Trick or treat?

lukesmom

Do you bring your kids trick or treating?
I find it kind of embarrassing just standing there with my kids. Like your begging for stuff almost. I find a lot of parent stand at the gate and let their kids walk in but you can see the parents standing there awkwardly with a sheepish 'hi'. Anyway I reckon I'll let the eldest bring the younger two.

stoneill

Help the Halloween Party!

The parents are there for the kid's safety more than anything. A slight perceived embarrassment is worth that.

Muise...

I don't have children, but when I was a child, the idea of being escorted round the houses by parents would have been more horrifying than any costume or game we could come up with. Most of the excitement was wandering dark boreens and bumping into other kids and trying to recognise them under their mad home-made costumes.

super_furry

stoneill wrote: »

Help the Halloween Party!

This. Keep your Yankee greetings, it's Help the Halloween Party round these parts.

Galadriel

Muise... wrote: »

I don't have children, but when I was a child, the idea of being escorted round the houses by parents would have been more horrifying than any costume or game we could come up with. Most of the excitement was wandering dark boreens and bumping into other kids and trying to recognise them under their mad home-made costumes.

Costume? I had a black rubbish bag with holes for the arms and head..haha, but loved it all the same!

Balmed Out

I bring them while dressed up as catwoman. Its great to keep up a family tradition of being an embarrasing Dad.

TheIrishGrover

Balmed Out wrote: »

I bring them while dressed up as catwoman. Its great to keep up a family tradition of being an embarrasing Dad.

Ya had me riiiiiight up 'til the end.....

Dravokivich

When I was a kid, the trick or treat was just done around the road you lived off. These days kids are going all over the place. Unless there was a group where one of'em was 10 or something and knew the way around, I'd be surprised not to see an adult go around with'em to be honest.

lukesmom

I have witnessed parents dropping their offspring off in cars and driving off.

Muise...

Dravokivich wrote: »

When I was a kid, the trick or treat was just done around the road you lived off. These days kids are going all over the place. Unless there was a group where one of'em was 10 or something and knew the way around, I'd be surprised not to see an adult go around with'em to be honest.

Well, I grew up in a rural area, but in the newer estates where people don't know each other well it must be harder to group the children together. I'm off out with my friends' little boy this evening, but luckily he thinks I'm "sound" and sometimes even "class", yay me!

Hownowcow

I grew up in a built up area, we ran around the whole neighbourhood. I still live fairly close to where I'm originally from, but times have changed. The children are now generally accompanied by a parent.

The effect of this: I give sweets to the parents as well. They look happier with the treats than the children.

travis1976

Dravokivich wrote: »

When I was a kid, the trick or treat was just done around the road you lived off. These days kids are going all over the place. Unless there was a group where one of'em was 10 or something and knew the way around, I'd be surprised not to see an adult go around with'em to be honest.

Too true. We do up the house flashing lights, scary noises, spider webs, costumes characters etc. and last year one of the parents came up the door saying "of all the estates we went to, this was the best house". Of all the estates....Jesus they mustn't have to feed the kids for a week...

April O Neill

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

Ya had me riiiiiight up 'til the end.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xECUrlnXCqk

:pac:

Oranage2

Muise... wrote: »

I don't have children, but when I was a child, the idea of being escorted round the houses by parents would have been more horrifying than any costume or game we could come up with. Most of the excitement was wandering dark boreens and bumping into other kids and trying to recognise them under their mad home-made costumes.

Ha this, but thinking about it, if I had kids I don't think I would let them go around on their own

Pumpkinseeds

We don't have any kids, well no human ones anyway:), but we'll get tons of kids calling to the house tonight, many with parents waiting outside the gate for them. To be honest I prefer to see adults accompanying the very young kids. Hell, most of us went trick or treating when we were kids, don't feel awkward about taking your kids out trick or treating, it just makes you a responsible parent.

josip

Galadriel wrote: »

Costume? I had a black rubbish bag with holes for the arms and head..haha, but loved it all the same!

But the black bags were the best costume for the nights it lashed.

kfallon

The worst was calling to a door as a young lad and being asked to sing! This was back in the day where nobody said 'Trick or Treat', it was knock on the door and say, "Antin' for Halloween?"

