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AIBU?

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Original poster

To put a sign on my door to carol singers saying

31 replies

BitOfFun · 06/12/2009 20:26

"Unless you bother to learn the words to a proper Christmas carol like Good King Wenceleslas or similar and perform it competently in four-part harmonies, I am not opening the door and giving you any sodding money"?

I have already had two groups of kids essentially begging at my door with a weak two lines of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". If you give them any dosh they shut up immediately and move onto the next sucker- you don't even get a full song. Probably because they don't know any.

It was only last month we had urchins round demanding "Money for the Guy" (note: money, not penny- times change), AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A SODDING GUY!

Does this piss anyone else off?

OP posts:
Saltire · 06/12/2009 20:32

Last year we had some teenage girls round singing - yep you guessed it "we wish you a merry christmas". Except I didn't know they had been at the door as I was upstairs and DS2 stood and listened to them then shut the door in their face.
Then we got another group and when I said to them "can you sing Oh come all ye faithful?" and they said no, we are only singing this one (yep you guessed it) cos we want some money"

Rantagonist · 06/12/2009 20:35

Awww at least they're having a go better they come to the door and try and have a sing than distract you and nick off with your purse and all your credit cards.

Tis the season and all that!

AMerryScot · 06/12/2009 20:45

I feel the same way.

rasputin · 06/12/2009 20:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nannynobnobs · 06/12/2009 20:50

We never get carol singers. Not since I was a little kid and that was rare then too. It's like trick or treating- you have to either make an effort or make 'em laugh.

Original poster
BitOfFun · 06/12/2009 20:54

I hate standing on the doorstep in the cold too. Does anybody on here let their kids out to do this?

OP posts:
MissGreatBritain · 06/12/2009 20:54

I don't think I could stand a whole verse of a serious carol, while having to stand and smile politely at them. I know I'd laugh [childish emoticon]

nymphadora · 06/12/2009 20:57

I get dd2 to request songs from them. They dont seem to be able to say no to her

alwayslookingforanswers · 06/12/2009 20:58

I don't mind if it's not a proper carol - but I do expect the whole song at the very least.

hanaflower · 06/12/2009 21:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

monkeyfeathers · 06/12/2009 21:21

We had two teenage boys at our door on Friday night. I refuse to give money to kids turning up on my doorstep looking for cider/fag money.

I won't give money unless it's a proper, organised group of singers collecting money for charity. I don't really mind if they're fairly talentless, they just have to have gone to a proper effort for a good cause.

alwayslookingforanswers · 06/12/2009 21:24

hana - we used to do that at school. Spent HOURS pracitsing stacks of proper carols and used to go round the bars/hotel bars around Princes Street area in Edinburgh. Used to raise 4 figure sums over the course of 3 or 4 nights from drunken business men having an after work drink in posh bars

Original poster
BitOfFun · 06/12/2009 21:25

That sounds like the right way to do it, hanaflower.

OP posts:
pigletmania · 06/12/2009 21:30

YANBU thats begging i would tell them to sod off

sweetnitanitro · 06/12/2009 21:32

I had some teenage boys come round one year (guess what they were singing...) and I gave them homemade mince pies instead of money. They didn't come back the next year, my mince pies must have been crap

Original poster
BitOfFun · 06/12/2009 21:37
Grin
OP posts:
hohohonotlongtogo · 06/12/2009 21:39

i dont mind trick or treat as its sweeties given out but i would never give money out at my doorstep no matter how good they were unless of course it is for a charity but they'd have to prove it first

golgi · 06/12/2009 21:43

We had this a lot where we used to live - including one girl on her own who only looked about 9 or 10 - after I'd shut the door I thought "does your mum know where you are?"

KurriKurri · 06/12/2009 22:07

A friend of mine answered the door to a couple of teenage girls last year, they slouched on the doorstep and 'sang' the first line of 'we wish you a merry Christmas' , then stuck out their hands for money.

My friend said 'you've not sung a proper song', so they looked him up and down with total contempt and said 'awww go on you fucker.'

That's how we do carol singing in Norfolk

alwayslookingforanswers · 06/12/2009 22:09

PMSL Kurri

mollyroger · 06/12/2009 22:10

I really, REALLY want to go carol singing, with lots of people and lanterns and proper harmonies and everything., Any takers?

poinsettydawg · 06/12/2009 22:13

we don't get carol singers round here. Not yet anyway.

How many groups of em do you people get?

ginnybag · 07/12/2009 16:53

mollyroger - me too...

It's something I really loved but I haven't been for years. I can sing though (sort of) and I know the words to most of the carols through repeated choir practice when I was little....

Agree, though, that two lines of anything in cheap santa hats gets nowhere with me. In fact, I've been known to start impromptu 'classes' on real carols with the kids who try this.

Different ones every year... wonder why..?

Lilymaid · 07/12/2009 17:03

I expect harmonies and descants.
If they don't provide these, I will start singing through Carols for Choirs books 1,2, 3 etc until they go away.

GrimmaTheNome · 07/12/2009 17:19

We never get any carollers here. I guess theres no organization bothering to do it for charity and the local kids are too nice to scrounge for themselves. Pity really - I used to enjoy the carolling organized by a teacher(oddly, the only one back in those days who was a declared atheist), ending up with mince pies etc at his house.

And the Sunday School used to go round the old folks home (lots, as we were on the Costa Geriatrica). DDs school does send its yr 6s to one, which is good.