😂

One of our local Scout Groups still go every year, round the streets near their meeting place.
This is a big City, not a rural village.

We very occasionally get them, and this week the local church are doing carols on our village green, which people can join in with. I do like a carol service and Christmas carols, despite not being religious. Reminds me of my childhood I think, and my grandma and grandad, who we spent a lot of time with as kids.

Inflation calculator says 50p then was about £6.50 now.

It's pretty traditional to give coins.

Your Dd is lucky, what a nice place to live!

Doesn't mean her & few friends couldn't do it. With a couple of adults either joining in or following them. They'd need to learn some actual carols though!!

I've got this really weird thing where being sung at or being in the vicinity of singing makes me die a thousand deaths of embarrassment. If I, caught off guard, answered the door to a group of carollers I would want to dissolve on the spot. I'm glad the tradition seems to have died out 😂

You would just close the door until they’d finished.

I wouldn't, I'd awkwardly endure it so as not to appear rude but hate every second.

I must have grown up in a less mercenary area!

What I’m not understanding is the money thing. When I was young, we didn’t get paid

No-one is "getting paid".
I've been carol singing since the 70s and we've always collected / raised funds for various charities.

We did village carols when I was young. It was just that, no collecting, no money, just festive cheer, usually with mince pies and hot choc to finish at one of a couple of houses.

I’ve only seen collections when at malls, high streets etc .

Interestingly I noted there is an old MN thread on how to respond to Carol singers and relatively few felt money needed to be involved.

I had a small group of carol singers knock on my door last night for the first time ever in our current house (nearly 20 years).
They were accompanied by a very friendly, charming man with 2 teenage girls and were collecting for charity.
Turned out he was the new vicar: we never saw the old one.

wow that’s lovely ! 😊

clearly you don't understand the word. That's understandable as it's commonly misused.

mercenary - primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics

Giving coins for charity? Definitely not mercenary.

even the people keeping the coins themselves, aren't mercenary unless they pretend it's for a charity, that would be unethical.