Trick or Treating - A bit of fun or a pain in the arse?!

[Lynne33]

Hello again - can't seem to stop posting at the moment!!

Anyway, without wanting to insult our American Mumsnetters, does anyone detest Trick or Treating like I do?! Every year we get bombarded with kids (some are teenagers), knocking on our door and demanding sweets (and in some cases money) or else!! One year I just didn't bother going to the door as they rang when my kiddies where in the bath and the next morning my car was covered in flour and eggs. (Worse things have happened to my neighbours like getting their cars scratched down the side with a key!!) I am not a killjoy, but I don't like to feel threatened in my own house. I don't live in a particularly nice area, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Also, 9 times out of 10 the children are on there own without an adult in sight. There is no way, my two are going to do it when they grow up. It was unheard of when I was a kid.

We are having a little party with Halloween pumpkins, and scary games, apple bobbing and stuff. So I have got nothing against the day per say (sp?), I just HATE Trick or Treating. What do you all think?

I don't like TorT, either, altough I manage to be charitable to the organised village scheme when they arrive. They always sing or tell jokes or something. I once let my older DD go out TorT-ing and now she's blooming well gone and told her little sister............. Quite honestly, in this day and age, I wouldn't let my children eat anything given to them by a stranger, anyway.

Gettign away slightly from TorTing, I saw an article in a local Indonesian newspaper yesterday about Halloween. It said that Westerners observe Halloween to celebrate making human sacrifices and having night-time orgies in the woods!! No wonder they are wary of us at times.

In some ways I think it's worse with a parent lurking in the background. Then you feel you can't be a curmudgeon about the whole thing. And I DEMAND the right to be curmudgeonly!

For the last five years we have lived right out in the sticks so no T or T. Hurrah. Now, however, we live in the middle of a large village. As a family we don't celebrate Hallowe'en and will not be answering the door after dark tonight. DH is very good at being blunt with anyone who persists in being a pest so I'll leave him to deal with any Trickers. The village school does not mark Hallowe'en in any way which I'm pleased about!

i think its great that kids can be arsed making costumes and painting their faces. i thing its particularly fantastic if mums n dads accompany them - whichisnt very often. what i do object to is a piss take - you know one kid knocks on the door - they leave it 5 minutes and then one of the kids who stood at the back knocks at the door again to get more out of you - that why you shouldnt give them money i cant be arsed painting faces or accompanying them this year but to those who do - i have tangerines waiting for you ...yummy!

a good trick is to tie string from one door knocker to another one at the opposite end of the street, then knock on them both and retreat to a safe distance to watch!!! Not that kids have that much imagination these days, you're more likely to get an egg on your car, oh how creative!

I know it is just a bit of fun but it annoys me that it gives children the right to knock on my door expecting a treat at any time they decide.
Leave us alone! My children are in bed by 8:00pm I don't want my evening disturbed by these pests!!!! There will be no lantern at my window Jaybee!!!

AND they all started with the fireworks last week! Bloody kids!

Bah humbug!

Ds1 bounced out of school announcing he was dressing up as a devil and going trick-or-treating. I was astonished. He had a tantrum when I said no.

Now - 7.15 pm, he is still awake, listening for the doorbell, which keeps ringing. (He normally goes to sleep at 6.30 or earlier).

We have a padlock and could lock the gate, but I feel too worried of vandalism. A friend last year had a lot of damage done, when she put up a polite notice.

Harmless fun - I don't think so.

Next year I will organise a party for dss and some friends, but they will never go out door knocking - I think it's dreadful.

This is really weird...when my older kids (20 & 17 now) were at a trick-or-treating age I didn't let them because a) I looked on it as begging and b) nobody really did it in our immediate area. They occasionally did it at friends' houses where all the neighbours joined in but I wasn't keen, turned off the lights at the front and pretended to be out.

It has gradually become accepted in our area, to the extent that I have let my younger children (14 and 9 now) join in for the last couple of years, and I do stock up on sweets for the evening.

Today I bought a large bag of pick'n'mix, and a large bag of mini-choc-bars, and some little apples - about £10-worth altogether - all sitting in a bowl in the hall - and we have only had about 4 calls! (One of them was 2 older boys, 15 or so, one with jumper over head and other boy's head through his arm - REALLY funny, made me LOL and all they took was 2 apples! What is the younger generation coming to!)

Can't get it right...

Couldn't drag myself off the sofa with shivers and aches and pains, been feeling awful since lunchtime. So little darlings had to go without the smarties I got in for them. Poor wee (all) souls. Good news though. I have now rallied - dd is in bed, dp is out with friend and I foresee some serious smartie action. How utterly predictable.

Haven't had anyone round (yet) tonight, but as someone has already commented I am FED UP WITH FIREWORKS this year and it's not yet Bonfire night. Our town has a large open air park so we get them all summer at open air concerts and then from October onwards! Does anyone give ANY consideration to people with children and animals?? My poor 2-year-old son is terrified of the noise (although he knows what they are) and is lying cowering in his bed as we speak... and my 3-month old is definitely stirring after every bang.... Humpf, and dh has chosen tonight to be out until late.....

