When are kids going trick-or-treating?

[SJDproofreading]

This year, when are the kids planning on trick-or-treating? Saturday or Sunday night?

[Penguin68]

They normally choose the night when the door-ringing gypsies and paedo clowns aren't out and about, of course.

I would expect the littler extortionists to be demanding sweets with menances on the Saturday, and the larger ones whenever they want to. It's getting to be like November the 5th - a date which just forms an epicentre of mayhem.

Oh and edited to say 'Bah! Humbug!'

[Saffron]

Halloween is the 31st. That is a Sunday. Any one knocking my door for trick-or-treat on the Saturday will only get the trick end of the deal!

;-)

saff

[candj]

We are doing Sunday night, the 31st.

[Vik]

I only let mine go out on the actual day, so the Sunday - and only to houses that have a pumpkin or decorations on show.

[jadal]

I agree with Vik,mine are only allowed to knock on the door of houses that have decorations,pumpkins etc and we will be doing it on halloween so the sunday. But as it's a school night we will probably be one of the first lots round.

[Sue]

What is supposed to happen when you trick-or-treat?

[Spokes-woman]

Last year I had several very grumpy older kids trick or treating who got really upset because I only offered them sweets. They were after cash! Also had probs with fussy kids who complained because the sweets weren't what they liked! Whatever happened to being grateful for what you got?

[candj]

That's a shame, spokes-woman. We have loads of young children on our street and it's lovely to see them all dressed up and excited about the sweets. We do decorations on our door/windows and have several carved pumpkins so it's pretty obvious we're handing out candy. Oldest child we had last year was maybe 10ish? And no one gets cash that's for certain. I also noticed with every passing Halloween that more and more houses were handing out candy on our road which is nice.

[Spokes-woman]

It's not going to stop me getting the sweets in Candj. I am after all a bit of a softee and love seeing the effort the little kids put in with their costumes. Just a shame it makes me nervous to open the door this year. Also had my house egged which I hate.

[VeryBerryCherry]

Why is everyone calling it "Candy"???

We're in the UK... Call them sweets for God's sake! :)):)):))

[kels]

or lollies from where I come from.... (somewhere down under).

[Sue]

VeryBerryCherry Wrote:

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

> Why is everyone calling it "Candy"???

>

> We're in the UK... Call them sweets for God's

> sake! :)):)):))

xxxxxxx

Well this whole commercial Hallowe'en thing was imported from the States, wasn't it

[Applespider]

The Yanks imported it from us to start with.

In Scotland (and Ireland I believe), it was traditional to go 'guising' on Halloween - dressing up and going around the houses. Although I seem to recall having to tell a joke or something in order to get given anything as opposed to threatening to egg someone... I suspect the US migrants took the tradition with them and it morphed into Trick or Treat. When it's done in good humour, it's fun. If it gets to the point where things are damaged or take longer than a minute or so to clean up, it's gone too far.

[eater81]

Your best bet is to buy a couple of 20 packs of fags and give 'em one each of them it they come round. The appreciate those much more than some poxy sweets.

[SJDproofreading]

-- moved topic --

[Ruth_Baldock]

I think Candj is actually american/canadian, hence the 'candy'. Could be wrong though.

We didn't get any trick or treaters last year in SE5. Ah well.

[nunheadmum]

I do miss the 'old' version we had in Scotland - all the kids dressed up and had to perform their party piece to get their Halloween......cue lots of bad jokes, awful songs etc. But it felt like more of a two way exchange. And with the traditional call of 'The sky is blue, the grass is green, may I have my Halloween' it had a much mellower edge than 'trick or treat'.

And we used turnips (swedes) rather than pumpkins. Not sure which is easier to hack out!

[LoopyMum]

We are having a Halloween party ! Halloween cupcakes, spooky stories, pass the wriggly spider and pin the ghost !

All the fun of Halloween but in the warmth. ;-)

[new mother]

I was only allowed to do it once as a child as my parents thought the whole thing illmannered. (and that was long before eggs!)

I had to do what we called a "recitation" - a poem from school that week - and I remember my costume was itchy. My older daughter is still too young for us to get any such requests, thankfully.

[Curmudgeon]

any child trick or treating when it is not halloween will get short shrift round here

please don't take your kids out on Saturday - it is not a weekend event.

and only visit houses who have a lit pumpkin or decoration outside

[Belle]

Guising in Scotland - yes! That's what we did, though Nunhead Mum I've never heard that rhyme - it's very sweet. We all learnt poems/songs, and dressed up. We also did carol singing, and the rule was that at Halloween we got to keep the treats (and the odd 20p that got thrown in) but the donations at carolling were for charity. I really loved both, and think it's a nicer exchange than the idea of trick or treat. This will be our third halloween on our street and so far no 'guisers' or trick or treaters.

[antijen]

I loved guisin, we would blacken our face wie soot fae the lum, we knew all our neighbours, no matter how many there were of you, everyone had to entertain. Often we'd get a piece in jam or a penny or so was given, then gettin hame and sharing it was the best.

[Pickle]

Oooooh, Antijen... all of a sudden I feel like I'm reading a copy of 'Oor Wullie :)

[The Nappy Lady]

I agree about Sunday night - Halloween is on the 31st October and if anyone comes knocking on any other night they will not get any joy from me (and I love Halloween believe me), there will be carved pumpkins, fake cobwebs, decorated windows and all sorts at our place.

It's really fun in our road, lots of houses and families take part and make a real effort with their costumes. People only call at 'decorated' houses, and nearly all the children are very polite, saying "Happy Halloween & thank you".

Hope you all have a lovely time!

Attached photo of my daughter in her very scary ghost costume from last year....maybe we should all add some pictures of this years efforts, would love to see what everyone does.