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

The idea of driving somewhere to trick or treating is so bizarre to me, unless you're going to a friend's house to do it with them I guess. We go around the streets in our housing estate, all walking distance, usually in a big loop. We don't know all the houses we visit but tbf we do know a fair few as we have a dog so know quite a lot of people on the housing estate as a result. It's a bit weird actually having known someone first 5 years via your dog and then you suddenly see inside their home briefly in a totally different context 😂

My sister takes her children out to all the best streets and by that she means the decorated houses that have gone all out kind of thing....its not all about sweets.

I was trick or treating in the 80s so definitely not a new or American thing (and actually all evidence suggests it started in the UK and we exported it to the US where it took off).

I actually really love that people get involved. We have a great street that mostly takes part and most of the occupants dress up. Friday was brilliant seeing groups of kids and parents in costumes saying "boo" to each other and complimenting the costumes on the street.

I find it brightens to a dull time of year.

I don’t mind teenagers trick or treating. But then, I’ve never had rude ones at my door, nor am I rude to them. I do try to make sure no one takes more than 1 item each. The teenagers are fine with this, I find it’s the smaller kids (understandably- they’re super excited!) who snatch because the adults with them aren’t reminding them to use their manners. I’m all for going out in groups of friends, but the amount of parents we saw who casually strode across roads deep in conversation way ahead of their kids and didn’t check they were following at all was alarming last night.

House decorated = taking part
No decorations = dont knock.
No geographic limits

It's not 'the American trick or treating', as I hope many people here have amply proved. Hallowe'en is not an American invention.

I grew up in Ireland and we always went knocking on doors near and far, though back in the 70s we got apples and nuts for our trouble. We wore home made masks and costumes - i recall designing and making papier mache masks in art in school every year. Late in the evening, neighbours from all over town gathered for a massive bonfire, which local lads had built over the preceeding fortnight, using old lumber, garden clippings, fallen tree branches, etc. Usually someone would have managed to get their hands on some sparklers, which was very exciting for kids who had only seen fireworks on a black and white tv.

This, with bells on.

Absolutely us!! We go all out with decorations and give away 500-990(non half term) full size candy bars every year. Bring it on! Highlight of my year.

I'm in America and decorate inside and out a couple of weeks ahead. We have mini pumpkins and small knobbly gourds in various shades on the mantelpiece and as a table centerpiece, with black candles in the candlesticks, little ceramic ghosts my DCs made in school arranged on bookshelves, and bat cutouts on the windows. Outdoors I have larger pumpkins and orange fairy lights. The squirrels love the pumpkins.

My friend took her two kids a several years ago for a few days to York when Halloween was on.

I remember she took a photo which she sent to.me of the outside of a house in the centre of York
The.house had a bowl.of cheap sweets balanced on a chair outside the front gate of the house with a note saying.

"TAKE ONE AND FUCK OFF".

Sorry have really searched my phone but can't find this photo.

It is not American, it is Irish and Scottish

I think it depends where you live. My parents never let me trick or treat and it made me mad as a kid, but I’ve found myself doing much the same with my own kids. I don’t like it because it feels like begging. Last year, we had so many visitors, I ran out of treats and it cost me a bloody fortune. It’s a shame because I quite like Halloween, but people are so greedy these days. I tend to buy a ludicrous amount of treats and I’ve told my kids they can have whatever is left which is usually a lot more than they would get if they went out. I once went for a meal on Halloween and came back to an egged house because I wasn’t home to give out free sweets. Some people ruin it for everyone else, and I worry about my elderly neighbours feeling coerced into it.

I find it weird thats it’s ok to knock on strangers doors and ask for sweets. But on the other hand the kids make a real effort to dress up and it’s a bit of entertainment.

when I was little at this time of year it was all penny for the guy I really enjoyed that.

We had approx 70 children in the end, all given sweets and crisps. I saw a clip online with a Dad saying they deliberately went to the nice bit of town as people had more money and could afford to give sweets at the door and I thought fair play to him.

I don’t care if people are from my road or not, all the kids were polite, all dressed up. They appreciated the compliments about their outfits. DH scared a few as he was dressed as a werewolf and growled when he answered, made the parents laugh.

Some of us have had bad experiences with a certain type of teenager (completely unrelated to Halloween) and even the idea of groups of teens in hoodies and masks roaming the streets after dark makes us very uncomfortable.

Of course many teenagers are perfectly decent. Those who are need persuading by their parents that going around like this simply isn't socially responsible. And that quite frankly they're too old for this sort of thing anyway.

It’s one night a year where children can dress up and collect sweets. Let them live, and enjoy themselves going wherever they want.

@thisfilmisboring123”if they’re on holiday where are they supposed to go” - well they enjoy their holiday that they are privileged enough to be taken on - get dressed up and let the parents buy sweets - trick or treating isn’t an entitlement or necessity, it’s a neighbourhood and community thing. I don’t open the door unless it’s children with adults I know. For the first time ever in the neighbouring village eggs were thrown at non participating houses - that’s what your entitled attitude leads to.

I get your point as you can't have never ending sweets but you can find apps that you put your house on and off the app like I did and another person who commented. It's a hard one because like someone else said your stuck if you live in a flat you will go to local houses. I usually take my decorations down if I run out of sweets. First time using the map.

We call it guising here 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 and it’s happened for decades .
When my children were younger we lived in a city suburb where quite a few houses were decorated and gave out sweets so we would participate in that , but only our street and the surrounding streets ( so not too far )
Each year we would get lots of sweets 🍬 in plus apples 🍎 and tangerines 🍊 Dog and I spent ages answering the door to children and young teens who had made such an effort with their costumes and had their party piece all rehearsed.
Where we are now lots of houses were decorated, lots of kids enjoying themselves .
I think 🤔 kids come from neighbouring estates too .
I left out a big tub of sweets because current dog goes 🤪 when doorbell rings and when it was gone I just put the lights out

Yes, guising 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 I did try carving a turnip once but pumpkin is a bit easier 😆

I’m 72 and trick or treat was not a thing when I was a kid . I think the etiquette now is that if you want children to knock for a treat then you decorate your front door with stuff , maybe a pumpkin or a skeleton etc . This lets the children know that it’s ok to call at your house.. If the house is bare they know not to knock . I was home alone for a lot of last evening so I put a big bowl of haribo sweets out and a notice on the door for children to help themselves and to not be too greedy. I noticed at 7pm that the bowl was nearly empty so filled it up again. I’m disabled so this worked well for me.

Entitled attitude? Behave yourself.
If your house is decorated, surely you expect people to knock - who’s policing if they’re local kids or not?

Halloween is a neighbourhood and community thing? Says who!

I decorate my house so expect kids to knock. I wouldn’t have a bloody clue if the majority of them were ‘local’ kids or not. I don’t care.

And then when I run out of sweets, I bring the pumpkins in and stop answering the door.

I always go out for a drink on Halloween night. It's not my job to treat your kids.

Some people, not all.

That makes no sense whatsoever.