The only time I've ever opened the door was to a group of tiny kids whose mum was standing at the bottom of the drive. I always have the sweetie bowl beside the piano anyway so I just held that out to them. They only took one each - very restrained! I've had a couple of pupils sneak back into the room while I was busy talking to mum at the end of the lesson for seconds

Houses getting egged etc... is about normal for any time of year round here. I live right beside a park where the kids congregate at night. It's such a weird mixture as well - they range from about 9 - 18 yrs old!

The wee girls turn up on a Saturday night all dolled up as if they are somewhere special, which makes me laugh!

Oh dear really? Oh dear. I didn't think my hometown was that bad!

I doubt if Bristol is worse than any other city, but I think that the police were having a big campaign against bad Halloween behaviour and had loads of extra officers patrolling.


A few years ago we had some teenagers knocking on the door, when I asked them if they could explain the original meaning of Halloween, they were completely dumbfounded. As far as they were concerned it was just an occasion to dress up badly and go begging. Like thinking Christmas is just so that shops can boost their profit levels.

I've never been trick or treating, because I go to a different school from everyone in the area (the two main schools are too big, and have too many yobbish people in it for me to go to without people bullying me), so I don't know anyone....



Last year, the yobs threw eggs at the house, but noone came this year...



I think that's because

1) there's something about the house that they don't like
2) I was practicing the Piano a bit
3) The yobs learnt from last year

Oh no. It's nearly Hallowe'en again...

We're going to a Halloween party so we can avoid trick or treaters

tbh I used to go trick or treating when I was younger (and lots of of people in my area did, so it was sort of the done thing). These days, it's too many older kids...

Good move

I was brought up in the West Highlands and "trick or treat", it is an old Celtic tradition, was quite normal. When I moved south it just was not done, but over the last few years it appears to have been re-imported from North America with none of the fun that we had and very, very commercial.

Thankfully I shall be away from home (Harp Festival in Derby!!) but I'm with the Bah Humbug Brigade. Lights out, no-one at home is definitely the order of the day here. I made the mistake of turning someone away on our first year here, and was egged for my trouble. I'm not even sure what one is supposed to do, other than handing out sweets to strangers - what is the idea of Trick or Treat? Who does the trick - the caller or the householder? I know someone who keeps a large water pistol by the door and shoots through the letterbox!

Unfortunately (certainly in this part of South East London), Hallowe'en has for many years been used as an excuse to cause trouble, egging anything that moves (and a lot that doesn't), and generally causing trouble. The sooner it's over, the better, as far as I'm concerned

I don't agree with it, but i'm not nasty to trick or treaters, I just tell them that we don't believe in celebrating it but if they come back near Christmas I'll have some treats in then!

I'm assuming it's something else inherited from the U S of A?

Saxgirl


http://www.reverbnation.com/keridegg
http://www.keridegg.co.uk

I've never seen any of the misbehaviour people are describing. I don't think you can tar all kids (or all trick or treaters) with the same brush! I went every year when I was younger, and never egged anyone's house, or did anything horrible.
I'm going to get some sweets in for sure, since there are loads of kids around where I live.

I just don't agree with the idea of children knocking on the doors of strangers and expecting treats. I don't see why people should be expected to provide treats, and also they could be knocking on anyone's door. Someone at my work takes her daughters round the road she lives in but it's all prearranged and all the neighbours with children have agreed that they will all provide each other with treats, which I think is a much better idea. I never went trick or treating when I was younger because we weren't allowed but I'm glad we didn't. However I know that my mum didn't always provide the trick or treaters with treats and nothing bad ever happened. I guess it depends where you live. Fortunately at the moment I live in a building of 4 flats and we always have the entrance door locked anyway, so they can't get in.

Lucid

I agree that knocking on the doors of stranger expecting sweets is just plain rude! I live in a really rural area and we've never had any tirck or treaters, but I think that's because to get to my house there is a 1/2 mile drive so nobody can be bothered to walk up it! My parents always have a party for halloween though, and used to invite the whole class back in prep school for games and party food. This year it's just my younger twin brother and sister having their friends round from prep school and a couple of mine and my other brother's friends, but it should still be nice. I think it's a nice opportunity to have an autumn-time party, but sometimes things do get totally out of hand!

Do you need a CRB check or registration with the ISA before you hand out sweets to kids on Hallowe'en?

also a food hygiene certificate. and also who do I sue if my nieces choke on said sweets..........

No such thing as trick or treat in my day (the 1960s).

Roll on 1st November!

Well I wont be opening the door, my husband is out at a concert and I will have the door all locked up! Better make sure that I don't put the catch on though otherwise he wont be able to get back in when he comes home! lol

I shall be away for the weekend (on a course at Benslow) so Mr Willobie will have to clear up any debris...

W

Ooh, good idea. Must make that my excuse.

