It's Halloween.

[Tashyboy]

For those under 40 ( the whippersnappers), they know it's Halloween. There out with there kids, dressed in proper American corporate scary costumes made by some sweat shop bangledishi kid on 20pence an hour. Freezing there Pro V1's off. They have been to the supermarket and bought loads of Naomi and Haribos with loads of chocolate chucked in. They are embracing this corporate evening.

Then there's the (old farts). These are the ones that two decades ago when they were whippersnappers took there kids around the same houses and collected proper Cadburys chocolate. Chocolate we can only dream of nowadays. They made there costumes out of a crappy old bedsheet with a scary face drawn on with a marker pen. These are the same old farts who now sit in front of the telly pretending not to hear there 50 decibel door bells. Or when they answer the door forget it is Halloween. Because there kids have now flown the nest, so don't want to buy three quids worth of sweets.

Been round trick or treating tonight with a mini scary pumpkin and a skeleton. Been lovely meeting some of the neighbours and having a good natter over a fun size mars bar. However some of the neighbours, well let's just say. Scrooge is there favourite film. Kids have loved it. They have both had a full on kiss off " Herman" the white Boxer dog, Baxter his best 10 yr old boxer friend passed away in August.😟 Layla Tash wants to take another doggy home, and they have loved it. There now on a sugar rush.

But Tash has made note, the miserable gimp at No 27 who moaned about me flag rattling is having both barrels next time the bah bug knocks on me door.

Happy Halloween everyone😘

 

[Deleted member 18121]

I'm 38 and would never let my son out trick or treating. It's just disguised begging and far too many "kids" take it too far and cause damage by egging people's houses. Also the fright they cause to the old folk.

Each to their own, but I will never agree with it and will never allow my son to do it.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Snowflake 👆👆👆👆

 

[ColchesterFC]

I'm 38 and would never let my son out trick or treating. It's just disguised begging and far too many "kids" take it too far and cause damage by egging people's houses. Also the fright they cause to the old folk.

Each to their own, but I will never agree with it and will never allow my son to do it.

We've taken our two boys out tonight in our neighbourhood. We follow one simple rule and there are no problems - only knock on doors of houses that have pumpkins outside them or other Halloween decorations.

 

[Imurg]

I've never been sure about the whole Trick or Treat business.
Didn't exist, at least not for me, as a kid and only really started over here from the mid 80's on.
The idea of the kids having a good time is tempered by the idiots who egg cars and houses just for fun.
None of the shops around here are selling eggs or flour today and there have still been local reports of anti-social behaviour going on.
Add to that the, admittedly minor risk, of knocking on stranger's doors and being given sweets that could be anything.....
I'm sure that doesn't happen but it would be in the back of my mind.
Not a fan, never have been but, as long as people are sensible and know when to stop then crack on with it.

 

[Tashyboy]

Away from my opening post. When I was a kid Halloween was called "mischievous night". Which usually meant taking a neighbours gate off its hinges and taking it 50 yds down the road. Occasionally one of our pals would say his dad is after a new gate so we would " find one ". Find it strange reading about eggs and flour coz there's none of that around here unless it's on Bake off. Just got outta the bath and the kids loved there Halloween lollys in the bath.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

I like the way it has evolved in the last decade - as ColchesterFC said, you only knock on doors with pumpkins outside. The little kids get sweets - anyone over the age of 12 is out of luck. Long may this continue to develop into a fun night for kids and parents to be involved together in.

 

[bluewolf]

For the first time since the kids were born, we now live on an estate. I loved watching the groups of kids being escorted around the estate. Bags full of sweets. Everyone having fun. Only knocking on the doors of decorated houses.

My 10yr old came back with a bag of sweets that big that it'll take us all year to get through. The 14yr old didn't go out as he's too old now.

No "mischief" or "tricks", just good family fun.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

It's just harmless good fun when done properly, same as next weeks celebration of burning a Catholic on a bonfire.

In Scotland the kids have to perform a party piece, poem/song/joke, before any treats are distributed.

 

[PJ87]

For the first time since the kids were born, we now live on an estate. I loved watching the groups of kids being escorted around the estate. Bags full of sweets. Everyone having fun. Only knocking on the doors of decorated houses.

My 10yr old came back with a bag of sweets that big that it'll take us all year to get through. The 14yr old didn't go out as he's too old now.

No "mischief" or "tricks", just good family fun.

Exactly how it should be done

My wife works in a school and they tell the kids don’t knock on every door , only ones with decorations outside.

Works great then no-one gets refused sweets

Also worked great because I forgot to throw the pumpkin outside so I got a bowl of sweets left lol

 

[Hobbit]

Not everything out of America is bad. I think the way Halloween has developed is brilliant. Lots of kids out having fun, usually well supervised by parents. "signals" like a turnip in the window or other decorations being taken up and understood... whats not to like about it.

