Halloween Virgin - Advice Please?

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So my kids want to go trick or treating for the first time. This is a relatively new thing in Australia, I have never done it, and I'm not entirely sure what the protocol is.
I guess I can assume fire-bombing people who tell us to piss off (which is likely to happen a lot here) is frowned upon?

What do I need to know first time out?

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@Eorl,

Do they trick-or-treat in your neighbourhood? If not, go to one where they do. Here's the protocol in Canada: a bunch of kids walk up to a door and knock on it. When it opens, they shout, "Trick or treat!" Then the person hands out some candy and you move on to the next door.

If there's no Hallowe'en stuff out, it might be a no go. If there's no lights on, it's definitely a no go.

We used to take pillow cases to hold the candy, and we'd go in mobs. Well, a bunch of classmates and sibs would get together and go out. It's safer. When there are little ones, they go with older sibs or parents, and they go earlier. No self-respecting 10 yr old would be out as early as 6:00! It has to be dusk. The little ones go early and you don't want to be thought of as 'little' when you're 1o.

Rules:
- you can't hit the same house twice (that's just a breach of Hallowe'en etiquette).
- you can't complain about what you're given ("peanuts???"), after all, it's FREE.
- I always rewarded home-made or creative outfits with more or better candy. Store-bought is too easy and lazy.
- MAJOR RULE: You don't eat anything until you get home and the parents go through it.

Maybe others disagree or have other traditions.

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@Mame,

Oh yeah... and we'd learn some "scary" hallowe'en songs and poems to chant when the person asked what the trick was - I don't know if they teach, learn, or do this anymore, but my generation had a zillion scary hallowe'en stuff to say to them.

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@Eorl,

Firebombing is bad, eggs and shaving cream perfectly acceptable.

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@Eorl,

Dang, Eorl, that's a hard question in a way.

I think that things would be different haccording to what neighborhood you're in, if you were talking about doing it here.

How old are your kids? If they are younger (4-8 or 9) it's customary for parents to take them from door to door just in their immediate block or the adjoining blocks. Older kids tend to want to go around with their friends.
Any packages that are hand wrapped should be brought home and examined before eaten. In fact all of the candy and treats should not be consumed until the parents get a chande to look over the "booty".

It generally starts just as the sun begins to go down, and goes on until either all the houses that you're intending to visit have been visited once, the kids are tired, or people start turning their porch lights out as a signal.

Other than that, just make sure its as fun a time as they can have - Halloween has potential to be some of the best memories!

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@sublime1,

I've never seen any repercussions on houses that don't 'do' Hallowe'en. We just moved on.

1 Reply

@Mame,

If the door wasn't answered or were told they were out of candy then there was no problem, if we were told to piss off or were treated hostile the house was fair game. It might be a Chicago thing.

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@sublime1,

And an age thing - you're not doing to do anything when you're 9 or 11, but if you're a teen (when you shouldn't be out anyway), then maybe. I've seen teens egg cars and such back the day (40 yrs ago), but recently - nothing like that at all. In fact, I rarely even see kids on the streets... they all seem to be attending Hallowe'en parties, whether at a friend's house or the local community centre. Another tradition gone south in the name of "safety".

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@Mame,

True, we were right on the border of trick or treating and causing trouble. 11 to 13. (25 years ago, ouch) Why deny Eorl the fun that was missed?

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@sublime1,

Honey, if you look like John Belushi, I'll deny you nothing. Here, have a carton of eggs and get out there!

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@Mame,

I did dress up as him once with a friend as Elwood, hand cuffed to the briefcase and everything.

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@sublime1,

I won a prize as him one year Smile

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@Mame,

Picture!

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@Eorl,

Mame covered the majority of the etiquette, dressing up for the adults is optional and generally in the minority. Is decorating common by you?

1 Reply

@sublime1,

Decorating the house? No, not all. In fact I saw my first ever halloween decorated house just yesterday.

Lots of great advice here, thanks guys. Keep it comin'.

1 Reply

@Eorl,

Put some reflective tape on their costumes or have them carry flashlights so car drivers can easily spot them in the streets after dark.

Have them carry your contact info in case they get separated from you.

Instruct them to never enter someone's house unless you have given them permission to do so, even if they are invited to do so by the folks handing out the candy.

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@Eorl,

If you are at home giving out candy:
- Turn your porch light on when you want visitors, off when you don't
- Keep pets under control. Your dog might not like this holiday.
- If you like to dress up yourself, control your frightful impulses around the younger children.
- Compliment costumes especially creative ones.
- Decide what you are going to say if someone shows up without a costume. I usually make a snarky comment and give them the candy anyway.

If you are escorting children:
- Let older children approach the door themselves. If you have children younger than 7 or so, escort them to the door unless there is an older child to do it.
- Emphasize the rules: Ring once, say "trick or treat", say "thank you", don't step on the flowers.
- If the porch light is off, skip the house.
- Make sure to visit friends' houses since they will want to see your children.
- A polite wave to the neighbors when they give your children candy always works well.
- Depending on the neighborhood and neighbors, parents might be offered treats of a stronger nature.
- Children like to carry flashlights with them and it helps prevent accidents.
- If you have more candy than you can carry, it's probably time to stop.

1 Reply

@sublime1,

sublime1 wrote:

If the door wasn't answered or were told they were out of candy then there was no problem, if we were told to piss off or were treated hostile the house was fair game. It might be a Chicago thing.

When I was growing up, Mischief Night was the night before Halloween, meant for TP'ing trees, the bolder kids throwing eggs.

My father was a member of the volunteer fire police in my town, and they drove around on Mischief Night to make sure nothing got out of hand.

Once they stopped two boys who appeared too old for that stuff, and the boys gave them some lip.

So my dad and his partner had them lean against the car, and they "frisked them" breaking all the eggs they had in their pockets, and inside their jackets.

Good times.

chai(did I ever tell you about the time my father shot a rat dead and wrapped it in a shoebox and put on top of the trash, and someone stole it?)tea

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@Eorl,

If you suspect your neighbors and neighborhood will not be participating in handing out candy, perhaps you can invite your children's friends and their parents town ad hoc Halloween party and just skip the entire door to door trick or treating until the idea of door to door candy mining seeps into the community for next year.

1 Reply

@engineer,

Quote:

If you are at home giving out candy:
- Turn your porch light on when you want visitors, off when you don't
- Keep pets under control. Your dog might not like this holiday.
- If you like to dress up yourself, control your frightful impulses around the younger children.
- Compliment costumes especially creative ones.
- Decide what you are going to say if someone shows up without a costume. I usually make a snarky comment and give them the candy anyway.

If you are escorting children:
- Let older children approach the door themselves. If you have children younger than 7 or so, escort them to the door unless there is an older child to do it.
- Emphasize the rules: Ring once, say "trick or treat", say "thank you", don't step on the flowers.
- If the porch light is off, skip the house.
- Make sure to visit friends' houses since they will want to see your children.
- A polite wave to the neighbors when they give your children candy always works well.
- Depending on the neighborhood and neighbors, parents might be offered treats of a stronger nature.
- Children like to carry flashlights with them and it helps prevent accidents.
- If you have more candy than you can carry, it's probably time to stop.

I think all of those are perfect. One more thing I like to do is drink my beer from a Solo cup as I walk the kids around the neighborhood, so as not to excite my teetotaler neighbors.

1 Reply

Halloween Virgin - Advice Please?

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