Trick or Treating Etiquette

[Corgi2023]

I'm going trick or treating for the first time with my little boy on Saturday. It's my first time ever as I was never allowed to go when I was a child.

My question is, does anyone actually say "Trick"?
And if so what do you do?

Our estate is quite good in letting you know on the street WhatsApp which houses are taking part, so that is not an issue.

If anyone has any guidance it would be most helpful.

Thanks,
A parent living out a childhood wish!

rock up to homes with halloween decor and say 'trick or treat'

If someone didn't open i used to leave tiny tangerines with pumpkin face draw with sharpie on them as a 'trick' when i was a teen, a bit of harmless fun

I doubt anyone would say trick we've never experienced it most don't reply to the kids saying trick or treat.They just offer out the sweets and sometimes comment politely on the child's costume.

No need to use the WhatsApp just visit decorated houses and have lots of fun. Don't forget mun tax when your sons in bed.

kids don’t seem to say ‘trick o treat’ much, more ‘happy Halloween’. But no one does an actual ‘trick’. They didn’t back in my day either (I’m in my 60s). I get about 200 kids a year. No tricks!

Thank you. This is what I thought would happen, but I want to prepare for every eventuality!

Don't worry about the WhatsApp group. If a house has pumpkins or Halloween decorations out then they are saying they're ready to receive trick or treaters. Don't knock on houses that don't. Say hello and either trick or treat or happy Halloween. Pick a sweet (or more but only if offered to do so by the giver) and say thank you and move on. Enjoy!

I sometimes ask the children I know, DC's friends, for a trick and they usually tell me a terrible joke.

Round me the kids all tell a joke or sing a song or something but I’m in Scotland so it’s from the guising traditions. It’s lovely.

This is what I'm worried about. We do know a lot of people round this way. Maybe I need to prepare some jokes!

That's lovely. It's where it originated from. I can probably get our lot to sing wheels on the bus at a push!

I do love when a kid sings a little song. We have a lovely bowl that sings and the witches legs move 😄

Here the kids say Happy Halloween and thank you, they might say trick or treat but thank you is certainly appreciated. They are usually teeny kids and they are usually quite shy with parents standing st the gate, encouraging them to say the right thing and apologising if they don’t. All very lovely. Hope you have a great evening!

Trick or treating went well. We stuck to the Pumpkin/decorations rule and the estate was so lively. One of the neighbours set their Tesla to say spooky things. Thanks everyone for all your help. No tricks required!

I had a mixture of sweets and oranges too hand out and a surprising number of kids chose the oranges!

The trick part seems to have died down now but I remember as kids we were asked for tricks quite a bit and would have to tells jokes or we had little fire crackers and silly string etc. we were only allowed to knock at door or neighbours who had been prewarned by our parents that we were coming so it’s very different to today’s trick or treating.