Halloween - Is it just me or does anyone else object to trick or treating?

[Stripymouse]

I must admit that while I know halloween parties can be great fun (and have held/been to a few corkers over the years) I loathe Halloween. Every year that night comes round and I know what will happen. Early on you get a few cute younger children all excited and dressed up with parent in tow eager to collect a sweet or two. Then, after a gap of an hour or so you start to get big groups of teenagers in no costume other than horrific mask shouting and banging on the door demanding "cash or food". Ignore them and you get your home attacked, open the door and you get nothing but arrogance or cheek. Last year one group of boys were not impressed that I refused to give out money and only had a few fun bars left in the bag so floured and egged our car anyway. No point phoning police as they are being inundated with people phoning with much worse. Stupid thing is that we live in a lovely quiet village! I really feel for my elderly neighbours who are terrified so go to bed early, don?t sleep a wink and rush down in the morning to worry over any damage or clearing up that needs doing.
Why do we all allow kids to do this? I won?t allow my girls to go trick or treating as I believe it amounts to nothing more than blackmail and extortion and causes real misery. Am I alone in this or am I a "party pooper" and should "lighten up" about the whole thing as my sister suggests?

I'll never forget when I was little, they put dry peas through my 95 year old Grandpa's letter box. He had no idea what it was all about. Can you imagine how dangerous and confusing that was for a lovely kind old man.

I loved Halloween in America. As a kiddie, I went trick or treating until I was about 9 or 10 and as an adult, we had the cutest kids come to the door. I wouldn't send the boys out trick or treating in the UK or in Switzerland, though. It's not the norm, or at least isn't/wasn't where I live(d). My eldest can't do it any, due to food allergies.

I'm really just using this space to say that I had the nicest neighbours (childless) in Chicago. When he was little, my son couldn't eat much Halloweeny type candy (milk, peanut and soya allergy). My neighbours got together and asked me if I would tell them which candies he could have, then he could dress up and go to their houses and get his treats. It worked beautifully and I still love them for that. Not just because it was Halloween, but they were so great about making sure he felt like he fit in with things (that's the best example, there are others).

Sorry for getting all sentimental!

Sorry for the typos and horrible grammar. Moving soon and seriously emotional atm! Yes, get a grip, I know, I know...

Having not read all the threads, please forgive me if what I say has been said before. I grew up in Edinburgh and up in Scotland we used to go guising at Halloween. Similar to trick or treat but no trick.

You would get dressed up, and perform a vignette (?) on people's doorsteps for fruit or sweets (very rarely money). We used to hollow out turnips or swedes are they are called down here, as lanterns. Only went to families we knew. I think as long as the adults know the children there is no harm in it at all.

I agree deegward I think there is not harm in Halloween if it is carried out in good intentions with the focus on fun, sharing and tradition rather than just a money making scheme or an excuse for anti social behaviour. As ytou said Halloween shoudl be about the treats not the tricks.

Just to echo Deegward. Our Scottish Hallowe'ens were totally different to the ones I've experienced down south for the last 5 years.

Dressing up as a witch was just not on - that was really unoriginal. There was real effort put into home made costumes. And you got nothing unless you performed some kind of song/poem/told jokes etc. so the run up to Hallowe'en was all about "what are you going as?" and "what are you doing?"

Guising! I knew I'd spelt it wrongly . To be honest lots of people do go in scary costumes now, at least in Edinburgh, but not all by any means. My dd doesn't because she's worried that she might scare younger children, bless her.

wow - what a response to this thread. It is such a shame that so many of us have had halloween ruined by so many yobs. I still see trick or treating as a form of blackmail and extortion and will not allow my kids to do it, but can see how it would be a fun and harmless activity if done under correct supervision and only visiting homes of family and friends who you know are prepared for it.
Don?t think America has anything to feel bad about - it should have been a pleasant and fun tradition to adopt (and has been for many). Just unfortunate for some parts of the country where dodgy/non existent parental supervision and yob like teenagers seem to take over for the night. I feel like heading up one large pain in the bum campaign to get those scream masks with the blood pump banned. If someone came to our front door with one of those on and my DD saw it again, she would have nightmares for weeks. Going to keep her well away from the door if/when it rings on Halloween.

