Trick or Treating

[Otta]

I have great memories of Halloween from my childhood, dressing up, scary stories, apple bobbing and all that jazz. But never Trick or Treat. I am very jealous of my American cousins at Halloween, I'd love to do Halloween in America where the whole thing is huge.

Halloween here is just a very poor immitation, and unfortunately the bit that everyone wants to do is the Trick or Treating, which IMO is the rubbish bit.

I will happily throw Halloween parties when the kids are bigger, I just won't include Trick or Treating as part of the evening entertainment.

[hellosailor]

A lot of vulnerable people can feel quite intimidated on Halloween I think..my mum is a pensioner in poor health, on several occasions over the last few years 'trick or treaters' have egged her windows for not opening the door which she has found distressing. (In fact a couple of years ago on Halloween, she was egged just walking down her road in East Dulwich! She isn't very lucky with eggs it seems...)

On the occasions her windows were egged it was by groups of children with scream masks etc who she reckoned were 12+ or early teens going by their size, unchaperoned.

I can't remember the last time a kid in a costume with their mum accompanying them rang my door for trick or treat asking for sweets to be honest, in my experience of recent years it is often groups of 'kids' too old to be doing it, and they are asking for money not sweets. Not saying 'give us yer money' but when you give them sweets saying 'have you got a pound' that type of thing. I don't put a pumpkin out now for that reason, but when my daughter gets old enough I imagine she will want to do trick or treating and I will probably do what my mum did with us when we were little, which was pre-arrange with a handful of local friends and neighbours that we were going to be coming, and just visit those few houses where we knew we would be welcome. (I didn't work out until I was older that she was ringing ahead!)

We didn't ever trick or treat strangers houses, and I guess I probably wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with my daughter when we get to that age, but I guess if there's a pumpkin outside then maybe I would..will see when it comes to it! The thing is, with strangers, you may know that you're with a sweet 7 year old dressed as a pumpkin hoping for some chocolate buttons, but they don't, and that's the issue. Knocking on doors without a pumpkin is a definite no no I think.

[sillywoman]

Hellosailor said:

I can't remember the last time a kid in a costume with their mum accompanying them rang my door for trick or treat asking for sweets to be honest,

I think that's cos they're all in our road HS - which I know is just behind yours ;) Bring your lovely daughter round here, she'll have a great time :)

I don't agree with the money thing either - that's not what halloween is about. It's a community celebration before the darkness of winter takes hold, it's supposed to be a gentle and fun tradition, not intimidating or nasty - definitely not demanding money with menaces.

[hellosailor]

Hoho! I hope my daughter will be asleep by trick or treat time, she is teething and has been bawling all day poor thing! (Also I think we might be peaking too early to introduce concept of Halloween this year, suspect she might be scared shi*less by the masks etc unless perhaps everyone out there is dressed as Makka Pakka!)

I might pop round with my face painted if you have maltesers tho! I bet Halloween isn't done by halves chez Sillywoman!

xx

[Gidget]

Group of loud children walking down Ondine Road earlier, about 6 pm, shouting out "We want treats, we want treats" over and over. If they with me they would have been told to shut it. Couldn't see any interesting costumes in their group either. You need to work for those treats kids. Americans do it better.

[susyp]

Have to say I am a convert - went out with a v cute group of 2-4 year olds witches/monster/black cat/ pumpkins tonight at about 5pm and had a lovely time. Some very imaginatively decorated houses. It's still quite a random idea but I can't deny it was fun!

Not so sure about the older kids doing it I have to say.

Susypx

[????]

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> You could equally accept that it's not everyone's

> bag, and that not everyone wants friendly

> neighbours knocking on their doors. Some people

> just want to be left the Hell alone, and that is

> up to them..

>

> And for the record, we know most of the people on

> our street (and regularly do things for the

> elderly people either side of us), but how far

> should I go with my random door knocking in the

> next 364 days? The block? The post code?

>

> We don't tend to invite even our best friends

> round to our house though, as it is a health

> hazard with toys taking up every inch of floor

> space.

But Otta, in my experience and others on here, if you don't have a pumpkin you don't get knocked so either your making assumptions about how intrusive trick or treating is or SE22 really is more genteel :)

[oimissus]

well, I've no decorations up and I've had 2 groups knock, which isn't bad given the amount of action I can hear out there. The first group were 3 girls and they looked very good indeed, fantastic make up and costumes. The second was a toddler with no costume and an older child wearing - you've guessed it - a Scream mask. I gave them sweets through gritted teeth.

And, as an aside - what's with the bloody fireworks? It's Bonfire Night NEXT MONDAY people!

[NorthcrossJo]

I think I might have seen you, Susyp! There was one black cat that would have got my 'best outfit' vote, with quite a big group of littlies.

My house had bats at the window, but not much else... I might try harder next year!

[Otta]

Quids, my mum always gets loads of knocks, and she certainly doesn't put a pumpkin out.

[The Nappy Lady]

We had a great night & I was once again really impressed by how polite & well behaved all the callers were - first 2 groups got sent away with a request to come back later as we were not ready & they were fine. When we'd finally run out of sweets & had to apologise to the last few callers they all said thats ok, and complimented out costumes & decorations regardless.

Did pass one group of teenagers with an egg in their hands as we were doing a lap of our street, I hope they didn't spoil anyone's night. I guess it may have been hard boiled as a trick.

