What do you think about Halloween this year?

Agree Lucca, there's enough room and gloom around now, especially for children, without denying them one night of the year for a bit of dressing up and fun. Our local Facebook has just suggested that householders still decorate their houses with pumpkins etc, but there's to be no trick or treating. Instead, parents will drop a treat into their child's buckets for each pumpkin they see. It's a good compromise I think. I love to see the children dressed up!

Reported (not you, Lucca ).

Or you, Chewbacca! And I agree with both of you.

Me too Maggiemaybe. Bit of obvious spamming wasn't it!

Phew I thought I was being reported for not being totally anti anything American !!

Virtually no children around here anyway and my D would never allow children to go wandering around knocking on " strange " doors anyway, even though they're young teens. They'll keep it to themselves indoors and play games and frighten each other doing scary things. Maybe a couple of their friends too.

It was quiet here last year and won't be any different this year.
All I'd have to do is release all my tied-up hair and kids would run a mile

Just to clarify...my children never knocked on strange doors. They knew virtually everyone in our Close.

I agree with your American comment Lucca seems to be common practice to denigrate all things American as a generalisation. Like all countries and people there are good things and bad.

I admire those who get into the swing of Halloween but I hate it! I've had eggs thrown at my house in the past (I was out that evening) & most knocks on my door have been from teens with attitude.
My county constabulary offer a variety of A4 posters which can be printed off and stuck in a window or on the front door "No tricks or treats here thank you." It works well & I would recommend looking at the police sites if it would be helpful to you.

As a child in Scotland I enjoyed guising but there was never any implied threat to neighbours who didn't take part!
Treacle scones and dookingi for apples!
I now thoroughly dislike this 'festival's and ignore it. This view was reinforced a few years ago when a little girl of approx 6 years appeared at my door. She was entirely alone and a complete stranger.
I told her to go straight home!

Our village is encouraging people to decorate their windows - similar to the Bear Hunt. And I intend to put a bowl of sweets by the gate too!

Kandinsky, i`m with you all the way.

I live in a nice area and it still didn't stop eggs being thrown on our newly decorated rendering.

I hate it. Used to like our Halloween but the imported US Trick or Treat I detest.

Frankly, what I think about it every year. Far too commercialised; Trick or Treat gives children the wrong message; don’t approve of young children often wandering round without a responsible person in the dark knocking on doors of strangers. I realise that makes me sound like a sort of Halloween Scrooge, but I know of elderly people sitting in the dark scared of what might happen to them because they cannot afford treats for the children. This is not my idea of fun. Bah humbug!

When my daughters were little we used to go round with them. I love Halloween and every year enjoy seeing the childeren dressed up. Always polite ,always accompanied. Dorset is doing a pumpkin trail,probably same scheme as by Chewbacca. I'm looking forward to it,I think there might be a sign you can download saying not giving sweets out.

I do realise that not all childeren are accompanied and some will be quite daunting for some people. We never went to houses without a pumpkin or decorations.

I think it's very likely that the Covid pandemic will put paid to very much in the way of Halloween celebrations this year.

mcem - "As a child in Scotland I enjoyed guising but there was never any implied threat to neighbours who didn't take part!
Treacle scones and dooking for apples!"

That was my Scottish childhood experience of Hallowe'en. Not an Americanism in sight.

We used to go out in a group, dressed up in costumes/fancy dress, and knock on just about every door we came to. We'd go into the house (the very thought of it now!!! - different times though) and had to do a "party piece", to be rewarded with tablet, toffee apples, monkey nuts, or if you were REALLY lucky, a sixpence.

The village was one of those places where everyone knew everyone, so as safe as ever it could be to go to houses .

It was a lovely time.

We had Hallowe'en parties run by Sunday school and also by Brownies, with party games and prizes.

I do get cross when I see it being denigrated as "American - insert insult of choice" as our Hallowe'ens had nothing to do with America or its customs

Kandinsky

Same as every year.
The knocking on door thing demanding something for nothing ( or we’ll pelt your house with eggs ) is a vile American import.

I ignore it every year!

Ditto.

I have had some intimidating 6ft teenage lads growling "Trick or Treat" through my letterbox and then forcing handfuls of mud, stones and leaves through it because I wasn't answering, and was watching them from the upstairs window.

I was just relieved to find they hadn't put worse through the letterbox.

Relating to a previous comment, unfortunately the bad behaviour was not from local children, but from older ones from a different neighbourhood.

It’s a shame when a few spoil it for the many, and enjoy using threats and intimidation.

So many young children look forward to dressing up and enjoying the excitement but I think it’s rather sad that over commercialism has taken such a hold (as it has with Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day etc) and that the simplicity has taken something of a back seat for so many. However, I do think this year is going to be quite different due to Covid, as I said upthread.

I'm another who dislikes halloween. I put a sign on the door saying "no halloween here".

We used to get groups of 8 or 10 who ranged in age from about 10 -16 and they were quite intimidating.

Trick or treat? Have you ever tried tricking rather than treating? I've been tempted to replicate the photo attached.
I know some parents who encourage their children to go seeking money and are quite disappointed/annoyed if they do not succeed in a good amount being given.