I also love the Simpsons halloween episodes

i love halloween or any kind of occasion but i WILL NOT open the door to trick or treaters. its like people have said...i would be happy enough to hand out sweets but these days they want cash and there is no way im doing that. when i was little my friend's dad would take us trick or treating just around the estate and our trick would usually be a rubber pencil....not a firework through the letterbox. it also struck me a few years back when living at our old house that when this gang of kids came round...(not even bothering to dress up properly...all had masks and maybe a bin bag or two round them) they were probably the same gang of little sods that had catapulted our windows through from the railway tracks several times that year. we do have pumpkins on our porch though and usually we gain an extra one each year when the neighbours buy extra ones...not that im competative

I'm another one who used to go guising. We spent the whole of October making our costumes and working on a song or routine that we would do. We would go round the neighbours doors and soemtimes we would venture down the main road alone, would never let my kids do that now, but only went to houses that had their lights on. If nobody answered we left. WE never played tricks that wasn't what you did. We used to be given sweets, fruit and sometimes coppers or 10p pieces if we were really lucky.

I love Halloween it's my favourinte holiday. I decorate the house we have a pumpkin all carved out, much easier than the turnip that we used to get when I was little and we always have a little party and dd1 dresses up, this year dd2 will have a tiny costume as well. WE do seem to be getting more guisers coming round more than we used to but they are always accompanied by adults. If anyone rings the bell after about 8pm we don't answer the door.

I was in the states one year over Halloween and we went to a shopping mall where they were having a fancy dress competition. The one thing I remember so clearly was a mum, dad and daughter all dressed up as Hawaiian Barbies and Ken complete with boxes! It was so cool.

It's a shame that so many of you have experienced tricks that's not something I've ever heard of where I stay.

I'm another Scot who grew up with the guising tradition. Strangely what I remember most about it is getting lots and lots of monkey nuts! The whole family spent the whole of November chomping away on them - did anyone else get these????

Soapbox - I remember getting loads and loads of monkey nuts too! This would have been over 30 years ago - so we can't blame the Americans!

I agree with all the Scots who have said that we had our own tradition of "guising", which has now merged with the "trick or treat". But everyone who comes around has to do thier "piece" befroe they get anything.

Monkey nuts and tangerines!

Nikkim, I'm doing a similiar party for DS this year. It's going to be a tea at 3 on Halloween and I'm doing 'spooky' food - fairy cakes with spider web icing, meringue ghosts, mummy toes (cocktail sausages with a bit of pastry wrapped around them), etc - and playing some games then the kids can go trick or treating before it gets very dark and can go to houses where we know people are expecting them. DS is 2 and this will be his firt year trick or treating. He's got his Spiderman costume and pumpkin bucket already and we're all really looking forward to it.

I like your idea about 'bobbing' for marshmallows. Might have to copy that one!

I should clarify that the parents will be taking their kids trick or treating. Wouldn't dream of sending kids out on their own.

I used to guising when I was a kid in Glasgow - homemade costume and a song or poem to earn your monkeynuts. We only chapped at doors we knew though, no bothering strangers.
I live down south now and last year I answered the door until seven - lots of little kids with their mums, very sweet. Local teens just throw eggs at your windows round here. Yobbish behaviour just takes all the fun out of it, spoils it for everyone.

like others said, I don't mind little children TorT but ab teenager who rings my bell at 9pm at night is adefinite NONONO, also last year I was giving dd a bath and could't go to the door, and the answer was...eggs on my car.
This year I'm actually due on Halloween and if baby has arrived already I will put a massive sign out banning bell ringign as I won't be in the spirit, that's for sure!!

What are monkey nuts?????

Last year we had a block party and we'll be doing the same this year (except we'll be able to start earlier in the day because it's a weekend).

We live near the end of the road, which is a cul-de-sac that loops round. Last year all the little kids had a parade around the loop in their costumes. It was so cute. Then we ordered pizza and tried to persuade the kids to eat some real food, and then everyone went trick or treating. Because there's only me I left a big bucket full of candy outside our door while I took my two t-or-t-ing. Everyone else left one adult at home to hand out the treats while the other parent went with the kids. After that we all hung out. The kids went crazy with the candy of course, and the grown ups settled for beer/wine. It was so much fun.

