trick or treat etiquette

[DCS]

What are the unwritten rules? Ds was desperate to go so we went out. Only to OHS mums and back which is a 10 minute walk.
I thought, houses with pumpkins or decorations are fine to knock on.
We knocked on 9 doors I think, 4 where houses of people we knew.
The others just egnored us. They all have decorations up and lights on. One house were putting decorations up in the windows and looked right at ds aand carried on what he was doing.

Poor kid was quite upset. But I told him he was just too good a vampire. People must have been frightened.
He isn't bothered that he didn't get sweets, more upset that he didn't get to tell people his halloween joke.

I was just curious as to what the rules were.

 

[Moomette]

Aww, that seems pretty mean of the people to have ignored him. I would've also assumed that houses with decorations were welcoming trick or treaters, which is why we put some Halloween bunting on our letterbox at the end of our drive. Our girls got all dressed up and were so excited about people coming to our door, even though we only knew one group out of the ten that came.

Edited to add that this was the reason I didn't take the girls this year despite DD1 being desperate to go as well, but she would've been gutted if people didn't answer the door and we don't know many people in our neighbourhood.

 

[R_x]

I guess he was putting them
up for a party or something.

We have no decorations and had two groups knock so far. Defiantly going to make more effort next year though.

Do you all give them the sweets or let them choose?

 

[DCS]

I felt so bad for him.

We have 5 well lit pumpkins at the end of our drive. I always figured decorations meant it was ok to knock. We have just had our first lot just now. Was the girl who lives across from us, and 2 of her friends, the other two girls ran as soon as they heard our dog.

Last year I left a huge bowl of sweets outside the front door, because I didn't want my kids being woken up. I was sat in the living room and heard about 5/6 groups walk up the drive. When OH got home and brought the bowl in it was still half full.

Think next year I will avoid trick or treating and just have a little party for ds and his friends. He was so desperate to tell his joke, which apparently was his trick. ( why would a blanket punch you in the eye? ***** then he does an evil laugh while dd throws her self on the floor and rolls around. )

 

[Scout]

I'm in the US and here it's typically if the porch light is on, it's okay to knock. We're going out in about 2 hours. It's drizzling rain right now (seems it always rains on Halloween), but as long as the heavy rain holds off we'll be going house to house. If it starts raining we're going to a local church who do trunk or treat and they hold it indoors with games and stuff when it rains. Can't wait!!

 

[Pearls18]

Halloween is pretty big on the military patches we've lived on, this year has been great! We stuck to the rules of outside light on with pumpkin/decorations and skipped past everyone else, we also skipped past people with decorations if the pumpkin wasn't lit or a light on in case they weren't ready. Could the people have been out trick or treating? (Barring the strange ones that ignored you!) we left a note on the door with a bowl full of sweets on the step when we went out (amazingly there was one left when we got back!)

 

[SophiasMummy]

We only knocked on houses with pumpkins/decorations here apart from one where we know the people and they were expecting us. Everyone answered and gave them sweets. though I live in a small village so pretty much everyone is friendly, we even have a village Halloween party for all the kids and the kids are all able to go out together in a big group at the end but we decided to just go with a couple kids instead of loads

 

[LoraLoo]

It could be that the decorated houses were out trick or treating themselves? X

 

[DCS]

I did think they might have been out. We went out quite early about 4.30. There was 2 houses where it was completely possible no one was in but the other2/3 oh could see people in the house. One bloke was even stood in the window. Moving his net curtains to see who it was. I didn't even realise, but oh waited on the pavement in front of the houses with our dog while I walked down the driveways with the kids. ( didn't want to take dog down the driveway incase she peed or the people didn't like dogs, she is only a small dog. Looks more like a bunny than a dog. )

Think Im Just going to have to get over it. I'm sure ds won't care tomorrow, but it will bug me for ages. But will probably stick to parties from now on.

So far we have had 2 lots of people. The first girl, oh told her to take as many as she wanted, she took 3. Then I left the bowl outside and we had another group come along, I'd left a note asking them not to knock but help themselves to as many as they wanted, when I went to check if the bowl needed refilling, it was still full.
Looks like OH will be taking a carrier bag full of sweets into work tomorrow.

 

[LoraLoo]

We had one that also did the same (looked out of window) I found it odd aswell, as we also only go to the decorated houses. I just assumed the rest must have been out- made me feel better lol!