Loads of fab costumes though & all in all a very happy Halloween.

SusyP, so glad you enjoyed it after all!

[Curmudgeon]

susyp Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Have to say I am a convert - went out with a v

> cute group of 2-4 year olds witches/monster/black

> cat/ pumpkins tonight at about 5pm and had a

> lovely time. Some very imaginatively decorated

> houses. It's still quite a random idea but I

> can't deny it was fun!

> Not so sure about the older kids doing it I have

> to say.

Without meaning to pick one poster I find it very sad that people believe older kids shouldn't do halloween. At what age a you too old?

I think people with small children seem to forget that they remain children a lot longer than they toddle. I know it's difficult to look at a much larger child and not see the child in them. An 11 or 12 year old can be as entranced with halloween and trick or treating as they ever were. What should parents do? Tell them they're too old to enjoy fun?

I know that we have a lot of young lovely children in ED, but you know what we have a lot of lovely pre-teens and teens too. They deserve to retain their childhood as long as they want to.

[pebbles]

I'm a bit bah humbug - as someone said earlier, not about halloween but about trick or treaters - however i have no problem other people doing it as long as they don't annoy me.

Anyway, we have had all curtains closed and all lights off at the front of the house all night and not only have we had callers but people who probably knocked non stop for a minute at about 7.15 (i.e. kids had just gone to bed). I didn't answer the door but I was a bit miffed that not only were people knocking on a door that was obviously not wanting to play a part but also that they would be so rude to keep knocking. Anyway, we've had 4 knocks but that was our worst. I haven't gone outside so who knows if we've been egged. I remember when I was a child and my parents didn't answer the door the kids put loo roll all over the tree in the front garden and then poured water all over it. This was in Dulwich and I swear 30 years later I can still see bits of loo roll on this very tree :)

We have 5 and a 3 year old. I think I was able to get away with it for another year because of it being half term so it'll be interesting to see what happens next year. I'm never going to say never but I would like to think that I can hold it off with dressing up and having a tea party instead of the trick or treating.

I hope those who did take part had a wonderful evening though :)

x

[verds]

I'd never been trick or treating before, but my 3 year old was so excited I took her out tonight. It was brilliant! Great atmosphere, thanks to everyone who made such an effort. We were only going to go next door, but saw so many people in Crystal Palace Rd that we joined in. There were some good decorations!

We only had one knock from a group of teenagers in Scream masks, and they were lovely. I do have a headache from the Haribo leftovers though...

[jimbo1964]

I have to say all the children who knocked on our door last night were extremely polite and nicely behaved.

[oimissus]

does anyone know what I could do with all my leftover sweets (tis always the way - we never put out decorations and yet the years when I get sweets in we have a couple of callers, and the years when I don't bother we have loads) - stupidly I bought stuff that a) I don't like and b) I have no intention of giving Miss Oi - but it seems a pity for them to go to waste.

Agree about persistent knockers - there was one group who knocked on our door twice (this was as I was getting ready for bed, not that late but after 9), and they went across the road and banged on someone's door 4 times. And no costumes either, just a carrier bag for sweets. Tch!

Curmudgeon - the problem I have with older trick or treaters (in my experience) is that they are less likely to pay attention to the no-decorations-no-trickortreaters 'rule', they come round later and they don't make much, if any, effort with costumes. They are, in fact, begging. Looks like your experience is better, which is great. I'm happy to give out sweets at a reasonable time to kids of whatever age who've made an effort.

[Otta]

After 9 is ridiculous. At 8 I just put remaining sweets on the garden wall and closed the gate.

[vesti]

Thanks Curmudgeon. Well posted.

[melbourne groover]

All the pre-teens/teens we had were incredibly polite with great costumes and no further knocks once our pumpkin had come in!

[sillywoman]

Curmudgeon Wrote:

> Without meaning to pick one poster I find it very

> sad that people believe older kids shouldn't do

> halloween. At what age a you too old?

>

>

> I think people with small children seem to forget

> that they remain children a lot longer than they

> toddle. I know it's difficult to look at a much

> larger child and not see the child in them. An 11

> or 12 year old can be as entranced with halloween

> and trick or treating as they ever were. What

> should parents do? Tell them they're too old to

> enjoy fun?

>

> I know that we have a lot of young lovely

> children in ED, but you know what we have a lot of

> lovely pre-teens and teens too. They deserve to

> retain their childhood as long as they want to.

Curmidgeon I think I love you, and that you are completely misnamed. I remember when my children were little that teens looked like quite scary creatures to me. Now that mine are teens I see things differently and so my approach is different. Those big kids are all someone's 'baby' and so it's important to take as you find. Most of them are polite, caring and well mannered young people who are still enjoying the magic of halloween because at 13 (or whatever) they are still, at heart, children. They're just that bit bigger.

[reneet]

Lovely costumes and well behaved children this year. My daughter had fun giving out treats. I dont let her trick or treat but we let her hand over the treats. I have nothing against trick or treating, just don't know what she would do with all the treats.

[Belle]

verds, I had a similar experience to you - got swept along with my 3 yr old's excitement, and though he was quite happy to just hand out treats, when his dad got home we were able to leave the baby with him (whereupon they took up the baton with handing out treats) and we joined our neighbours to go down our road and back up the parallel street. It was loads of fun and made me feel more connected with all our neighbours and the next streets - what was relaly nice was having the door opened by some children who'd just an hour before been round to our's.