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

Don’t take part then OP… our area is very popular because it has a few schools and loads of children and I don’t begrudge friends from other areas trick or treating with their friends who live around here.
Most kids DO stick around their neighbourhood, or perhaps go to a friends neighbourhood if their own is full of older people with their lights off!

I’ve never known anybody only trick or treat at family/friends. We trick or treat to most houses by us, lots of them are student houses and they love giving the kids sweets!. I think it’s lovely.

We call it guising in Scotland and we were doing it when I was a child. Don't know if it happened in England then? I don't bother now as my DC are adults but always insisted on some entertainment in return for sweets (3 teenagers in normal clothes and one Scream mask and no jokes were only offered naff lollies)

Its really cool actually. I was lucky enough to see tge Halloween parade in NYC. ( feet schedule like hell afterwards) and fantastic decorations everywhere

The commercialisation,plastic tat and expensive costumes are USA influences. Even in 80’s and early 90’s Halloween was generally more low key.

I guess if they are lucky enough to have been taken on holiday then I feel that their parents should be giving them sweets or whatever.

I don't think it's about the sweets. Have you seen how cheap haribos are? I'm sure they get plenty of sweets! I can't imagine kids being too excited about yet another tube of love hearts or swizzles.
It's about the excitement of knocking and people making a fuss of them.
It's about being out and about when they normally wouldn't be and the festive atmosphere of passing other people in the street.

For the teenagers, they wonder each year if they might be too old and it's about doing something that's part of childhood one last time. I love making a fuss of the awkward teenagers, they're my favourites.

There’s threads about this every year. With posters suggesting special phrases or hand gestures to identify ‘local’ children
Either give out sweets or don’t. It’s simply not that difficult

In my little town the kids only knock the doors of people who have decorations up/pumpkins outside or who have added their address to a little map. I think it’s a good way of doing things.

But I think Halloween is getting out of hand, there were pumpkins in the shops on 1st October, bet they’re all rotten now! Although a house up my road has already got a light up “Merry Christmas” sign in the window and a dressed Christmas tree in the living room, so I guess people just want to enjoy things for as long as possible

I think it would be really said if it was relatives, friends and neighbours only. We have no trick or treating age kids in my friends group, relatives or neighbours but I have decorated the house and got sweets in ready for trick or treaters (I hope we get some this is our first year in this house). It's a fun friendly community thing to do.

This thread is like a microcosm of a national issue right now. Incomers! Horrifying!

Oh wow! It's going on the list! Didn't even think of a parade, it looks so much fun. Puts us to shame over here 🙈

I don’t get the misery of some people. They want rules and limits on anything remotely fun - like seeing kids have fun is something we should take care doesn’t happen too often.

I have sweets - I give them out until they’re finished to whoever knocks, whether it’s a parent with a baby in a pumpkin inside to a teen with a bin liner cloak.

It was actually more of a 'thing' when I was a kid than it is now. You always went door to door and got sweets and there were usually pumpkins or swedes at the doors - there are more decorations now but that's just an extension of the pumpkins I'd say. Anyway when I was younger you had to do your turn to get a sweet, you couldn't just turn up at a door and not do your joke. There were also always houses where adults were dressed up and you were invited in to dook for apples etc.

Don't be greedy - stick to your own street if you can or if going with relatives or friends then their street. One adult stays behind to answer door while other brings kids around.

No decorations up then don't knock. No dress up no knocking especially teenagers - a mask between 5 of you ain't going to cut it - but of course they are always kind exceptions to all of this.

I think a bit of both. I live in a village and like too see the village kids doing it, not that I know any of them. And I have decorated and had sweets most years.

But I know people drive in from other areas because we have a good community. And last year I actually got sick of it after about fifty knocks. So I'm not doing it this year.

I'd rather teenagers sharing a mask came round for a sweet than the things I got up to at Halloween as a teenager thats for sure😂

@Chesticles we have exactly this situation in our village. It was so much fun and most of the houses got involved. The local paper would give a prize for the best house but people cottoned on from neighbouring towns and it all got a bit out of hand. We got through 300 small packets of sweets last year in under an hour 😳We had collection buckets for a local children's hospice and someone set up a just giving page but barely any donations. Happy to wander round looking at all the fabulous displays and take the sweets that the residents were happy to pay for out of their pockets though. Cars parked over peoples drives or in ridiculous places. If you were trying to get home from work at 5.30/6 it was chaos ! Lots of people have said they aren't bothering this year ....... I know there will be moans on social media tomorrow about how disappointing trick or treating was in Lakeyloos village this year.
Hopefully it will fizzle out and we can keep it low key in future. Shame as it's lovely seeing the children all dressed up. The little ones were so cute but the groups of older children without adult supervision were a bit grabby and rude.
I won't even start about the empty sweet wrappers and rubbish all over the place the next morning.

We walk to a nearby housing estate that’s always busy and a lot of people decorate. No-one on our street takes part so we go elsewhere. I don’t really see the issue!

🤣😬

How do you propose this rule would be enforced? Would you ask for a council tax bill as evidence of address?

@Cherryicecreamx- it's really a lot of fun before a long cold winter. The whole neighborhood will be out. The local police & fire trucks will show up. Some houses will have BBQ & hot drinks (something special for the grow ups!) It brings the community together and God knows we need it right now.

Is it though?
Photos on social media are all about look how much my kids collected.
Even my own kids want to go out so they get more sweets even though I have said we can just get some to have at home. I don't think many children would say they just want to go and view the decorations, and I expect if there wasn't the knocking on the house to get something then they wouldn't want to do it.

No but I don’t think it should be able to start during working hours!

5 pm absolute earliest but ideally not to start until about 6.

Or perhaps just a different attitude.
Not everyone wants kids in horrible costumes knocking on their door.
I love children and am certainly not ‘utterly miserable’ but I think Halloween is vile. Just because it’s a ‘big thing in America’ is probably a good reason to limit it here.

Follow the pumpkin rule and everything’s grand. I took my kids out and then in recent years we’ve dished out the treats. This year we have an elderly relative staying and she will not manage the confusion of the door keep knocking so we’re giving it a miss. No biggie.