Is it only here in the UK...

OMG what a bunch of miserable people and even putting up signs that say you're not participating too??! UGH.:noway:

I always open my door to trick or treaters and gave them treats, now I have kids and want to take them trick or treating there's no point...because of all the miserable tight gits that don't want to open their doors. Last year not one person opened their door :mad: , our kids were so upset after all the excitement of dressing up for it. We took them to the shops to let them choose whatever sweets they wanted.

Oh no let's not celebrate anything or have fun, what's the point, let's hide in our homes and be tight arses.:ohwell:

Are you for real??

Around here, theres busy and slow parts of town. In the better areas, parents drop their kids off (more houses, etc) and sometimes those houses get 200-300 kids in a night. The police and other groups drive around and hand out candy and gift certificates to children dressed in safe (reflective stuff, flashlights, etc) costumes.

As far as people not partaking, generally, if the house has lights off, they aren't giving candy. Certain blocks have very few who give any.

Halloweens my favorite time of the year, but it'd be heartbreaking as a kid to go and have even a handful of houses with no response, or nobody giving candy.

I think this year I'm gonna just bring a stash of candy with me and give it out to whoever I see all day. Maybe creepy, but maybe it'll make someones day. Also in a small town, chances are I'll know 75% of the people anyway.

I'm also dressing up all weekend. 3-4 days. And booked time off.

I'm so hardcore.

Sadly yes.

Good for you and everyone in your area, sounds lovely, only wish we lived somewhere half as nice.

(Canada) I loved Halloween as a kid, but last year I just took my then two year old and newborn to the park until it got dark, then came home and made sure the door was locked and front lights off so I could put the kids to bed. People came to the door anyway, repeatedly rang the doorbell,and one kid actually tried the doorknob! We didn't have the money to buy a bunch of candy, or I would have gladly opened to them. But if the lights are off, and they jiggle the doorknob... I don't know what they were thinking...

Glad I didn't take my little guy trick or treating, all the decorations were out if a cheap horror movie. Its supposed to be for kids, and I don't want to put those images into my kids head. It's to the point where I don't want to bring him to stores because of all the mangled, bloody half corpse walking dead severed heads bones sticking out crap they have on display for a month. Like they ran a cemetary through a trash compacter and nailed it to the walls. Nasty.

you must live in Hackney.

I'm not up for giving kids horribly sugary food. Also mostly only teenagers come to the door. I don't hate it, it is just yet another day for companies to exploit.

In the good old days you only got one sweetie per household and you usually also got lots of fruit and nuts too... soi it wasn't all bad and as kids we were a lot more active and outdoors so we burnt up all the extra calories we got from sweets.

Like so many holiday occasions, it has become more exploited and commercialised; all the store bough costumes because busy parents have no time to make their own.. or worse, to entice small kids who want to be their favourite Disney character and create merry hell in the store when they're told they can't have the £25 outfit. It's a lot of pressure on parents and kids alike nowadays.

We love Halloween. We make a fabulous halloween dinner (bloody soup, garlic bread to ward off vampires, witches fingers... you get the idea!). My daughter takes a fair bit of care with her costume. Our whole village pretty much gets involved, and the kids tend to look great. There's a lovely old couple who do baked goods for all the kids, and thoroughly enjoy them all trooping round to say hello...

So nope, in this part of the UK, halloween is pretty cool. I also loved it as a kid. Bobbing for apples....

Sounds wonderful ... and so traditional. You're very lucky!

I love halloween!

BUT!......

Only for seeing friends and watching scary movies and making halloween cupcakes/biscuits and making spooky cocktails!

Last year me and some friends went to an outdoor showing of Paranormal Activity at our uni.. we took big coats, blankets, popcorn and the SU was serving special spooky green drinks

It was amazing! I love halloween...

except for the sluts....

In my area (in the UK) all the kids from the council estate come down to our neighbourhood and try and get money. Some don't even dress up, they just come and knock on your door.

We don't answer the door anymore. We don't mind giving sweets to our neighbourhood kids but not ones that come begging for money and some of those aren't even kids...

I love halloween.
I love the spirit and the tradition
I celebrate all souls, all saints and all hallows eve.
I make traditional Halloween treats such as soul cakes
halloween is a British festival and I love it including the dressing up the festivities and the fun but allso the traditions such as apple bobbing.

I hate the traditions of mischief-making and violence that people feel they can get away with. this is not Halloween this is people taking advantage and thinking they can get away with intimidation and bad behaviour. :mad:

when I was a kid Halloween was a nothing day, Guy Fawkes night (5th November) was the big one, all the neighborhood kids would get together & make Guy Fawkes dummies then walk around the streets with them (usually with the dummy in a pram, lol) & stop passers by to give a "penny for the guy" we would then have a backyard bonfire & burn the Guy Fawkes & parents would hand out sparkler & there would be fireworks, apple bobbing & bonfires.

Alot of fun, I haven't see a Guy Fawkes dummy in a long time sadly. Another English tradition fallen to the wayside.