Yeah, that time of year, that discussion again.

Dani reckons:

(Halloween thread in Misc, which I don't think she'll mind my quoting)

But I'm one of those "miserable scrote mothers", who thinks it's rude to knock and ask for lollies to strangers.

Fair enough if it's all set up and arranged beforehand and all the target neighbours have been warned and even supplied with lollies to give - but otherwise I think it's just not on to knock and ask for stuff.

Don't really like them stuffing their faces with kilos of cheap coloured sugar either.

Costume party fine, but not door knocking.

What are the "tricks" going to be anyway??

WDYT?

No, I think it's silly and dangerous. Unless you get those people who do it in their little cul-de-sac or whatever.

NO! Its an American custom...WE LIVE IN AUSTRALIA!

I don't go so far as to say I "disapprove" of it but it is not something we do so this house is lolly free.
If they are lucky they might get an apple.
I have lived in 4 states over the years and have only ever had one trick or treater knock on my door in any case.

No I don't. For heaps of reasons.

I wish we did it here If it was more widespread I would have no problem (as long as I was with my children whilst they did it) but I think it is rude when most people here would have no idea that anyone would doorknock them.

I love Halloween though so we still dress up and have a party just no big neighbourhood festivities as well

my area do it so i let my kids. We mainly go to houses that are decorated with a halloween decoration out the front

we have an american couple across the road from us who go all out... their house is FANTASTIC!!!

I just don't answer the door.

As long as they don't wake DD or damage any of our property/garden/lawn etc, I don't really care what they do.

Cali - I think you're a bit of a party pooper! What is dangerous about it? What is the harm of having a few lollies? I could just imagine the poor little kids face after dressing up and setting out and then knocking on YOUR door!



They're not salespeople - they're little kids having fun!

If people want to have a party at their house and celebrate halloween thats their business

But knocking on other peoples doors is a no go in my books. Its like forcing other people to celebrate something they dont want to. You dont go knocking on other peoples doors for christmas or easter

You wouldnt send your kid around asking for lollies any other day of the year it is dangerous. So why do it on this one day.


And as for the older kids who think its funny to egg peoples houses this is wrong too

Hate it. This year I am going to buy lollies tho as I was sick of opening the door last year to little faces expecting treats (despite a sign on our door requesting no door-knockers). I wouldn't mind an organised thing, like if the whole street got together and agreed on it or something, but my kids will never be doing it and I wish other kids didn't. It's an American tradition.

oh and as a side note:

trick-or-treating originated in Ireland and Britain....

Nope don't approve, full on miserable scrotes here

We have heard every excuse under the sun

"We ( the parents ) stand right on the footpath"

"They do it in groups"

"We check the stuff before they eat it"

yadda yadda yadda


I stand by our decision on pure safety grounds, We try to teach the kids about stranger danger the whole year round, not for 'most of the time' cept for when you can score a bagful of crap.


Cheers, Connie

We celebrate it as a pagan festival (even though it's at the wrong time of the year )

we the parents go to the door in this area! And yes its normally groups of friends or families doing it.

I disapprove of it. I especially disapprove of kids out of costume knocking on my door which happened a few times last year.

It's culturally irrelevant to Australia and a US import I'm happy to live without.

Our estate does it, and there are a lot of people from other areas come too. I don't mind it its very cute, and I only hand out one mintie and a chocolate to each kid because I figure they get so much. Our estate is also seriously into christmas lights such that we clog up the main roads around us on christmas eve.

That would be just too bad and not my responsibility. It would be the parents fault for teaching their kids that everyone is going to do something just because they do.

Sheesh what a sense of entitlement.


Cheers, Connie

I am in the miserable scrote camp. I don't know anyone here who has ever trick or treated, carved out pumpkins or celebrated Halloween. I didn't realise it was even an Australian tradition to do so?

I really can understand why people are opposed to it but we love it i don't and wont ever take my kids trick or treating but we do participate by letting them dress up and we have lollies for the kids that door knock.

They don't get more than a freddo frog each or a small packet of lollies. I see no harm in it. The kids have a great night and some of them really go all out on their costumes.

If you don't want to participate that'd totally fine too. Perfaps put a note on your door telling them not to knock?

Normally DH opening the window quietly and yelling BOO!! when they knock, and then the biggest surprise ever.... Normally a piece of fruit, sesame snaps or 1 singular marshmallow

I don't agree with it, I have always told my kids to not accept sweets from stranger's, I am certainly not going to encourage them go knocking for it.

Same. I think it's dangerous and rude. Rude to ask strangers for lollies, and rude to threaten a 'trick' if they don't comply. I don't really care if it's American, Australian or Argentinian in origin.

Our house got egged last year. Not impressed.

