Money and Halloween

DH answered the door to a group of tots dressed as Disney princesses with one skeleton, we do not have a clue who they were as there are no children on this part of our estate. I think there must have been a teenager with them because they were too small to reach the doorbell.

What a lovely night! I loved putting a (maked up admittedly) face to the neighbours that I'ld never otherwise meet day to day.

Was particularly impressed by some of the older kids/teens creativity with their halloween make up! I don't know why people disapprove of anyone other than toddlers being involved, I love the all generations aspect of it.

Residents of a retirement flat complex near our estate really went to town - a bunch of them dressed up as witches and stood outside pretending to cast spells and giving out treats! How nice for the kids and teens to see that their older neighbours have a fun side too

Took pictures of DS's pumpkins on display tonight. Top right shows DGS's first attempt at a ghost. Little hands wore out before the main outline was completed! Kids had a great time and we had lots of little visitors too. All very polite and supervised at a distance by parents. Everything pretty much over before 8 o'clock and now won't have to buy sweets till Christmas!

We made these pumpkin lanterns today & a swede Jack o Lantern but DH has just put it in the food recycling [thlshocl]. We did have the innards mashed for supper!

Me too Maggie. DGC coming in costumes tomorrow (so I'd better don the black dress, witch's hat and green wig too). Webs, spiders, bats and skeletons abound - so not much different from normal really! I'll dust next week.

DS has produced pumpkins in memory of David Bowie and Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder). He has more time to waste than I do! I would post a picture but it is on his FB so can't get it on here.

Good family fun anticipated by all and a very large box of 'Celebrations' bought when they were cheapest in Tesco to provide for our visiting 'Trick or Treaters' (who have never tricked I have to add).

Our house is currently Hallowe'ened (sorry, pedants!) to the nth degree, as we had a little bit of a do for the grandsons here this weekend. We have cobwebs, lanterns, spooky signs, witch's hat and cloak hung up on the coathooks, a banjo-playing skeleton (DH's contribution), a pumpkin and crossed broomsticks in each window and flying witches, bats, etc, etc, most in full view from the street. The trouble is we will be DGS2-sitting tomorrow at his house and won't be home till after 7, by which time the littlest Hallowe'eners will be long gone. I feel very mean getting their hopes up and not being there to answer the door with my witch's hat on. I am considering leaving my cauldron of sweets on the step when we leave tomorrow morning, with a "help yourself" sign. The trouble is, I've got an awful feeling that the older kids will do just that on their way to and from school

We had mischief night when I was a child. My brother and his pal took the school gates off and put them in the beck.
I usually make a pumpkin lantern and have sweets ready but no-one comes as we live down a rather spooky lane.

hizcaz46 I agree it has become more commercial and 'Americanised' but it is part of British culture too. see below from website Historic UK:

Originally celebrated on 13th May, it was Pope Gregory who had the date of the All Hallows’ feast moved to 1st November sometime in the 8th century. It is thought that in doing so, he was attempting to replace or assimilate the Celtic Samhain festival of the dead with a related but church approved celebration.
The night or evening of Samhain therefore became known as All-hallows-even then Hallow Eve, still later Hallowe’en and then of course Halloween. A special time of the year when many believe that the spirit world can make contact with the physical world, a night when magic is at its most potent.
Throughout Britain, Halloween has traditionally been celebrated by children’s games such as bobbing for apples in containers full of water, telling ghost stories and the carving of faces into hollowed-out vegetables such as swedes and turnips. These faces would usually be illuminated from within by a candle, the lanterns displayed on window sills to ward off any evil spirits. The current use of pumpkins is a relatively modern innovation imported from the United States, and we can also extend the same debt of gratitude to our friends in America for that ‘quaint’ “trick-or-treat” tradition!

I do not answer the door on October 31st. I disapprove of this import from America and think it is a horrible custom. Children dress up in frightening costumes and knock on strangers doors begging. It should be banned.

