To think that trick or treating should be confined to your own street or friends/family

[Moonnstars]

Showing my age here, but I remember when I was younger firstly trick or treating wasn't really a thing, but even when it started to become popular it was only your friends and family you called in on. I remember visiting my grandparents and their neighbours (who had been prepared so had sweets in) and then doing the same with my friends family.
Now it seems that people are asking where is the best street to visit, and I even saw today on social media someone saying they are on holiday in the area and where is best to go, happy to drive around to find the best places!

I have my own children who will be out, but we stick to our own street. I also have sweets in to give out, but am I being unreasonable in thinking I shouldn't have to have enough in to supply people coming over from different places and that it should just be people you know or at least living in the same street you hand stuff out to.

Also I do acknowledge some people go all out and advertise their address and want people to visit - however these are often for charity and as for a donation.

YABU - stop being so tight and buy more sweets

YANBU - it is getting out of hand, people should only go to people they know/stay local

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. For me it’s an etiquette thing, of the 100 callers in the first hour at least half didn’t even say thank you! If I brought my child to an estate to trick or treat on the basis that the houses give out the best treats they would at the very least be told to say thank you! And I certainly wouldn’t let them bang relentlessly on doors and ring the bell again and again when all the lights are off and the pumpkins are in. A lot of the issues raised relate mostly to poor parenting and a sense of entitlement.

I’m on a new build estate. I like the children calling. We have a decorations/pumpkin out please knock approach. Have just put ours up.

Going back at least 200 years in Scotland, guising often included going to houses of people who had the better quality of goods. Also not new.

No. Why? I mean I don't even know how many children live in my street. Some of the ones that do will come round, but then god knows where the rest of them are from.

I'm not exactly going to start discriminating on postcode or ask for their address.

For me it's whoever knocks in costume and looks under 18, they'll get a treat.

Ah fuck it, as usual historical ignorance rules on Mumsnet.

Really? You never heard of Halloween as a child, what age are you? I'm in my 50s and it was definitely a thing. My parens also celebrated Halloween when they were children and schools used to have parties, discos and crafts relating to Halloween.

The rule is put out decorations / pumpkins and people knock. If none then no one will bother you. When your out of sweets put a sign up if you don't want any more knockers. I live I working class area,loads of kids go trick or treating with parents. My son sees lots of school friends. They love it. Get the odd teen but they are fine too. Never had any trouble. I suppose we probably don't get many 'outsiders' as no one would be holidaying here but I wouldn't mind, kids are having fun that's the main thing. I think your being a grinch.

When we were small we would just go to neighbours houses with our parents, as we got older we would go off with friends knocking on doors in our (big) village. Some people would have notes on their door saying “no trick or treaters” but we tended to only knock on doors that had pumpkins or decorations outside.
We don’t get anyone knock on our door, our road only has a couple children on it. I kind of feel sad now mine are older so we don’t really get the full Halloween experience.

What time is deemed acceptable to start begging? We don't want to go too early, but also don't want to miss out on one of the 20 bags of Haribo.

We used to a live on a very family friendly estate that really went to town at Halloween with decorations etc & was lovely for the kids. It became well known locally as the place to go. It wasn’t long before the estate was gridlocked with cars, big groups of demanding teenagers were banging on doors & residents were getting abuse for running out of sweets. It really spoiled it for the kids who actually lived on the estate.

Well me and my husband have empty nest syndrome as our kids are out at parties tonight so you can call by whenever.

We live just outside a small village with a prodiminently elderly /retired population.
No trick or treating nearby so
when DC were young I used to go with friends to a new housing development in next village that went all out with Halloween decorations, some even collected for charity.
Was a lovely atmosphere and everyone had a good time, respected only knock if pumpkin is out and when people ran out of sweets they left a note on door and people didn't knock.
Generally I agree it's best to stick to your own immediate area but if for whatever reason that isn't an option then I think it fine to go somewhere that goes all out embraces halloween as long as you are polite and respectful.

But you were also expected to tell a joke or a poem and earn the treat (in return of your trick), rather than just grab it and move on as quickly as possible.

They still do penny for the guy up in Leeds, if helps? :-)

It’s the best part of living in a community for me, seeing all the kids dressed up and having fun. The excitement of being out in the dark (my kids are still quite small,) seeing all the brilliant decorations and meeting loads more neighbours we wouldn’t normally see. It feels like a proper group effort, if people don’t want to join in, thats their prerogative, but it does feel a tad joyless. We take pumpkins in about 8pm as most of the kids are done by then so we’re not up and down ALL night.

Because it's not nice just being a taker.

Trick or treating (or “guising” as it’s called in Scotland) has been a thing for over 500 years

I hate everything about it. For a start, you’re basically teaching children to threaten people into giving them sweets. Then you’re saying it’s okay to knock on a stranger’s door, whereas haven’t we been teaching them to stay away from strangers?

The whole idea of taking sweets from strangers, or at least people you don’t know especially well, is madness.

Then you have the vulnerable, older householders, who may be scared of opening their door.

On our road, we have gangs of teenagers roaming around all evening knocking on doors. This is fine though because we taught them that trick or treating on Halloween is completely fine.

When did trick or treating first become a thing in the UK?

At its inception.

Decorations out, knock on, if not don’t. If you don’t want people knocking take them down. If you run out of sweets take them down. It really is simple!

But the people who like to participate have decorations up. If you don’t want to partake don’t put them up and don’t answer the door.

Some of these replies have pinned down why I think the timing thing is an issue.

People are getting earlier and earlier not because they have toddlers who would find a more traditional time too late, but deliberately to “clean up” on all the good sweets from an area.

I don’t let kids put their own hands into the tub though - not for hygiene reasons as they’re all wrapped sweets but to stop people taking huge handfuls.

No decorations are going out here til gone 5, as any earlier is not on in my book.

What sort of infrastructure do you need to support Trick and Treating 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

If you’re happy with Halloween, have a pumpkin out, buy sweets. That’s it. Theres no need for any infrastructure to enjoy a soecific day with children.
And I say that as someone who doesn’t like Trick and Treat (but always have a bag of sweets just in case).

It has nothing to do with outsiders/incomers or whatever. Apart maybe being narrow minded 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️