Halloween! Will you answer the door?

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.

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.

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

Never have bought in to the Halloween hype. My children never knocked on doors pestering for goodies and for years we have displayed posters in front windows and doors to ask children not to call. I remember some boys letting a work colleagues tyres down years ago as she didn’t understand what they were asking when she answered her door and just replied “ oh … trick” not really realising that they demanded money or sweets. Call me a miserable old bat but I ignore everything about Halloween.

Halloween certainly isn’t an American import although calling it’trick or treating’ may be.

As others have said in Scotland ‘guising’ has been around for generations. It was great fun although we did have to work for our apples, toffee apples, tablet and peanuts. Kept us going for days.

Also, All Hallows is one of the oldest dates in the calendar (albeit the Pagan calendar) - the Americans didn't invent it. In fact, I think the Cornish took it to them when they emigrated.

For many years put out my ceramic pumpkin with a candle inside & had some lovely little visitors. Couple of years ago someone stole my pumpkin & egged my front door without knocking. So no more! Guess it was teenagers thinking they were clever but took ages to clean the front door! So ruined for the little ones! I now keep the lights off & curtains closed!

We go to our daughters as she lives in a cul de sac where everyone embraces Halloween. We follow the children to each house and they are welcomed and given sweets. Sounds like America but this is Ireland.

Yes, I always do. There are a lot of children in the roads around me, and they know if there is a lighted pumpkin which is visible from the pavement in or near the house they can knock. I used to make little carrot cakes and brownies, and sweets, but after I was crossexamined as to whether they had nuts in or had been near nuts etc. a few times I started buying little miniature choc bars and cutting up fruit for them. I never give money. Mostly, the parents come too, and sometimes dogs - I have a few dog treats too, and it's all over by 10.00 and I bring in the pumpkin. The kids make a real effort to dress up and the parents too some times. I think it's a bit of fun for everyone, and God knows there's not much of that these days.

This wasn’t common when my children were young and we hadn’t heard of it, assume it’s another US import.
I am not keen on young and not so young children knocking on people’s doors on dark nights asking fir money or sweets, when they they don’t know who lives there. Some of these children can be 6’ tall. I don’t open the door and often sit in the dark. If I can go out I do.
Bah humbug maybe but am not a fan.

No never had never will!

I do not participate in American customs. When I was young, Halloween was not known. Not truly a kill joy. Last year a neighbour asked 2 days before, if she could bring her grandchildren and I willingly agreed. I would not answer the door to any others.

In our area the rules are no pumpkin on display no knocking on doors! It’s simple and works really well

The brown shoe polish my mother covered me in! I was supposed to be Pocahontas pre Disney. It was grim stuff to get off. The hours spent chipping away at the turnip. Guising in Scotland in the sixties was a rite of passage!

AmberSpyglass

I was horrified when I moved to Scotland and there was a tradition of doing a ‘turn’ in exchange for sweets instead of just saying trick or treat. I just want to open the door, admire your costume for a moment, give you your sweets and then the whole thing is over. No singing or poems…

Ah yes, I remember it well. Halloween in Scotland wasn't for softies. We weren't "trick or treaters" but "guisers".
No easy-carve pumpkins and health n safety back then. We "acquired" big orange swedes from a farmer's field and spent a week bending our mums' knives to scoop them out. Real candles were stuck inside. When these toppled over the stench was diabolical and flames and black smoke came out of the lantern's eyes and mouth!
Anyone daft enough to invite us into their house had to fake a grin and listen to garbled party pieces while their floor got soaked by kids dookin' for apples ..

Short answer to the OP. No, we won’t be opening the door to Trick or Treaters on Halloween night.

I live in a Cul de sac for the elderly and disabled, the police put
up posters at the entrance and give a poster to the residents to
put on their doors.

I do miss seeing the youngsters

Whiff your mischief night sounds like what is "celebrated" here in Germany as Walpurgis Night. It is on the 30th April. Teenagers would roam the streets doing really awful things - it got quite bad, with manhole covers being taken up and flung around, gates lifted off their hinges, cars sprayed with goodness knows what. We had marble steps up to our front door and they smeared them with soap - I nearly came a cropper when I went out. They would drape toilet paper everywhere. If they rang any doorbells it would only be to run away again.

This seems to have stopped in recent years but now we get younger kids going round on Hallowe'en because they have seen the Americans do it on television. I don't answer the door. This isn't Scotland. Or America.

I don't think we have any Wiccans here on Gransnet who might know, but I remember reading once that the last night of every first month of a quarter has some significance in the witching world: 31 October, then 30 April are the most significant, but also 31 July and 31 January are important dates.

We only have a couple of neighbours with young children so tend not to get any trick or treaters. Those parents respect the fact that if there's no porch lights on or pumpkins on display they don't let the children knock on doors.
However, most of us do make sure to take treats to the children at some point during the late afternoon but before darkness falls, we have even taken treats for the parents too - chocolates, wine etc. They are all lovely neighbours and we know we can call on them anytime we need some help.
When we were children, trick or treat just wasn't a 'thing' but I do remember 'Mischievous Night' which was November 4th.

Funny enough where I used to live and since moving 2 years ago never had trick or treaters. Our children never wanted to do it.

There is something called mischief night can't remember when it is . The first year here it fell on a week night and bins where knocked over by teenagers. Until then I had never heard of it. I just thought the wind had blown it over. Only when I went out to put it back up some neighbours where out and told me about it.

Yes we will have some treats ready for them. As we are new here joining in in things is important and helps in getting to know the neighbour.

I was horrified when I moved to Scotland and there was a tradition of doing a ‘turn’ in exchange for sweets instead of just saying trick or treat. I just want to open the door, admire your costume for a moment, give you your sweets and then the whole thing is over. No singing or poems…

No definitely not, for years in fact. Ever since a bucket of water thrown over my son when he answered the door.

No, we don’t put a pumpkin out, and won’t answer the door if anyone rings, but they don’t as a rule.

Oh well I love it and I dress up to answer the door?

My best ne was when I dressed up as a cat. Black jumper and leggings, ears on a headband and whiskers. Opened the door with a yowl.

And heard a small boy asking his mother nervously “Is that a real cat?”