Mischief Night was 4th November in NE England, callgirl1. Plenty of tricks but no treats, and we could get away with murder for that one night only. We also went round with our lit turnip lanterns at Hallowe'en, and there was apple bobbing, toffee apples and spooky stories. And then of course there was Bonfire Night. That week was a Health & Safety officer's nightmare.

Not original - I have penstemmon to thank forbthis!

We made jack o lanterns out of turnip/swede (depending on where you live), played apple dunking and Nelson's Eye, created a haunted room and told scary stories. We ate toffee apples too. My Mam was from the NE and think it was her childhood experiences that she was following rather thad Da's experience don't know that Halloween was that big in Palestine

As a child living in London 50 odd years ago, I was barely aware of Halloween. November 5th was the big thing and there were kids with home made guys asking for 'a penny for the guy' on every street corner. Years later my hubby and I were living in America and the kids from next door came round on Halloween. Unfortunately DH opened the door - he'd never heard of trick or treating - and he just told them to go away (or words to that effect!). The next morning we found they'd covered our car with soap - it took us hours to get it all off. I wanted to go next door and let down the tyres on their father's Porsche and tell him it was an old British custom, but DH didn't think it was a good idea!

Definitely not money .

I just buy 10p chew sticks, bags of sweets, crisps, nothing costs more than 10p a pick.

The kids are never looking for top range treets or money here, thank goodness as we get 60 kids at least knock on our door. The mums and dads get a nip of sherry and I love to receive so many smiles .

Halloween was definitely celebrated in the NE. When mine were little they always went to an old man round the corner in his eighties who asked for a song or a rhyme before he gave them something. He said it reminded him of his childhood. As far as older children demanding money you could always warn them that they shouldn't go knocking at strangers' doors and then invite them in, chuckling quietly as you do so (maybe not, you might have the police paying a visit)

Wonder why the old law against 'demanding money with menaces' come into my mind? Sweets yes, cash no way.

I agree with Joannewton46. Hate the way Halloween has taken over here. I think parents should simply take children to the houses of friends and family, by arrangement. Not trawl the neighbourhood, knocking on doors. Halloween is a time when I'm grateful to live on a busy road, getting few callers, if any. On Monday evening we've friends coming over to us, as they're escaping their quiet road, and many callers.

Just seen Felice's post. Of course! I had forgotten the link with fireworks.

Until I read these posts I was busy blaming the Americans for Halloween. Then Grannyo's mention of guisers made me remember my childhood in Fife, where guising was common practice. It wasn't so commercial then and the children had tumshie-heids (carved turnips - swedes in England) instead of pumpkins. If there was no treat on offer, which was often the case as people didn't have so much money to spend, their doors would get egged or flour bombed. Not nice.

Never, never, give money to anybody who comes to you door (except the window cleaner, of course!)

Halloween or All Saints day is very big here always has been, 1st of November is a National Holiday. There are special Church services held too.
Families take Chrysanthemum plants to relatives graves.The cemeteries look lovely covered in flowers.
You can get cards to put in your window if you do not want to be bothered by people knocking.
In Scotland when I was growing up we went Guising, this was to collect money for fireworks for Guy Fawkes day and nothing to do with Halloween which was just treacle scones and dooking for apples.

We never had children coming round for Halloween till about 10 years ago. I hate it. I find it intimidating and I'm not usually the nervous type. I try to take my other half out for a meal that night but he's got a regular monday night thing this year so not sure what I'll do.

When I was a child we called it Mischief night. Wonder why?

My own kids were only allowed to visit neighbours we knew with me hovering in the background. They had to learn a joke or poem to tell and were delighted with nuts, fruit, sweets and small change. I expect the same but there are less children doing it - maybe as many attend Halloween parties at school and organisations they attend. We do end up eating the sweeties and oranges and nuts sometimes I confess! I think trick and treating is American but guising is Scottish. I did it when I was young and I'm 60 now.

Oh and some hilarious trickers destroyed my hedge when aunt and uncle were kindly babysitting for me years ago on Halloween. They declined to answer the door...