Apparently this practice was unknown in the UK before the 80s:
The "Japanese knotweed" of festivals

To me I think we spend all year telling our children "Be nice" "Don't snatch" " No! Don't hit/push/ shout at him/her just because they won't give you something you want" and trick or treat seems the totally opposite philosophy To say "Give me something for nothing or I'll do something nasty to you" just seems plain wrong. I know around here it's more as you said that parents know where their kids friends live and call only on them and other people they vaguely know - usually those with kids around the same age. But I don't do it with mine or give treats to the trick or treaters. But I just nicely tell them I don't do it. Growing up in Leeds the tricks were terrible - eggs, doggie doings and even fireworks through letterboxes were not unheard of.



I put a poster on my door for the last two years politely explaining that we don't do trick or treat so please don't knock and telling them to enjoy their evening. It worked very sucessfully.

I am not anti-halloween though and have had some fun parties as a kid (some organised surprisingly by Brownies which was church associated) and have attended the odd one as an adult and am in fact going to a party on Saturday.

I bet, like us in Yorkshire, you had "Mischievous (or Mischiever's) night". At least we didn't bother people asking for treats - we just nicked their gates

Or stuck down doorbells with sticky tape ???? Only did that one to my mum and Dad though. Also was too much of a softy to even knock on doors and run away. In my era (80s) this got taken too far too though in the same vein as my above post. Not nice!! Thought that was 4th November - i.e. night before bonfire night to coincide with Guy Falkes' michief making

I think the date varied across the country, but yes it was 4th Nov for us. We had some wonderful pyrotechnic tricks which I won't pass on but our greatest achievement was one year to make off with the school gates.

That's a jolly good idea! Aren't the most simple ideas often the best? I'll try that this year.

I am away for Halloween this year so don't need to get anything in, but in past years I've handed out fun size treats. Last year I got about 6 or 7 groups, probably about 20 kids in total! They were, without exception, very courteous and respectful. They tended to say Happy Hallowe'en and look hopeful, and all took just one thing from the tub of goodies (one boy did ask very politely if it was OK if he took 2 as he was also collecting for his little brother who was standing at the end of the drive with Mum!) and they all said thank you before they went away! The younger kids usually come round when it gets dark - but usually even the older kids are finished by about 8. On those years I've been out I've never had anything horrible done to my house.

I was never allowed to go trick or treating and I am not really sure I agree with it on principle. But generally I don't find it too bad in this area!

I get more annoyed by "Carol Singers" who think that a shouting a chorus of "We wish you a merry Christmas" is worthy of a reward!

edit: on that note, I am reminded of a musical friend who had a group of said "carol singers" on her doorstep and responded by getting her guitar and carol books out, and not letting them leave until they had learnt to sing a proper carol all the way through! They never bothered her again! :-)

Did you sell them for scrap?

Thankyou but I can't even claim the credit - It was designed by the police and you could print it out from the net the first year. last year I did design my own. Think I've got it stored somewhere. Could mail you a file if you like.

My singing teacher does that to carol singers. She invites them in for hot chocolate and doesn't let them leave until they've sung a verse completely in tune (with optional harmonies)

I thing it depends on what part of the country you were in, it is very much a Celtic Festival.

I LOVE that idea, then they could listen to me sing REALLY, REALLY badly (as I always do)

Trick or treating isn't bad here - generally polite and no hint of a 'trick'.

The best carol singers we ever had were, sadly (only because it showed us up), visiting American students who were staying in the village. They did the whole thing beautifully - the singing was lovely and for added effect the girl in charge was wearing a long velvet cloak and carried a lantern. They felt they were entering into the spirit of a real old English Christmas by doing this in (largeish) Kentish village - I felt they were showing us a thing or two.

We do sometimes get very good carols when queueing at the butchers on Christmas Eve morning - proper choral singers and mince pies

I once opened the door to trick or treaters, and asked them to go awa as I was in the middle of bathing the baby and had no treats. They trew eggs at the door, which then dripped down all over the doormat so I had to buy a new one. Ever since I have just ignored the doorbell on halloween. One year I got up to find a pumpkin lantern on my doorstep on 1st November! It later transpired that my lovely next door neighbour had brought it round as her grandchildren had made it and she thought my children might like it. She rang the bell several times, but I was in full ignoring mode.

When I was a child a group of six of us used to go carol singing and we always sang one carol almost all the way through before ringing the bell, usually in more than one part, then asked if they had a favourite carol and then did we wish you a merry Christmas as a finale. We made an absolute fortune one year (for the local childrens home) when we hit a house with a Christmas party in full swing. The whole lot came to the door to ask for requests and pay us. It really annoys me when the bell goes at Christmas and they don't start to sing until you open the door, then you get half a verse of "We wish you..." and when you ask them what they are collecting for they don't know. We always had an official collecting tin too, which you get by just asking the charity for one.

Although I'm not really keen on trick-or-treating, we do usually keep some small treats - the younger children are fine and not usually badly behaved at all.

We had a very amusing episode some years back when our (delightful) neighbours, not long arrived here from Norway, asked if their children (oldest about 6) could come round and do 'trickle tree - not really sure what this is but they heard about it at school; they dress up and come and ring your bell and say trickle tree' .

Some of our worst experiences were in the 80s and 90s - with older children, plus some of their parents who I have to say were worse than the kids and should have known better - we had a visitor's car sprayed, minor damage caused, etc. That kind of thing is simply a celebration of evil (disguised as fun) which is clearly unacceptable.

