I personally love this time of the year, I love the harvest and the dark nights and the feeling of mystery that this time of year brings. I love the winter vegetables and the pumpkin picking that subsequently leads to Ollie spending 3 days discussing what ratio of curry powder he is going to add into this famous soups.
Last year however I was in undated after my post about not being allowed to hate trick or treating was shared and in fact so much so it was a little like Marmite with strong oppositions on both sides.
To some they love, for others they loathe.
So in light of the conversations I had last year, here is why I hate trick or treating even though I like pumpkins.
Firstly it invades my space, even though we don’t decorate the front of the house we still every year get children knocking on the door … its wrong … I don’t go and knock on anyone else’s door in the expectation I will get anything from them. Not should I get a ‘trick’ for not wanting to take part … which has happened in the past with eggs thrown at the windows, which to me this is tantamount to bullying and discrimination.
Secondly I spend all year telling my children not to talk or take anything from strangers … however one night year it seems that all this goes out the window and ‘some’ parents encourage their offspring to knock on the doors of strangers in the hopes of feeding their children e numbers … I just don’t get it?
Now before I am dragged over hot coals again for my personal opinion … Let me point out that I am allowed an opinion and secondly we all make our own choices for our children and mine maybe different to yours … that’s great, being different makes the world go round.
However just because I don’t want to provide other people’s children with sweets doesn’t make my choices wrong … I’m not stopping your children going trick or treating … however by bringing your child to my door you are not allowing me my choice in not wanting to take part.
I don’t want justification from anyone over their choices although I am sat here for the second year in a row feeling like I have to explain again why I don’t like trick or treating.
What I want is to be left alone on Halloween, to not have to jump at the door or even to justify why I hate it but I’m sure I won’t get either.
If you are trick or treating, please stay safe and please only knock on the doors of people you know and at houses that are decorated. I know I am not alone in hating this time of year so let all play fair and do our own thing.
I really like how trick or treating is done in my home town in the States. There is a set day and time that is widely publicized. This allows the police and fire department to monitor traffic and keep children safe. And we were always taught to only go up to houses with the front light on (or clearly decorated). If it wasn’t lit, you just walked by without doing tricks. I think a clear system like that would work really well for everyone over here.
And as for children going to strangers’ houses, we were only allowed to go in our neighborhood. So we had an idea of who everyone was. It was a nice community experience.
see I like this method! it means if it was just on one night I could take my kids out for the night or away and then come back to a house not littered with eggs!
I think thats is a much more acceptable way of allowing those that want to take part take part and those that dont aren’t under any undue stress or pressure.
🙂
People either love it or hate it, marmite!
Hi I have never enjoyed this event another CUSTOM to cross the Atlantic. Glad when all the hype has subsided.
i am totally with you on that one Steve