Trick or Treat?

[bubblewrap]

The door will be locked @ 5pm & I(we) answer it to no one.
We haven't had too many problems here though but we have been getting a few kids from another area (police blitz in their own area) who have caused one or two problems,so we aren't taking any risks.

[Jeanied]

I live in a street of mostly terraced houses. We have a group of local kids who call at Halloween - I call them the local Mafia - and they come in really handy when I want to know where my cat is so I keep 'em sweet! I also know who their Mums are, so if the kids are naughty I tell 'em off just the way people used to in the 'old' days. If I get any lip I can always call out the neighbours on any side and there would be a group of teachers, police officers and security workers to weigh in as well. (I love my neighbours! )

[dexterdoglancashire]

Trouble is that I never weant to be regarded us grumpy old git and always have a supply of 'treats'. Sometimes I feel real disappointed that nobody calls. :.-)

Poor you! You could always eat them yourself! (I would!)

[MrsC]

I love Halloween and have always taken the kids trick or treating since the age of 4. We live in a cul de sac, adults dress up and accompany the children, we decorate the house and have a fun night. We don't allow the kids to go off and go knocking on anyone's door. We know who won't allow the kids to knock on their door on Halloween. Lots of the houses here have decorations and enjoy seeing the kids and adults on Halloween, maybe it's a sort of unwritten code and the kids are respectful. No harm in my book and the kids love it

[dexterdoglancashire]

I love Halloween and have always taken the kids trick or treating since the age of 4. We live in a cul de sac, adults dress up and accompany the children, we decorate the house and have a fun night. We don't allow the kids to go off and go knocking on anyone's door. We know who won't allow the kids to knock on their door on Halloween. Lots of the houses here have decorations and enjoy seeing the kids and adults on Halloween, maybe it's a sort of unwritten code and the kids are respectful. No harm in my book and the kids love it

That sounds the ideal way to celebrate Halloween. Unfortunately, not everyone does it this way. Happy Halloween!

[Brengirl]

D'you know what!! ....if you cant't beat them, well join them. Methinks I too will become a witch tomorrow and scare the bl&&dy hell out of them. Watch this space.....

[smallblueplanet]

The 'ideal' Halloween sounds fun, but there's plenty who get subjected to non-fun - glad we live in the middle of nowhere now. I used to hate ignoring the door knocks when we lived in town - it ain't right!

[Eco-Chic]

D'you know what!! ....if you cant't beat them, well join them. Methinks I too will become a witch tomorrow and scare the bl&&dy hell out of them. Watch this space.....

I'll get me a pointy hat and take my make-up off and if that don't scare 'em the sound of 4 x hounds of the Baskervilles barking at fireworks and strangers should do it

[Brengirl]

As I don't usually wear make up I will tomorrow that will be even more scarey.

[Izi]

Cos we live quite centrally in town we won't be answering the door tomorrow night. I grew up in a village where as kids we just showed neighbours our lanterns we had made ( usualy from hollowed out swedes) ( farming community) and they gave us praise and home baked biscuits or chocolate sometimes, not money tho and we never asked.
It was an exciting and fun night and seems quite innocent now.

Snuffer, the last time I gave 10p to some boys with a penny for the guy plea they threw it back at me in disgust. I think they were expecting a pound for 2 carrier bags stuffed with something, tied together and an old hat.

The guys we made back in the 70's took all day to make, dress and draw features on. Grownups did help with the cross bar ( like a scarecrow) but we stuffed and dressed it.
We all tried to donate something for it to wear and then it was cerimonally burned on the top of the bonfire on bonfire night.

Izi.

[FionaH]

Fun it is not, its crass, terrifies our elderly neighbours and has very sinister undertones.

I do agree that it's origins are quite sinister and I have misgivings about that. However as there are loads of little ones on our street who come out dressed up with parents, I have just bought a stash of sweeties for 'em

I never took my boys out doing it though and I banned youngest son from doing it with his mates when he hit 6ft at 14 and looked menacing What is cute from a 5 year old is extortion from a teenage lad!

[HeyWayne]

Round here the kids are accompanied by their parents. In our previous house we had "kids" knocking on the door dressed in nothing but bin bags.

Last year we had a fair number of children call with their parents at the end of the drive. When offered the sweets/chocs they took one, and LadyWayne said something along the lines of, "take a few" and the kids responded "are you sure?" How cute?

I'm looking forward to when Beans of an age to appreciate it. I reckon I could be quite scarey if I put my mind to it....

Mwaahahhhahahahahahahah!

[janeyo]

I am dressng up, as if OH and my little boy has 2 friends coming for tea, scary cake decorating then off trick or treating. I am staying at home to answer the door in my costume! (will post pic tomorow!)
We spent the afternoon making scary shapes to stick on the windows and have decorated the house for him.
We only knock on friends doors or ones with pumpkins and lights on and avoid houses in darkness.
I was very impressed last year that the single guy over the road from us offered a treat but said he had to take a tangerine as well - and my son ate the tangerine first!

We like Halloween, but I don't like it when car loads of 'big' kids arrive from other villages and go round, nor do I like the ones who don't dress up or ask for money.

[weekendwellies]

I hate it. Round here the kids are little b*****s who are irritating at the best of times and b****y nuisances the rest of the time.

If it was ok to shoot them, I would buy an automatic right now, but apparently it is 'politically incorrect' and 'socially unacceptable' to do that these days.

Ok, some of them are not so bad, but they tend to be the ones who don't roam the streets and cause trouble, (probably so they don't bump into the other type) so they will not be the ones knocking on my door

[weekendwellies]

We live in a little village with narrow roads and, in places, no pavements. This means trick or treaters are usually accompanied by their parents and so don't cause a nuisance.

What is a shame is that youngsters don't seem to do penny for the Guy anymore. (I think they can't be bothered to put in the effort of making the Guy). It is still a form of begging but at least it is a British tradition not another American import.

They are outside every supermarket, off licence, sweetshop and petrol station here, and then we have to put up with the bloody fireworks going off at all hours between now and New Years.
Sodding cat and dog go about looking like they need Valium.