Halloween! Will you answer the door?

Of course Halloween wasn’t ‘brought over’ by the US, but the trick and treating certainly was.

We always decorate our house to show that we are Trick or Treat friendly and over the years have opened the door to and given treats to some beautifully costumed youngsters, the very young ones usually accompanied by parents. Last year our street decided that due to Covid restrictions, those who wished to would put out packeted treats in the front garden and a neighbour created some wonderful letters for participating folk to place in their windows. Children could then go out in a Covid safe way to spot the letters which formed a Halloween themed word: treats as prizes given by their own families.

When I was a child in South Wales, it was Ducking Apple Night, not Halloween, ducking for apples in an old tin bath full of water, great fun. And sausages and baked beans or similar for supper, big treat!
When my daughter was school age, trick or treating came in, we didn’t let her go out, but left the outside lights on, bought cheapie skeleton-type decorations and generally joined in and gave sweeties to those who knocked.
One year we cut a black bin into ribbons connected by the base of the bag, tied string around it, hung it from the shelter over the front door, and trapped it behind the front door so that it flew out when the door was opened, convincingly spooky we thought. Till an irate mother stormed up the path complaining I had frightened her little darling. And he wasn’t a small kiddy either, but a strapping teen. Stopped joining in after that.

Thankfully where I live there are not many kids around so I normally don't have callers, but the fireworks drive my poor dog bonkers. We don't have Guy Fawkes here in N.I, so fireworks are used at Halloween, right pain in the butt.

No I won’t be answering the door as I believe this is a purely commercial gimmick imported from America. It encourages children to beg, wander the streets and drop litter.

We have never had anyone ring the doorbell here. It is definitely accepted that children only go to decorated houses. In fact one Mum publishes a map with a Halloween trail. She has done the same for a Scarecrow trail, Easter trail and others. Saves a lot of bother.
Where we used to live, children were a nuisance on Halloween. Years before trick or treat became popular, we had Mischief Night on 4 November in Yorkshire. Not nice.

We’ve had a system the last few years which works very well. If you want to join in the fun you put some sort of Halloween decorations outside your house and be ready with the sweets. If you don’t want to then no decorations.

Yes I will have my sweets and chocolate in a Halloween bowl when the kids reach in for the sweets a hand talks to them, it has been keeping kids laughing for years and they always come back the following year laughing and remembering it
Kids are kids and this is making memories for them I’m sure we all did it

Never. Curtains drawn, lights off at the front. Why should children I've never seen before come begging for sweets or cash? It's a strange idea that I've never understood.

Round my way if you don't have any Dec's or a pumpkin they leave you alone.

No, No, No.

We put a lock on the gate until the morning as I would not allow my children to do trick or treat. It's not something I would encourage.

I hate Halloween so will not be answering the door to anyone.

I’ve just bought a Halloween Light-up house for Gdcs - M&S, a fiver. It’s stuffed with butter biscuits but you have to take those out first before switching on the LEd tea light. ?
Won’t give it to them until nearer the time though.

Also some Zombie chocolate eyeballs (also M&S) at least partly as a bribe for Gds (5) to do his reading after school. He’s not keen, and I’m going to be staying for childcare for the rest of this week. Will need a rest cure afterwards…

A few years ago I bought fun size sweets in case kids knocked. But it’s a quiet area with mainly retired folk so haven’t had any callers in the past. Guess who eats all the sweets afterwards?

It's so sad but I will not be partaking in Halloween. I live in small private estate 110 houses. Over the past 3 years the children if all ages have become obnoxious. They are kicking balls deliberately into gardens (sometimes hitting garden pots and people sitting out). They climb over fences to "borrow anything they fancy for their gang huts building them in very young trees and breaking them. Illegal electric scooters used everywhere. Any mention to them about what they are doing being wrong I can't repeat. Yes I know the parents are at fault, out of sight, out of mind with them though. They will not accept there is any wrong doing. This is not a poor area, it's very sought after, plenty money but no consideration for others so Halloween can come and go with no recognition from me and quite a number of others no doubt.

I get plenty of sweets in, and put a pumpkin out.Love all the little kids.

It sounds awful, but I’m sad I can’t put decorations on my door because it will look like I’m open to trick or treaters - aside from my absolute second hand cringe at guising (definitely a me problem!) if we keep opening the doors at night the cat will get out. I would like an autumnal wreath on my door though!

A long time ago - 20 or 30 years ago - we had a vicar who used to preach a "hell and damnation" sermon denouncing the bastardisation of All Soul's Eve.
He gave the same, or similar, sermon every year quoting some verses in the bible to back himself up. I wish I could remember which book it was from, but to my shame I can't even remember whether he was using the old or new testament.

No - I think it’s a PITA. We always go out for a meal that night to save the hastle.(though it’s getting through in our area only houses with pumpkins outside should be trick or treated.

I don't answer the door to anyone, certain advantages to living in the middle of nowhere.

No, I dont like it and will not participate. Ok if people do though, each to their own.

I love Halloween, I put my pumpkin with the LED outside and have miniatures for the older kids and buttons and smarties for the younger. The children are always beautifully dressed and deserve a sweetie. They all say Thank You and Happy Halloween, I see it as the start of Christmas Season. As I lived in Germany for a time we have always celebrated St Nicholas Day (Dec 6th) when the children put their shoes by the front door and given sweets or sticks and stones dependent on goodness rating. We also get an Advent Candle and light it at teatime on the 4 Sundays of Advent. A lovely build up to Christmas for the family.

My gate will be locked at the back & tied at the front,curtains closed lights off. We never used to get any and then one year (and every year since) a bus began turning up at the bottom of the road and kids of all ages and a few adults would be trick or treating but mostly running up and down the street screaming at each other, this goes on until 10.30 ish pm which isn't fair around sheltered housing and an old folks home,especially as they don't even live here.The kids that actually do live on this street aren't very pleasant, and this year they're old enough to join in, they're thuggish destructive little girls that hang around on bikes & take flying kicks at my fence, that's when they're not hitting it with sticks or throwing stones at it in order to torment my poor wee dog into barking. Their parents don't care - out of site out of mind, they're enjoying the peace and quiet no doubt. I hope the weather is awful and then they won't hang about for as long.I know I sound like a grump & I won't apologise for that because in my view if having a good time depends on setting out to make others lives a misery in their own homes there's something wrong there.

Nope - it's American anyway, I hate the whole "witch, ghost etc" vibe, and I never answer the door in the evening anyway - whole thing is rubbish