No no. We were cheeky chappies, not chavs. They were left in a prominent position so they could be reclaimed. They were bolted on afterwards.

I usually put a sign on the gateway saying something like "Treat seekers welcome". Small kids love showing off their costumes and they bring their Mum, Dad or older siblings with them. I love admiring the costumes and offering fun size choc bars or small bags of sweets.

The neighbour opposite puts up a sign to say no to trick or treaters and I think that's respected too.

Maybe it depends where you live. I know a colleague once had her house egged and I think that's despicable.

Let's hope it's all good natured again this year.

I take my children trick or treating and we tend to assume that if there are halloween decorations in evidence (pumpkin on doorstep etc.) that it is OK to ring. If the house if in darkness or if there's a sign up saying 'no trick or treaters' then we don't. We only go along our own road, which is a cul de sac, so most people answering the door would know the children by sight. We haven't had any trouble with 'tricks', but then I always have some chocolate ready by the door.

Dad hasn't ever let us go trick or treating we would never ever have tricked, and would only approach houses with decorations. He says it's like begging, and why should people give us sweets?

He's very sweet to all the littleuns who come to our door though, and pretends to be scared of them, bless him, and joins in with the halloween fun.

Two years ago we were at a party though, and got back to find the front of the house covered with splatted rotten eggs, and one of the windows broken. I don't think teenagers should be allowed to trick or treat...

We had five large groups of treaters, and one trick. I answered a knock at the door to find a banana on the doorstep. I couldn't stop laughing.

A bit later some treaters came by and asked for the banana back! Not the worst that could happen.

When I ran out of treats, I took down the Happy Halloween signs and turned off the outside lights. It's been quiet since then.

I work in a haunted pub, and Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, i've been taking tours of the abandoned part of the hotel and the cellars. The last tour i took on Friday, we heard footsteps and a door slam upstairs on the top corridor = we left that part and took the tour to the cellar. Saturday night, we were up there, and again heard the footsteps.... and the doors slamming, i dont know who moved quicker ... me or the customers! There was no one else up there, as it is closed off and we are only able to go far enough up to seee the first corridor, i didnt think i believed in that kind of thing, but after last night... i'd say maybe there is something there.

There was a couple of halloween parties going on up there too, with lots of the customers (&staff) dressed up., So we had a laugh at work, i got laughed at by the other bar staff and the doorman when i said hello to a figure that was there as a prop for the band playing at the halloween party though .

It's been quite a fun few days at work Even with not getting home until 1.30-2am each night!

By recent years' standards, there was less egg/flour debris on the roads than usual...

Another explanation to the origin of trick-or-treating here:
''Trick or treat probably came to this country as a result of a BBC Two documentary of the early Seventies in the Look Stranger series ... It showed children at the American airbase in Woodbridge, in Suffolk, doing trick or treat, and the next day, it was covered by all the tabloids.''

This is how I know it...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

and find it quite sad that it has been so "Americanised", will apologies to any of our cousins across the pond.

We were doing "Trick or Treat" in the West Highlands 100 years ago.

Interesting (to me, at any rate) that there's no mention of Hallowe'en in Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, even though she was of Scottish descent.

Hi Aeolienne

I had to Google Laura Ingalls Wilder, it would be interesting where in Scotland she was decended from? Halloween was very much a West Highland/Irish thing and is related to a Celtic pre-Christian festival. Like many countries Scotland was/is very diverse. Sheltland and their Viking festivals is one example.

Thinking in a pure Devon context there are two interesting "Fire Festivals" at this time of year the Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels and a less well know event in Hatherleigh near Okehampton.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottery_St_Mary#The_Tar_Barrels


http://www.hatherleigh.net/carnival_page.asp

There are various references in the books to Laura's mother's Scottish ancestry, particularly when Pa complements her on her resourcefulness. Caroline Ingalls née Quiner was born in Wisconsin in 1839, and according to the historical marker which you can see here, she was one of the earliers settlers in her hometown, which might suggest that her parents were first-generation immigrants at the time of the Highland Clearances. I don't have a dictionary of surnames to hand, but her maiden name sounds like it might have the same etymology as MacQueen.

Yes Halloween was always a big deal here, but not in the commercial way it is now. Costumes were always homemade and as a child we didn't say Trick or Treat, but "Help the Halloween Party" which is much cuter!!!

It is related to Samhain, a Celtic festival for the end of summer and the Irish word for November. As Ireland became Christian it became related to the feasts of All Saints and All Souls and I think this is where the ghosts come from.

The whole Trick thing doesn't seem to be that big a thing here though, I have rarely heard of anyone getting egged or anything like that. It has a much more positive face here. Although there are annual reminders about bonfires, fireworks and keeping your pets indoors. (Things I presume you get in the UK for Guy Fawkes day, which we don't celebrate here).

Thanks Aeolienne

Quick set of sums here, the clearances started in 1746 and lasted about 20 years. It is amazing what you learn on this Forum.



Hallo pianodub

Did you have to do a "Party Peice", usually a song, for your treat as we did?



It would be interesting to see what happens back home - I'll need to call some relatives with children.