You'd always get one person who would ask you to sing a song for your 'treat' so after a minute of a stand off ye'd all just walk away in unison and somebody would probably say, "She'd have only given us a rotten apple, the bitch!" :pac:

rubadub

lukesmom wrote: »

Do you bring your kids trick or treating?
I find it kind of embarrassing just standing there with my kids. Like your begging for stuff almost.

It never crossed my mind that people would look at it as begging. If some people did consider it begging or had some other issue I imagine they just don't answer the door at halloween -so I expect anybody answering should have no issue.

The only begging/scamming going on would be kids calling up twice or more to the same house, if parents are there this is not going to happen (hopefully!)

The sheepish parents are probably keeping quiet to avoid embarrassing the kids, who would prefer if they were not there. The kids are probably telling them to keep out of sight & keep quiet. And the parents probably would prefer not to even be acknowledged by yourself.

I am pie

we had to sing, "halloween is coming and the goose is getting fat, have you please got a penny for the old man's hat, if you haven't got a penny then a ha'penny will do.."

Cue sweets handed over.

No sweets = smokebomb under car and doorbell rang later on that night.

kfallon

I am pie wrote: »

No sweets = smokebomb under car and doorbell rang later on that night.

Christ all ye were missing is ringing in a codeword :pac:

missierex

Myself and my two siblings were never allowed to go trick-or-treating. The parents believed it was akin to begging, so, they'd buy us some sweets and we'd bob for apples and such. We didn't mind, we still got to stuff our faces!

delw

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

We don't have any kids, well no human ones anyway:), but we'll get tons of kids calling to the house tonight, many with parents waiting outside the gate for them. To be honest I prefer to see adults accompanying the very young kids. Hell, most of us went trick or treating when we were kids, don't feel awkward about taking your kids out trick or treating, it just makes you a responsible parent.

Very true & also creating nice memories as well

Hilly Bill

travis1976 wrote: »

Too true. We do up the house flashing lights, scary noises, spider webs, costumes characters etc. and last year one of the parents came up the door saying "of all the estates we went to, this was the best house". Of all the estates....Jesus they mustn't have to feed the kids for a week...

Thats a disgrace,its like if they are trying to out do their friends etc. It should be just the few roads near you. Ive had kids just knocking and standing there with the bags not saying anything expecting me to put something in but i just take something out and say "Thanks".

smileyj1987

Free food is always great !!!

D1stant

Since when did the term 'trick or treat' come into Ireland?
And what was it called before hen?

anncoates

The kids are young and love it. I suppose I can live with feeling a bit silly.

MadsL

Trick you say?

http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Paul-Brook-Mind-Reader-Best-Halloween-Prank-Idea.jpg

Me, I'm old school, I stick with hiding razorblades in mine. Pesky kids, get off my lawn!

Whisko

My door bells broke in my flat.

All the sweets are for me!

I am pie

kfallon wrote: »

Christ all ye were missing is ringing in a codeword :pac:

Stingeys are legitimate targets on Halloween night.

Codeword grinch.

lukesmom

I love Halloween though, prefer it to Christmas (yeah I know, weirdo). Have made prepacked bags full of treats for the prospective trick or treaters. Hope they like them

Galwayguy35

No trick or treaters ever call to my door, the neighbours must be afraid of me.

General General

Dress up in Bio-hazard suit (with a 'Darth Vader' ventilation sound) & hand out 'treats' with a tongs, in silence (apart from the 'Darth Vader' artificial breathing).

Record reactions using micro-camera, post on youtube... profit.

Pang

When I was a young child trick or treating, one of the parents always chaperoned. As we hit 10 and older, we went by ourselves.

Stheno

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

No trick or treaters ever call to my door, the neighbours must be afraid of me.

Same here, it makes me very happy that I don't have to interact with small children grinning inanely at me

Irish Guitarist

A few months ago I saw a woman at the self service machine in Tesco who seemed to be having a problem with the machine. A staff member came over and said "is everything okay?". The woman said "I didn't have enough money". The staff member said "do you want to cancel something?". The woman replied "no, I took the money out of the deposit box". What she meant was that she had stolen money from a charity collection box and used it to pay for her shopping. The staff member told her she would have to pay the money back and asked for her details. The woman complained "I have bills to pay you know".

