Trick or treating tips

First time ever going trick or treating with the girls tonight(6 & 10) and a couple if their friends are coming along. Is there a technique involved? How to choose a house to knock on? I do read thing we’ve ever had anyone knock on ours.. 😕

In lots of areas the etiquette is only to knock on doors displaying a lantern

Pumpkins in windows/outside houses usually state peoples willingness to be knocked.

make sure you have trousers on when you open the door…
or at least import an American to look after the door for you

Pumpkins in windows/outside houses usually state peoples willingness to be knocked.

This is what I understand.

In lots of areas the etiquette is only to knock on doors displaying a lantern

That’s how it works round our way although my neighbour has a notice (possibly from the local paper?) that says “no trick or treaters”

To be fair, there’s a reasonable community feel of the streets around where I live and most of the T&Ters are accompanied by parents and will only call at select houses where they know they’ll be welcome then they just go to the park and scoff all the sweets. They’re never any trouble.

As above – only knock on doors where you see hallowe’en decorations.

Of course the presence of said decorations often results in the occupants not being in as they too have children who are out trick or treating…

Around here we’re not miserable so you can knock on any door.

We (our chief trick-or-treat scaremonster) emailed everyone in the village 2 weeks ago with a note about leaving a pumpkin or candle out if they wanted us to visit. Hopefully this will work and we won’t catch folk out unawares like last year. Got lots more kids too this year, so should be fun.

Guising, not Trick or treating.

Guisers should have prepared a “turn” – a joke, song or poem to perform in exchange for goodies.

Yelling “Trick or treat” like some uncouth Yank just doesn’t cut it.

The acceptable alternative for those tiny tots too young to tell a decent joke is…”The sky is blue, the grass is green. Please may I have my Hallowe’en”

Yelling “Trick or treat” like some uncouth Yank just doesn’t cut it.

The acceptable alternative for those tiny tots too young to tell a decent joke is…”The sky is blue, the grass is green. Please may I have my Hallowe’en”

Good luck with that

Around here we’re not miserable so you can knock on any door.

same here we just don’t answer ! 😉

Good luck with that

No luck required.

All the adults and the kiddies know the score.

The rules of guising haven’t changed round our way since our grandparents did it. They probably trotted out some of the same awful jokes that my seven year old has in his bag of tricks for tonight. It’s effort that’s required, not quality.

Always has it been thus.

Guisers should have prepared a “turn” – a joke, song or poem to perform in exchange for goodies.

You forgot to mention about cross dressing.

We (our chief trick-or-treat scaremonster) emailed everyone in the village 2 weeks ago with a note about leaving a pumpkin or candle out if they wanted us to visit. Hopefully this will work and we won’t catch folk out unawares like last year. Got lots more kids too this year, so should be fun.

He sounds fun.

perchypanther – Member
Good luck with that
No luck required.
All the adults and the kiddies know the score.
The rules of guising haven’t changed round our way since our grandparents did it. They probably trotted out some of the same awful jokes that my seven year old has in his bag of tricks for tonight. It’s effort that’s required, not quality.
Always has it been thus.

Very much this

Aye it was guising when I was a lad growing up near Glasgow. Everyone did a piece, usually a joke or a terrible song. Proper dooking for apples too.

We went out on our own and every house was fair game. In fact the unprepared ones were the usually best as they profusely apologised for having no sweets and gave you their spare change (or catering-size chocolate bars) instead 😀

No guising round here though (NE England), but I still get them spearing apples.

He sounds fun.

She was one of those caught out by us last year. I don’t think any trick-or-treating had happened round here for years, but now we have lots of school age kids again here, so game on.

When I say caught out – I mean after my kids’ terrible joke, there was a lengthy rummage in the cupboard and a catering-size pack of chocolate was handed over. Like a killjoy I attempted to hand it back, but the kids were off down the road with it like they’d won the lottery.

Beware of chocolate covered brussels sprouts

No guising round here though

Nope, never heard of it.

emailed everyone in the village

I think I live on a different planet from you people

Pumpkins in windows/outside houses usually state peoples willingness to be knocked.

This is what I understand.

Pampas grass outside means something else, and you may not want the kids to knock there…

I just keep the lights of and don’t answer the door. Same as any other day.

I’d rather have kids banging on the door asking for sweets than the late night fireworks going off around our way since Friday night./victormeldrew

“emailed everyone in the village”

I think I live on a different planet from you people

Quite! Who still uses email?

Round here if you want to get in touch with lots of folk you just post it on one or more of the village facebook groups.

Facebook? Around here its live.ly

Right then, any recommendations for music designed to unsettle the little darlings as they approach the door?

Don’t think this can be beat, mind you:

Having started doing this over the past couple of years (not having done it since I was young and things haven’t changed much) our local route has people displaying lanterns etc so we knock them.

The kids just scream at them ‘Trick or Treat’ and we get handed a bowl of goodies….occasionally a pensioner puts up a display by mistake and they are half way to a coronary after opening the door.

All good fun and the neighbours go full hammer, dressed up including the parents but we have a good hour out with the kids all behaving nicely and having fun. Which lets face it, is what its all about. Now for some SUGAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When they shout “trick or treat” say “treat please”. Totally throws them.

Based on my two going out earlier I’d say under 3 yr olds do best. Got offered extra sweets for being so cute. Brought back is own body weight in sugar. Being a responsible (???) parent I can’t possible let him eat it all on his own, keep me in haribo for a few rides 😀

Thanks for the advice chaps. Did indeed only knock on houses with pumpkins on show and had a 100% success rate.