One great thing about Americans is that they're not as cynical as we tend to be. They can enjoy something like this without it ending up with vandalism. (Probably because as someone said, by the time they're teenagers they don't want anything more to do with Halloween.) And I know there's a lot of violence etc. in the US, but people here leave their doors unlocked sometimes and their cars unlocked. I forgot to lock my rental car's doors when I was in England and my dad nearly had a fit! So I can completely understand those of you who hate Halloween, but that's really not what it's supposed to be about. It really makes me embarassed to be English when I read some of your stories.

Monkey nuts are peanuts still in their shells.

Like muddasubburbia, I also remember getting fruit - satsumas and apples (and them going all mouldy in the plastic bag as you got so much !)

We've not suffered from the "trick" bit of trick and treat at all - just various local youngsters coming round who have made varying degrees of effort, and usually accompanied by on older brother or sister, or their parents in the distance. I get in plenty of monkey nuts, fruit and mini mars bars/smarties etc - I don't give out money at all.

Maybe the old Scottish tradition of guising is after all shielding us from the worst of what people down south seem to be experiencing.

i dont hate halloween - i hate the having to be all motherly and do something nice with mykids part of it - get my coat on in the cold and tramp up and down the street while they have a whale of a time. i ony give out tangerines - i said this last year - but i swear it works. no teenager is going to come to your door for a tangerine - no sane one anyway. i put a note on the door saying - tangeringes to all trick or treaters - and get the little kids who look in complete dismay at being given fruit not chocolate or money.

it appeals to the evil side in me to see the dishevelled faces of 7 year old once handed a tangerine - and the fake smile from their parents ( if they have any with them) that says "thanks you tight arsed bitch"

ont he other hand i have a 14 year old lad - who when told he cannot go trick and treating with his manky dirty teenage friends hates me for eternity. i understand how teenagers can appear menacing - and maybe if i can get him to tidy his room - i might break the almight law of custardo house and actually allow one of my kids friends in for halloween night. 14 yr old ds can either thank me for ever or stick it.

it sound like i dont like it at all - but it does appeal to the sadistic side which i truly do have

Hate it....and particularly as it seems to start about a week before Halloween where I live.....

For the Scots amongst us, I googled guising and got;

Hallowe'en Traditions in Scotland

In Scotland, Hallowe'en was traditionally associated with witches and bonfires. In the last few hundred years, bonfires have ceased to be part of the celebration of Hallowe'en - they are reserved for "Guy Fawkes" night on 5 November. But other pagan rituals have been perpetuated with traditions such as "dookin' for apples" (removing an apple floating in a basin of water without using your hands, either spearing it with a fork held in your teeth or by biting it). Of course, apples were sacred to the Druids.

Tattie Bogles
Then there are "tattie bogles" (potato scarecrows) or "neep lanterns" (turnip lanterns) made by scooping out a turnip and cutting through the skin to create eyes, nose and mouth. A candle was then placed inside (and turnip was on the menu for days afterwards). The pumpkin serves the same purpose in the USA and these are increasingly found in Scotland in more recent times - they are easier to scoop out! But children who have fun doing this do not realise that they were continuing a tradition of placing skulls on poles round encampments to scare away evil spirits.
In Modern Times
By the end of the 19th century Hallowe'en had become very much a festival for children. Dressing up and going "guising" is a tradition which has lasted to the present day. The original idea was to dress as spirits of the dead but options have widened over the years. When money was tight, dressing up in some old clothes from grandparents was all that was required. But witches (with broomsticks, cloaks and pointed black hats) have always been popular, with blackened faces harping back to the pagan days when the Druids may have smeared their faces with ash from their bonfires. Long before "trick or treat" children went round the houses and had to perform a poem or a song or tell jokes before receiving nuts, apples, sweets (candies). In recent years, concern about child safety has reduced the amount of "guising" and the children who do go out seem to think they should get something without having to do a "party piece".

Sorry its a bit long, but until I came South I thought all the UK went guising

Thnaks Deegward. At least it goes to prove that WE are not copying the Amricans!

We're mean in our house - we always make them "do their piece" before they get anything! Some of the "pieces" are pretty pathetic - for example a really corny joke, but some of the other kids do come around with something proper rehearsed.

I was never allowed to go guising when I was a child.

The Brownie Hallowe'en party and acting out Tam O'Shanter was Hallowe'en for me.