I dont disapprove but I certainly wont be encouraging my children to do it. They eat enough crap at Easter let alone having another day dedicated to eating junk food.

I think it's just yet another reason to stuff your face full of junk as a kid. I won't be supplying a single neighbourhood child with sugary crap. Mean aren't I

Having a costume party is ok but I don't agree with trick or treating in the streets. It's an American tradition, it should stay there...

Last year we got some 16/17 year old girls knocking on our door. Granted they were dressed up, but no one in our area does it, I don't know what they were expecting really.

I hate it, it's an American tradition not Australian.

I probably wouldnt get my kids to do it, unless we lived in a neighbourhood that everyone did it etc, in which case I would think it was fun, but I would NEVER let my kids go alone, knocking on strangers doors, I would have to be with them.

As for kids that come to our door, I would think it was great, and I would give them treats. We did have this one year, and I was very unprepared, didnt help I happened to be on a diet lol, so had to find whatever I could in the cupboard, since then have always been prepared with something in the cupboard but nobody seems to come anymore lol.

I do remember last year, I left a sign on the door asking people not to knock and I left a basket full of assorted fun size chocolates.

At the end of the night, no one had knocked, my then 18mth DD hadn't been woken, no property damage, the kids got some choccies, there were still some left in the basket.

So, I think that's a good midway point

We dont have many kids in our street, so we havent had any trick or treaters. I agree its an American tradition and not Australian. Dh asked me if I have anything to give in case anyone knocks and I said, "Yes, packets of sultanas" I dont keep lollies in my pantry at the best of times. But I doubt anyone will come a knocking, we live in a very quiet street and as I mentioned, there arent many kids.

I was always a bit anti it but remember loving doing it as kids and remember the two families in the street that weren't allowed to and feeling sorry for the kids

Last year we were invited to a dress up party and door knocked their street. The kids had an awesome time and looked so cute dressed up and totally excited by it all. So this year especially seeing it is a Friday night and not such a drama with school the next day etc we are having a party at our place and will doorknock our street. Will all be over by 7:30-8pm which isn't even dark here now thanks to DLS!

It's not like it's new in Aus though- the whole halloween party and pumpkins might be, but we trick or treated when I was little nearly 30 years ago (not sure how that can be when i'm still 21 )

I actually used to think it was trickletreat, only found out different when one man asked us what our trick was (possibly bad man there now I think of it).

There was some talk at the time of not accepting fruit (apples, oranges etc),as they may have been injected with poison, but lollies where well known to be tamper proof. makes me laugh now- stay away from that dangerous fruit!!

We're rural now so my kids will never get the chance to annoy the neighbours asking for free lollies.

I went trick or treating when I was young and dumb! I dressed as a nurse and my friend dressed as sailor moon. I didnt even know it was halloween I am so lucky nothing happened to us though. It was dark- and we went around to total strangers houses! (mind you it was a little 'safer' back then)

One old couple gave us an apple, another gave us a muffin. We thought they were pretty dodgy. But never in our minds did we think of 'tricking' anyone.

I didnt realise it was a done thing in Australia? I need to get with the times!

I wouldnt want my son going around by himself.



OMG how rude! I think I will have to stock up on bouncy balls or yo-yo's for next year instead of sugar I dont wanna be egged!!!

I think it's stupid and not to mention dangerous.

You dont know who's door your knocking and taking food off total strangers

You wouldn't let your child take candy/lollies off a stranger any other time so why should halloween be any different.

That's the thing! I had stocked up on some lollies, but no one knocked. And we still got egged. Halloween is just an excuse for vandalism.

Pfft. EVERYONE knows strangers have the best candy

CTx

I don't care if it originated in Timbuktu! I just googled Halloween, not fully knowing the origin of it and about the only similarity between the origin and now is that costumes were worn to placate the evil spirits! No mention of trick or treating/lollies etc etc.

I don't mind compromising in the future with my son and allowing him to have a party here at home if he wants to. But that's as far as he'll be allowed to go, I just don't think it's safe these days and don't really see the need for it.

I think there'll be a note going on our door that night!

Yes. We live in an old area but with with plenty of young families as well. It brings our neighbourhood together in a nice way, old and young. Many of the local kids go to different schools, and suddenly despite that, they are all trooping round together.

We like to do fun things which are outside our cultural norms in our family, so the "not an Australian tradition" argument holds no water with me. If we were only allowed to celebrate Australian things, what would be left? No Chinese New Year? No Eid? Gawd. I love celebrating cultural diversity. I don't care WHERE the tradition to dress up and troop around with friends comes from. It's fun.

Yes I support it 100% I was the one who started the other halloween thread in question!

