Halloween 2015

[MRTT]

Will you be handing out sweets to the children tomorrow night?

[Mike]

It's nice of you to post this on FC as an "after-thought" half an hour after posting it on UKAR !

[MRTT]

It's nice of you to post this on FC as an "after-thought" half an hour after posting it on UKAR !

Haha! Was thinking about doing it straight after but thought against it.

[Mike]

The 15th of July next year is a Friday and RIAT will be finished - just saying !

[Knife 04]

Certainly will be and taking my daughter trick or treating as well - first time!!

It's nice of you to post this on FC as an "after-thought" half an hour after posting it on UKAR !

What is UKAR?

[mark.alan.barnes]

My youngest is 12, nearly 13, so I am a bit 'redundant' with regards to taking them trick or treating. That said, I have bought loads of sweets, stuff to decorate the house and garden and hope that I have very many children visiting.

I was young once and although it can be said that it has became somewhat an Americanism, this is particularly a step in the right direction as far as I am concerned.

My rule of thumb, that my children follow, is that a carved pumpkin is an invitation to call on the house: No pumpkin = No knock.

£5 of sweets and get yourself in gear to be really pleased to see people, comment on their outfits and how pleased you are that they have made an effort. It isn't difficult.

I lived in Coventry, briefly, four years ago, and went trick or treating and my children knocked on over a hundred doors and only one person gave them any sweets. That is a bit depressing isn't it? I ran back to our house when I saw some people there and I was the only person who had gave them sweets or 'participated.'

Lighten up! It's not like it is every day is it ?

[Nighthawke]

We were prepared once. No word of thanks and when we "dared" suggest politely that they should do so, got sworn at by the parents. Never again. Sad that none bothers? Hardly surprising if that is a typical response - and sadly these days it is far more common. Manners cost nothing but the way some people bring up their kids you'd think they cost the earth.

Grumpy old git in the East!

[beefsteak]

My wife doesn't believe in it so our two have never been allowed to do it.
As she (rightly for once) puts it, "We spend all year long telling the kids not to accept sweets from strangers, then all of a sudden for one night of the year we positively encourage it!"
The last few years we've been away so there has never been the situation arising at ours, but one year the wife was working till 20.30 hrs and I sat there with a big tin of sweets waiting for the knocks on the door, and there were none forthcoming ! So they got put away for Christmas.
We should be just arriving back at ches moi around 21.00 tomorrow so will miss the little darlings again.

[The_Edge]

Isn't it a chance to get to 'know' your neighbours..and build up relationships or am I being grown up about this?..oh no I've grown up!!!!!!! Aaaarrrrgggh

[beefsteak]

Whilst I would and should agree with you there are no 'kids' near us (other than mine obviously) but there is a large estate nearby full of them, no offence meant to any body on an estate by the way.
Another way I can put it, the kids off of the estate won't 'allow' our kids onto 'their' park, no real problem we have a good one near us, but come halloween who's the first banging on your door?

[Mike]

Just connect anything metal on your front door directly to the mains.

[MRTT]

Had one knock so far, not as many as usual.

[Steven]

I don't know where you all live but as a resident of Nottingham I can tell you that it's not a pleasant evening around here.

The children are not the issue. The elder 'youths' see October 31st as a free pass to cause minor criminal damage and throw eggs, flour and whatever else they can find that they can use to cause misery to local residents. No eggs on our house tonight but several other houses targeted on the road.

Steven.

[MRTT]

Sad to hear, my area is mostly nice but we do get the odd complete nutjob who just wants to cause trouble.

[mark.alan.barnes]

I only had five visitors. I had spent three or four hours decorating (and replacing batteries!). As it was a dry night I put all the decorations in the garden/trees and it was all made worthwhile when a group of children and their parents were saying, 'that was fantastic!' as they walked away.

I am fairly lucky that I live in a village.

My youngest met up with some school friends on the fringes of Rugby and spent a near fruitless hour wandering about. Shame really as when I dropped him off and picked him up there were very many groups of children, all dressed up, trick or treating. Still he went out in the village when I brought him home.

Now, though, we have Bonfire night to endure. It already seems that I am living in downtown Baghdad circa 2003!

My two cats are both on Lorazepam! lol

[Thunder]

We had about 20 at our door, great to see. The thing that hacks me off are the couples in their 20's/30's that haven't got any kids or the ones in their 50's/60's and their kids have grown up, yet they move into a family orientated housing devoplment and then have the cheek to complain at kids knocking at their door(didn't we all go trick and treating when we were young?).

Unfortunately it's another tradition that is disappearing due to self obessed parents/adults that complain kids grow up too fast and don't have a childhood like they used to, no because you are taking it away from them. They all moan about the Muslims/Polish/Blacks and so on coming in and diluting our hertiage, but they do a good enough job themselves.

Good on you mark.alan.barnes for putting in the effort. All our neighbours that have kids also put decorations in their gardens be it a single pumpkin or more elaborate displays, unfortunately I started work at 1900 so missed most of it, including the parents having a few beverages afterwards.

[beefsteak]

We had about 20 at our door, great to see. The thing that hacks me off are the couples in their 20's/30's that haven't got any kids or the ones in their 50's/60's and their kids have grown up, yet they move into a family orientated housing devoplment and then have the cheek to complain at kids knocking at their door(didn't we all go trick and treating when we were young?).

Unfortunately it's another tradition that is disappearing due to self obessed parents/adults that complain kids grow up too fast and don't have a childhood like they used to, no because you are taking it away from them. They all moan about the Muslims/Polish/Blacks and so on coming in and diluting our hertiage, but they do a good enough job themselves.

Good on you mark.alan.barnes for putting in the effort. All our neighbours that have kids also put decorations in their gardens be it a single pumpkin or more elaborate displays, unfortunately I started work at 1900 so missed most of it, including the parents having a few beverages afterwards.

No we didn't, it was seen as begging and as such was frowned upon. It's only just kicked off big style in the past 20 years and it''s getting bigger year in year out as it's another "Americanisation" that is creeping into our society. We'll be celebrating 'thanksgiving' soon (It won't be long, have you noticed "Black Friday" is getting big here already and that's a major part of it!)

[Thunder]

I'm 43 yrs old I can remember going out when I was 6/7 yrs old along with all my friends and other children from the neighbourhood and my parents both in their 70's also went out in when they were children so it's been on the go a lot longer than 20yrs.

Seriously how can harmless fun by children be seen and classed as begging and out of curiosity did/do you allow your kids to write letters to Santa or is that begging as well?

[beefsteak]

No 'cause Santa's real !

Incidentally, how can writing a letter to an imaginary person compare with knocking on strangers doors asking for sweets?

[Thunder]

Because the child writing the letter doesn't know that Santa is an imaginary person, so your basically asking said child to beg/ask for toys, which is what you said Halloween was all about.