In my day, trick or treat meant exactly that....

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When I were a youngun, back in medieval London, going trick or treating involved mild levels of hazard. So a lot of people either didn't go, didn't want anything to do with it, or a few stayed in to do the "trick" part. You could choose to knock on a door and say "trick or treat" the householder could a) say "treat!" and offer you candy/chocolate b) say "trick" and throw water/fake blood/an egg at you or c) tell you to clear off/get outta here or I'll call your mum. Sometimes, if the householder chose b) or c) the trick or treaters would opt for "trick" and egg the house or similar annoying as f- behaviour. Perhaps I just grew up in a ghetto. It was the last century as well.

Now, it's lost all the halloweeny danger and is just a bunch of cute kids and often their polite charming parents in outfits expecting sweets. It's rubbish, just another reason for shops to pump out cheap plastic crap before they hit the main Xmas shopping fest. And if I dared to adopt the old school approach and throw a bucket of water or fake blood or slime or real blood at the supposed "trick" or treaters, they'd probably think it was reasonable to call the cops or something. And if they egged anyone's house, all hell would ensue.

So:
YANBU - If you're going to say "trick or treat" expect tricks. Otherwise just state that you're on a freeloading chocolate mission.
YABU - You are Halloween's equivalent of Scrooge. Wind your neck in and get the haribo ready

This was often finished off with a good old session of garden hopping too ha ha

I grew up in Kent, Cumbria and Warwickshire in the 80s and 90s and trick or treating wasn't a thing full-stop. I still find it weird anyone doing it at all round here in any format.

Ah the silly string days...

Times have changed luckily

But yes I remember kids throwing the odd egg here and there

Halloween 🎃 is a huge deal these days especially where I live

I love the laughter and squeals of excited young DC roaming the streets with their costumes and buckets of sweets

I’m 46, when I was a kid way back when, in highlands of Scotland we didn’t ’trick or treat’ we guised, we’d tell a joke sing a song etc to get our treat, our pumpkin was turnip - loved a neepy lantern they smelled amazing that and the smell of back bin liners take me right back to childhood hallowe’ens
my kids guised too, my 14 year old was telling me the joke he used to tell yesterday. Def don’t like the trick part of trick or treat, we only went to people we knew

Jeezo! Grew up in England and there was the very occasional "egging", but never had plants pulled up! As a enthusiastic amateur gardener I'd be so irked I'd probably not do a Halloween again.

I'm 67, grew up in South Yorkshire and it didn't exist for us, either.

At most, you'd attempt to hollow out a turnip/swede, cut a face in it and put a candle inside it. There was absolutely nothing else going on. This was because Bonfire Night - only 5 days later - was 'the thing'.

Yes, Bonfire Night was huge. Every school and sports club and other organisations had bonfires and fireworks. And plenty of private houses.

You hardly even get the big council ones now. It's rubbish. I'd love to see it have a resurgence and send Halloween packing.

We lived in a terraced house with a sort of shared garden for 4 houses - my brother, his mates and I collected wood for several weekends prior and had a collective bonfire in the garden. It was those small boxes of fireworks (the massive ones weren't sold to the public) and my dad would set them off. Neighbours brought homemade toffee, Yorkshire parkin and we baked spuds in the embers of the fire.

It was brilliant.

Back in the 1980s, I remember having a conversation with a woman I worked with in the US. She was in her late sixties and she described what she did as a child in the 1920s on Halloween. The children used to make treats, usually cookies, and also would learn songs or little dances.

On Halloween night, they would dress up and go door to door around their neighbours. When someone opened the door, the children would offer "trick or treat". If the person said "trick" the children would perform their prepared song or dance, if they said "treat" the children would give them a cookie.
Most households also had a stash of candy and would give some to the children.

Just back from trick or treating - in Scotland in DD and her friends all told a joke / danced/ sang a song before getting a treat

Yes i remember this but didn't understand it as fun, i was genuinely terrified every year. If felt like i was being bullied. So i much prefer the modern version where you don't even have to take part and don't have to pretend you're not in anymore. However, if someone explained to me that it was just for fun and there's no real ill intention, i might have enjoyed it??! I'm not sure to be honest. I just know i actually find it fun now with my kids.

Ah yes, West Yorkshire here. Turnip lanterns that took all day to 'carve' 3 holes in, whilst risking slashing your own wrists with the stanley knife.

No trick or treating. Just good old Mischief Night. Black treacle under door handles and garden gates removed and hidden around the village for the owners to find the next day.

We went to neighbours that mum had called beforehand to make sure they were ok with it. The trick was always a small water pistol. Next door were the only ones that ever said trick, but they were also the best as they gave us 10p afterwards.

No one says trick any more, so the element of surprise is gone. One house last year wrapped up the gift, so the kids didn't know if they were getting a sweet or a potato.

Yes to the lethal drudgery with the turnip!

I never said ‘trick or treat’ thats an American term. We went Guising we’d knock doors and ask ‘anything for Halloween’ then we had to tell a joke to get some sweets.

Yes, there used to be tricks.

Now people just say “happy Halloween” and expect sweets rather than trick or treating.

Oh yes the turnip lanterns - my Dad chiselled out the middle with a woodwork tool ( like a very very sharp scoop ) then the candle went in and a bit of string poked through holes
It smelled burned turnip-ey then after a few days looked like a wizened little old witches face '
It was innocent - a joke or song.
No scarey clowns or zombies

I was always told to ask do you want any guisers? Then if they said yes you’d do your party piece. No one was ever rude or egged anyone.