So anxious about tonight (Halloween)

[KathrynKampbell]

I really struggle with people knocking on the door anytime if not expecting someone one so tonight is going to be hell if we get trick or treaters. It gives me a full blown anxiety thing and if I'm in the middle of doing something it sets off my OCD too. I'm dreading it. Ugh.

Does anyone else feel like this?

I'm bumping this for you, in the hope that someone with knowledge of anxiety/ OCD can help. Otherwise here's my suggestions. Please feel free to ignore it.

You've got two options for tonight: either embrace the evening or ignore it completely.

1 stand near the front door or window looking out into the street with a large bowl of sweets/ apples looking out for callers, with a large pumpkin outside and put outside lights on.

Don't do anything else, that way you can't be interrupted. Hopefully it would relieve the anxiety by being prepared for what could happen.

2 shut off all lights and have an early night, watch tv or listen to music in your bedroom, so you can't hear the door being knocked, and get any other family members to shut off any lights that are visible from the street.

Hopefully if you have no pumpkins outside and no lights on, the trick or treaters will keep away.

When we lived in a flat we never answered the door. I am still tempted to ignore door to door salespeople, but find they peer through the window when they can hear the DC or see that CBeebies is on.

I feel similar, yes

I tend not to answer but we get few callers anyway as our door is sort of hidden, which helps.

Used to get teenagers we didn't even know, asking for money - that was at the old house. I told them to go away. (nicely)

Don't have any lights visible, and put a sign up saying 'children in bed by 6pm, please do not knock, thankyou' and maybe a bowl with some sweets on the step.

My children are only permitted to knock on people's doors that we KNOW and also have a pumpkin...which means about one house...!

Last year their friends' dad took them, as a last minute thing, with his children, when I was too ill to do anything and I was mortified when I found out they had knocked on ALL the doors all the way up our street (not his, ours) and then he kept all the fecking sweets for his children anyway.

arsehole. So now all my lovely neighbours think I sanctioned that.

Thank you for the ideas! :) I think I'm going todo my best to hide, lights off downstairs etc to make the house look less inviting. I never answer the door anyway since a dodgy "salesman" that tried to talk his way into the house frightened me, it's just the waiting knowing someone will knock at some point. I did consider putting a bowl of sweets outside but next doors little boy would get too tempted I think haha! I did wonder about the sign but I'm nervous of teenagers who would read it and then egg the house :(

How about a note saying "no trick or treat callers please" attached to your front door?

Similar here, my five and ten year old want to go out, I will go with them.

I hide behind hedges etc while they knock on doors ( people we know, from school etc)

Fingers crossed that takes so long, no one will knock at ours!

I'm putting this - www.thamesvalley.police.uk/halloween-poster-1.pdf - in my window. It worked last year. Police do step up patrols on Hallowe'en so do ring them if you're worried.

Tesco had a poster at the checkout, my library did. If too late download a police one. It is perfectly friendly and says 'Happy Halloween but no trick or treaters thank you'. I have it up now in readiness.
'

Oooh if I had a printer I would have put one of those up. We've only had one so far who knocked but they knocked three times before they left. I know it's just children but I wish adults would go with them and/or teach them only to knock once argh.