After all my wingeing and bah humbuging I bought some tiny chocs in preparation and answered the door with a smile (both times!). The first visitor was with his big sister and had the hugest smile on his little face I just had to give him 2 chocs. The next visitor was a sullen teenager so now I am forced to eat all the chocs myself... Bah humbug - when does January get here?

Apparently Lancashire has had a "Mischief Night" (not on Oct 31 though) for generations - I think theirs was on Nov 4th or 6th or thereabouts? Nothing to do with Halloween or Bonfire Night - just being a bluddy nuisance.

My DS1 has gone out with a group of friends and I dread to think what they're up to. "It's 9pm, do you know where your children are?" Well, no, but how do you stop a 14-yr-old going out with his mates? DS2 has come home with a bag of chocs and about £1.50. I really wish he didn't go out but it is very very hard to say no when everybody else is doing it.

I thought that I was being really organised and caring of children's teeth and specially bought a bag of the Organix boxes of raisins for TorT tonight. First TorT-er came, I gave him three boxes, he politely said "thank you" and when I shut the door, I heard him say "Don't go there, she gives you raisins!"

I haven't seen another one since!

Thank goodness ds is a raisin fan...

funnily enough we have not had any tonight. this is despite (because of??) the fact we have them the last two years and they went away with fresh fruit...

we seem to have fireworks frequently throughout the year... or is it gun fire? i'm not joking

After reading your posts I feel like going to check my car as there have been lots of bell ringing and door knocking while I was bathing dd....well I couldn't go even if I wanted to.

To be honest I don't mind little kids, I usually find them cute, but it's the teenagers like the one who rang my bell 5 minutes ago, who I can't believe cares for my chocolates, but there's no way I'm going to give money to anyone.

We did go out with the little ones, but only called on the houses of people that we know. We then went to a party at a friends house. All went well until the fireworks came out. My two children had hyterics, and I took them home. Ds then prcedded to projectile vomit all over the livingroom, hallway and kitchen floors. And me, and him! trick or treat!

My partner has just given the two cute little girls from downstairs a tin of corned beef each! They seemed remarkably gratified...

LOL at some of these stories, esp Zoe and Scummy!!! As for fireworks, Ramadan begins here next week and on the advice letter we've received it says fireworks will be going off every night between 3.00 and 5.00am for a month, to cal everyone to breakfast and early prayer!! And if that isn't enough, people will be going round banging drums or sticks on dustbin lids to ensure everyone's awake. I'd better get as much sleep as poss this weekend, methinks....

I feel like a bit of an old grump now!! I grudgingly bought a bag of sweets, just to ensure my car wasn't wrecked, and ended up only getting 4 callers, all of whom had made an effort with costumes, were very polite, saying 'Thank you' and 'Happy Halloween' and all with a responsible adult in tow!!!

However, I am still against the idea in principle, as someone has said, it's just like begging, and I won't let my 2 do it. Even though ds, who came to the door with me and saw what was happening, is already asking to do it next year. AAAARRGGHHH!!!!

I have just read this thread and am shocked at how miserable you all are. It is only one day of the year. I love halloween, I loved it as a kid getting dressed up and going round the houses (we called in guising in the NE of Scotland and had to tell jokes or sing a song). I have just moved to the village I am living in now (NE England) and I had a huge bowl of sweets but I only had 2 visitors - I was hoping for more as there are loads of kids round here. I had a party for dd (6.5 months) and 3 of her friends. We all got into the spirit (no pun intended!) of it and the babies dressed up - my dd was a fairy - made pumpkin laterns, decorated the dining room and ate lots of cakes with halloween decorations. It was a wonderful day. I think these traditions are great and to me I think it is so much better that kids get excited about dressing up, making guys, carol singing than watching TV so they don't upset the miserable neighbours. No wonder kids have no freedom.

So, you think it's great that kids are vandalising peoples property just because they are not given sweets? Or that they are scaring old and vunerable people?

I totally resent being called miserable and I go out of my way to make sure my kids have a good time. As I said we had a party yesterday, where we all dressed up and played games. What I don't approve of is being held to ransom in my own house by morose and frankly quite scary teenagers.

forest !!!

We're all entitled to our views !

I had four rings on my doorbell - all when I was bathing dd - but I wouldn't have answered anyway ! I like the idea of only going to houses that are displaying a pumpkin lantern - I think this should become the rule then your lot can have your fun without annoying my "miserable" lot !

I don't know if it's different in Scotland, but when I was young (over 30 years ago!) we went out "guising" at Hallowe'en, so it's not a recent American import up here. We always made an effort - got dressed up and had a "piece" ready, which was either a trick or a treat (a joke or a song) ready to "earn" the fruit, sweets or nuts that people had got in.

I have to say that the majority of kids that came around last night HAD made an effort and there was no hint of any menaces. But what do I now with all the fun size Mars Bars, Milky Ways, satsumas and monkey nuts that I've got left over!