We haven't had a single kid here in the 8 years we've lived here- used to get hoards at our old house! X

 

[LoveCakes]

I bought sweets as we live in an area with lots of kids but only got a few of the neighbours kids.

We didn't decorate as LO is too wee but I didn't mind as long as it wasn't too late. I ignored one group last night but I was putting LO to bed at 7pm. Thankfully she didn't get woken by the other groups.

When I have ignored in past years it's because I ran out of sweets, was on the toilet or it was more than a week before Halloween.

When LO is big enough I'll probably just do the neighbours when I know they are mostly in.

Hope your LO was ok.

 

[vaniilla]

I've always known that decorations mean you're open to trick or treaters, that's mean of them not give lo something. We don't decorate but we always put out two pumpkins, lo loves answering the door and giving out sweets.

 

[AP]

Never have I known decorations to be an invitation to trick or treaters.
I don't open doors. I'm rotten like that, but I don't agree with trick or treating.
It does happen much round here. We had nothing last night.

 

[missk1989]

We go with the same rule. Put things out f they are welcome. The last 2 years we have been here we have had very few trick or treaters but his year we had so many that DH had to go and get more.
He also took DS and said that some houses had been really well decorated and they all had something outside so we put a couple of candles out with our painted pumpkins. When we ran out of sweets again I brought everything in and people were still knocking. We were putting lo to bed and did ignore them but thought that was less disappointing for them than us answering the door and telling them we have nothing.

 

[Lauraxamy]

Never have I known decorations to be an invitation to trick or treaters.
I don't open doors. I'm rotten like that, but I don't agree with trick or treating.
It does happen much round here. We had nothing last night.

I've never known the decorations thing either. But then I'm not big on Halloween myself. I live in a quiet area so don't really get anybody knocking much around here (My kids have never asked to go out trick or treating.. yet) so not really sure what the correct etiquette is.

At the end of the day though there could be multiple reasons as to why people don't open their doors when it's dark out. It could be that it's an elderly person, they could be trying to settle a baby, or they could be someone who's nervous about answering the door.

 

[Pearls18]

Living within a very specific community that is perhaps much more friendly and in touch with one another than a normal community the rules here are not just etiquette but well known and verbalised, decorations with lit pumpkins/some form of lights is inviting trick or treaters, pumpkins unlit means "not now" (so most people blow theirs out after 7), so I would say if you don't want trick or treaters at your door don't have a pumpkin out. This has always been the way since I have lived in military housing, so if you have some ex military near you they will knock on your door if you have a pumpkin or outside light on I have to admit if I was wanting to avoid trick or treaters (which I may well do if my husband was working away) I wouldn't have decorations out. My parents rarely let me trick or treat as a child they weren't really into it, but it's very different living in a community that celebrates it altogether you know? I think it's very much down to the area, I think there's still much of the UK that hasn't quite embraced it, which is obviously totally fine too!

 

[Cariad_x]

We followed the decoration rule and the houses we went to were really good with the wee fella. Ollie had a great time, I loved taking him!

I put up decorations but as we were out I put a note up saying to help themselves to the bowl of sweets. Other parents had their box of goodies with them and gave them out in the street. No one I saw chapped doors that didn't have decorations up.

It was REALLY busy in out estate last night. One woman we went to said that she'd made over 60 bags and has ran out by 20 to 7!

 

[KatieB]

We had one trick or treater so me and OH ate loads of Swizzels Matlow chews last night!

 

[sophxx]

We had pumpkins inside and lo decorated but I've never know that to mean people are welcome to trick or treat. I don't agree with it personally so didn't open the door.

 

[Natasha2605]

Never have I known decorations to be an invitation to trick or treaters.
I don't open doors. I'm rotten like that, but I don't agree with trick or treating.
It does happen much round here. We had nothing last night.

I've never known the decorations thing either. But then I'm not big on Halloween myself. I live in a quiet area so don't really get anybody knocking much around here (My kids have never asked to go out trick or treating.. yet) so not really sure what the correct etiquette is.

At the end of the day though there could be multiple reasons as to why people don't open their doors when it's dark out. It could be that it's an elderly person, they could be trying to settle a baby, or they could be someone who's nervous about answering the door.

Absolutely agree. I only answered the door twice last night, both times before 6.30pm. Hate people at my door, especially when it is dark. I cannot be doing with halloween and absolutely do not agree with trick or treating. My kiddies have never been nor asked. I presume they don't go by etiquette round here.

We had no decorations and the only light on was in the lamp in the living room. Yet people still knocked.