Trick or treating: love it or loathe it? Please take our super-quick poll - and you could win a prize

[HelenMumsnet]

As Halloween draws scarily nearer, we want to know what you think of trick or treating.

Do you love the whole spooky-wooky, vampire-fanged sweet-fest?

Or do you loathe every doorstep-begging minute of it and wish it had never made it across the Pond?

Please take a couple of secs to fill in our super-quick survey and we'll enter you into this week's competition to win a spine-tingling two-day family visit to the Halloween Scarefest at Alton Towers.

Not that the nature of the prize should influence the way you vote, mind...

You can find the survey here

[Liffey]

What happened to guising!?

Way back in 'toldendays' (circa 1979!) I used to have to play something on the tin whistle/recorder, or say a poem in french or tell a joke or do some Irish dancing/ballet before the lady of the house would hand over any nuts or apples!?!! NO chocolate! Not a chance!!

Plus, we would dress up as anything not just a vampire or something.

It is unrecognisable from Hallowe'en today, which comes straight to GB from Wallmart thank you very much.

[Spidermama]

Loath it but feel guilty every year because the kids love it so much.

[Peachy]

He's not a beggar, he's a very scary booooooy

[Tortington]

we used to take a tin out and sing

we come a copper calling for bonfire niiiiight
your coal and your fiiiire we hope you enjoy

tra la li
tra la la
tra la fidly do dum

Down in the cellar theres a big umberella
and up in the fire theres an old pepper pot
peepper pot peeeeppper pot morning til night
if y' give us nowt, we'll tek nowt god bless and good night

[puffling]

It wasn't really part of my childhood and suddenly it's such a big thing. I'm not comfortable with it and don't really see the point.

[ADragonIs4LifeNotJustHalloween]

Thank &*$% I don't/didn't live near Custy

[mehgalegs]

I was going to say same as Scrappy - we don't do hallowe'en so if I don't want to win a Hallowe'en prize. can we have an alternative please otherwise surely the poll will be biased

[nolongeraworriedmummy]

It was a bit of a closed question really, I love halloween and the tiny kids dressed up and excited etc but I dont like it when the teenagers come round and the intimidation side of halloween as I am on my own with dd.

A few halloweens ago teenagers smashed the window because I wasnt home to answer the door witnessed by another neighbour.

Not ALL teenagers of course

[bigscaryorangespiderami]

Dh won't let our dc go trick or treating because 'it is a form of begging'. And I can't think of anything worse than traipsing round teh neighbourhood disturbing them with my dressed up children begging for sweets...

But we love everything else Halloween, adn in fact the prize is right up our street....

[bigscaryorangespiderami]

[UniversallyChallenged]

LOATHE with a capital LLLLLLLLLLLLL !!

[Carnival]

Done.

[ElfOnTheTopShelf]

arse, no box to enter my email in!

I am on the fence re trick or treating. I have never done it myself, and have no plans to take DD
I dont mind people coming to the house, but prob not looking forward to it this year as DH is going to be working away.

[NotAnOtter]

loathe it but then i am a bloody helling english woman and halloween is so very American

[MyPumpkinDsHappyHalloweenBday]

We will be having a birthday party in our house. ds is 3. He is dressing up as buzz lightyear.

[WinkyWinkola]

I quite like it. I think it gives kids an opportunity to see how nice adults can be to them by joining in the fun. I've had children come round and be so very pleased with the booty they get from our house.

it's a bit of fun. Obviously it can be taken far too far.

[NotAnOtter]

did not bother with prize as halloween haters ime not fun park lovers

[solidgoldskullonastick]

When I was a kid I longed for the chance to go trick-or-treating, and the chance to dress up at hallowe'en (I am old. I was a nipper in the 70s when hallowe'en was noted but nothing like the big deal it is now )
So I was thrilled to bits to find when I moved into our current pad 3 years ago that there is trick-or-treating round here with a pumpkin-displayers-only general code of conduct, and for the past 3 years it has always been kids dressed up and happy with sweets, no menacing teens and absolutely no egging-the-house or damage.

[Purplepillow]

I love it but don't get many (if any) guysers coming to my door, and I take my dd (by car)to just a few houses of friends that hold halloween.

And I make her a new costume every year [proud mummy emoticon]

[mawbroon]

I am with those who are talking about guising.

You had to earn your apple or sweets or whatever you were given. You had to tell a joke or sing a song or something.

And yes, you could dress up as anything, it didn't have to be related to hallowe'en.

AND we made lanterns out of turnips. Pumpkins are CHEATING

[Liffey]

Yes Mawbroon, Maybe we should start a motion to re-introduce guising. I miss it. I remember practising my piece on the tin whistle and having a joke ready, cos funnily enough, some people didn't want to hear me play!!!

Your haul at the end of the night was 98% nuts and apples and you thought you were well off if there was one fun sized mars in there! That was a surprise bonus!

[Liffey]

We used to make toffee apples to give out. They smelt gorgeous. Dont' think children today would want them though.

[thumbwitch]

Done - but as has been pointed out before, it isn't an American tradition as such.

I love Hallowe'en itself but can't be doing with being mugged at my own front door by unsupervised Yoof.

[electra]

It doesn't seem to be working...

[AnguaVonUberwald]

Its not working!