Earlier today someone rang my doorbell and started pounding on the door as if there was a fire. I answered and it was the charity box thief with a baby dressed in a pumpkin babygrow with her. She shouted "trick or treat" and I replied "sorry, no" and closed the door. I was tempted to tell her to go back to robbing from Tesco and to stop bothering me with her trick or treat nonsense.

The baby was far too young to enjoy Halloween so it was really just the woman using it as an excuse to beg.

petrolcan

I am pie wrote: »

we had to sing, "halloween is coming and the goose is getting fat, have you please got a penny for the old man's hat, if you haven't got a penny then a ha'penny will do.."

Cue sweets handed over.

"and if you haven't git a ha'penny then god bless you"

Feckin catholic upbringing!!

I am pie wrote: »

No sweets = smokebomb under car and doorbell rang later on that night.

Or egged windows.

petrolcan

D1stant wrote: »

Since when did the term 'trick or treat' come into Ireland?
And what was it called before hen?

I always knew it as mummering.

Hownowcow

D1stant wrote: »

Since when did the term 'trick or treat' come into Ireland?
And what was it called before hen?

Chicken

Menas

Running out of treats here and it is not even seven pm. Time to turn on the cctv and turn off the lights. Hopefully that will stop the door knockers.

Generally most of the trick or treaters around here are young kids with parents lurking but we had a couple of 16 year old lasses around earlier. I was not sure to give them sweets or a box of smokes as their treat.

mad m

Lights off, blinds pulled.....no one at home.....

Ding dong!




Hide!

0ph0rce0

Not a child in sight tonight, no fireworks, no bonfire, Nothing...

Over protective Parents have ruined halloween :mad:

Its gone to the dogs.

oldyouth

In my day it was............. "Any apples or nuts?"

Used to get windfall, peanuts, lollipops, chewies and a few bob

B.A._Baracus

Only got 1 knock on the door so far. Odd because it is usually much more busier than this. But watch as if 50 kids knocked i'd be like "feckin' kids" :pac:

Czarcasm

lukesmom wrote: »

I have witnessed parents dropping their offspring off in cars and driving off.

I can just imagine the children looking at each other - "They're coming back, right? Right??"


Just took my own young lad around the estate there, I'm lucky it's only a forty house estate, I wasn't sure how much more I could take! One neighbour quipped -

"Don't give your father any of them sweets now, he's fat enough already!"...

cookiexx

i used to HATE the parental escorting, most of the fun was in wandering around in the dark and bumping into other kids dressed up as ghosts and zombies and princesses and whatever else!

cOUDn't you just drop them off at the end of the estate and sit in the car or something as they do the rounds to each house, pick them up at the end?

Chucken

D1stant wrote: »

Since when did the term 'trick or treat' come into Ireland?
And what was it called before hen?

Wayyyyyy back in my day, it was Puca Puca Halloween, nuts and apples for the queen.
The Queen being the queen of the harvest I think?

Trick or Treat! Bah.

ETA: Sorry I answered on hens behalf

Sh1tbag OToole

None yet, which is good cause if they caught me out I'd have to dig into my supply of Beamish for treats. Considering how PC things have gone I'd probably get into trouble for my generosity

An Riabhach

We used to meet up with other kids from neighbouring houses-there were older kids as well so we were all ok.We were all in the countryside which made it spookier,i.e. no head lamps on the road,the old graveyard,the old gibbet,places which were apparently ring forts and "fairy rings" and other scary places...we never stayed out too late but twas always good fun.
I'll never forget a homemade mask that my big bro made for me from a cereal box one year(he was excellent at drawing)-twas the face of Eddie The Head,the mascot of Iron Maiden,and twas effin savage!!

D1stant

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

None yet, which is good cause if they caught me out I'd have to dig into my supply of Beamish for treats. Considering how PC things have gone I'd probably get into trouble for my generosity

Beamish? Generosity?

stoneill

oldyouth wrote: »

In my day it was............. "Any apples or nuts?"

Used to get windfall, peanuts, lollipops, chewies and a few bob

Any apples or nuts, we'll give the monkeys the butts.