Although its celebrated out here in Spain I was disappointed we didn't get the kids knocking on the door. I suppose the positive is we have lots of choc to get through.

 

[Wolf]

Our village is the same if there's a pumpkin or some decoration out you can knock, if not walk on by.

My kids love it but I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of knocking on doors, so we always arrange for the kids to get dressed up and take them to a Halloween activity or party where they get sweets, play games and have fun with other little vampires, witches and the like.

It's all good fun of done respectfully and in the right way.

 

[Don Barzini]

We took our kids out last night and were joined by two other families from our road. As many others have said, we made sure we only knocked on doors with pumpkins/decorations outside. The kids all had a great night - and the adults really enjoyed it as well! Some people had gone to a lot of trouble - one house had life sized models of a witch and a zombie stood outside, with smoke billowing out from a machine and a makeshift graveyard on the lawn!

I get that it can be a scary time for the elderly and/or those living on their own and that some folk have a fundamental dislike/disagreement of the idea. For those reasons I'd never let my kids knock on doors that weren't decorated or didn't have a pumpkin outside. Hopefully this will become the more universally accepted approach as time goes on.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

We don’t answer the front door if they knock.
It’s an American tradition, and not something we grew up with.
Too many older folks my way feel intimidated by it.

 

[Lazkir]

We normally make an effort, (when our kids were small they loved Halloween). But this week we've been busy and the wife only had time to buy a plastic pumpkin and a large bag of 'Halloween' sweets.
It was still worth it after one little girl aged about seven told my wife that she was glad at least someone had remembered it was Halloween, as most of the houses on our street hadn't bothered.

As for teenagers.. about four years ago a group of 15/16 years olds knocked at our door trick or treating. No costumes or mask, my wive gave them a right telling off and said they were getting nothing as they hadn't made any effort.
An hour later they came back all dressed up and deservedly got a load of sweets and a big thumbs up from the wife.

Most people are pretty decent I reckon.

 

[Imurg]

The youngsters going round with a parent or two in tow isn't the problem. Apart from a very small minority, common sense takes over and only houses willing to participate are "targeted".
It's the mid-late teenagers that cause the issues.
We've had them at the door virtually demanding money instead of sweets. Not often but it's happened.
And they knock on all doors....
The parent-led kids aren't going to chuck eggs and flour at houses and cars because they've been given a mini twix instead of a quid...
We have a fair few pensioners of advancing age along our road and I know that some either go to their children's house or sit in the dark and don't open the door to anyone.
It's unfortunate that a few mindless jobs can ruin a perfectly enjoyable time for anyone who wants to take part.

 

[Crazyface]

Put a few lights up and a big (reusable) blow up pumpkin and have halloween type music blaring out of a speaker that is placed near our front door. £10 of sweets doled out between 6pm and 7.45. Job done !

Next job of a family gathering (currently at 35 in numbers) at ours on Friday for bonfire night. A few fireworks and a firepit for the adults to sit / stand around whilst eating stew and parkin and having a few drinks.

Both are once a year, what's the harm?

 

[Crazyface]

Oh and the highlight was a tiny neice (I think she's 2) dressed up as a skeleton, dancing away to the music as we chatted. She's gonna be a right one !!!!!

 

[Don Barzini]

It's the mid-late teenagers that cause the issues.
We've had them at the door virtually demanding money instead of sweets. Not often but it's happened.
And they knock on all doors....

Yeah this is true.

Where we used to live it wasn't as "nice" an area as we live in now. Our road was a bit of a thoroughfare so we'd get loads of them coming round, usually teenagers. Apart from a few eggs and a bit of flour around the place, they were generally good and made the effort with costumes so we didnt mind.

One year, my first born was but a baby. She was a nightmare to get to sleep and the littlest sound would wake her. So I left a bowl of sweets on the front doorstep with a note along the lines of "BABY SLEEPING SO PLEASE DON'T KNOCK. PLEASE TAKE ONLY ONE SO THERE ARE ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE ELSE. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!"

I'm sure you're way ahead of me......

First lot that came around. I heard shouting and giggling from outside and running footsteps. When they'd gone I opened the door to find the little sods had nicked the entire bowl! My own fault for trusting people not to be gits I suppose!

 

[patricks148]

It's just harmless good fun when done properly, same as next weeks celebration of burning a Catholic on a bonfire.

In Scotland the kids have to perform a party piece, poem/song/joke, before any treats are distributed.

Thats Guising though isn't it.

Only thing we did as kids was Burning The Catholic as you call it. That was a big begging fest for kids.. Penny for the Guy.