With certain restirctions of course:

-My kids would be accompanied by an adult!
-I would discuss with neighbors of who would like to participate or not or do it amongst friends! (my friends neighborhood puts a balloon on the mailbox if they would like to participate)


I also agree that kids are not sales people....they are just kids having fun!

Despite this being Australia I just think its great to let kids dress up and have a great time, where is the harm in that if you do it in a safe manner pre-arranged in your area?

Halloween every year is one of my fondest memories of childhood and I hope my kids get to experience it in some form! My Mom would dress up with me every year and I loved it so much, such a great bonding experience and so much fun!

ETA: It is common knowledge not to give or accept anything not individually packaged! At least where I am from. and NEVER accept fruit (there were rumors of sick bastards putting razor blades in apples so adults checked over all candy prior to the kids being allowed to have some)

Sorry but my head wants to explode when I see people complain that it's an American tradition. All Hallow's Eve is a European Pagan tradition.

Australia is one of the only western cultures that doesn't embrace it. In NZ we would go every year dressed up and it was always great fun but that's because everyone celebrated it so everyone else was out with parents involved etc.

I wouldn't ever let DS do it here simply for the fact that no one celebrates it so what's the point? I'd never let him go alone if it was popular enough to bother either.

This year his daycare is having a dress up for Halloween day on Friday so he's going as Spiderman (because Spiderman is actually an uber Warlock don'cha know? )

I might carve a pumpkin only because my Mother said we should do one for old time's sake, we used to carve one with Mum every year growing up.

It must be gaining some momentum here because our local Coles is carrying a lot of halloween gear this year. I don't remember it having nearly as much in the past.

Coles is on a profit making mission atm (see other thread about this) so of course they are cashing in on this too

Just because it didn't originate in America doesn't mean it isn't an American tradition

I'm also curious as to what an Australian tradition is? I'm hard pressed for an example, all other holidays I can think of originate from other cultures (yet are still celebrated here)

Wait there's Australia Day, sticking a bunch of 2 dollar shop flag tattoos on yourself, wrapping a whole flag around you, drinking copious amounts of alcohol and trashing a beach or foreshore, staying on the p*ss long enough to see some fireworks after dark then starting brawls with other merry folk. Hmm... I prefer Halloween.

I wouldn't dare take DS out on Australia day because of the heat, the atmosphere and the drunken idiots on the river foreshore.

as long as parents manage it properly and kids are safe then i dont see a problem with it. we will have some decorations out and be giving out lollies on the night

I Halloween, I am going to go buy some decorations now It makes me smile!!

That's exactly what it means? It's not American. It's nothing to do with American history, it's simply celebrated there. It's celebrated just as much in England and Ireland but I don't see anyone complaining that it's an "Irish" tradition.

Complaining that it's an American tradition is a pointless arguement. It's not tradition to Australia, yes. It's consumerist and unappealing for adults, yes.

But blaming America is just daft.

It doesn't bother me at all If someone shows up at the door, I'll give them something that I've baked I guess, as any lollies around here only last a few hours

If DD wants to do it when she's older then I'd probably find out the real history behind it (with her) and escort her around the street Don't see why anyone would get their knickers in a twist over it

I don't really care TBH! Sure, it's not something I'd encourage my kids to do, and I'm certainly not going to decorate my house, but I always make sure I have something in the house JIC we get some trick or treaters. I make them work for it too though - they have to tell me what they are dressed up as or no lollies!

There was one year though when DH was very generous to the first group and there wasn't much left for anyone else!

It's the same as when kids come around selling raffle tickets or chocolates for their school or footy team... we will always buy something from them. I have no intentions of being the scrooge of the neighbourhood!

Hang on, I just realised - we'll be away on Friday night, so they can knock all they like!

That's exactly what it means?

err no it's not.

A tradition is something that is done routinely by the same people.

Americans have been fantatically celebrating Halloween for hundreds of years. That would make it a tradition.

It is a tradition for my family to get together at Christmas. So what you're saying is that because it didn't originate in our family that it's not tradition??


Dictionary: tradition (trə-dĭsh'ən)

n.
The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation, especially by oral communication.



http://www.answers.com/topic/tradition

I don't like it at all, it makes me uncomfortable when kids knock on our door - sometimes I wonder if it is more about the adults than them.

We've got enough chances to stuff our gobs with junk and over-spend on crap (Easter, Christmas, etc) without Halloween as well.

I also feed bad that I don't often have stuff to give the kids - I'm definitely not going to buy it in anticipation, especially if its just going to get left in our cupboard.

And don't get me started on the 'obesity epidemic' - should we really be encouraging kids to eat more lollies? I know it s meant to be a bit of harmless fun, but where do we draw the line?