Yesterday I completely forgot to buy the required huge bag of sweeties and was faced with the embarrassment of facing next door's little girl (dressed as a cat) with none of the traditional offerings.
What I needed was a sign that I could hand outside my house stating that I was not taking part. The sign could be used for reasons of forgetfulness, meanness, or by those that have simply run out of sweets.
#pedant_prevention The little girl was wearing the cat outfit, not I.-- st3f, Nov 01 2001 RobertKidney got there first... http://www.halfbake.../trick_20or_20treat...but with a different tone. [st3f, Nov 01 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004] Different idea. Similar discussion. http://www.halfbake..._20New_20MillenniumWith link to details on Guy Fawkes Night as substitute for Halloween. [Guy Fox, Nov 01 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004] Solution:
Police Tape-- mrkillboy, Nov 01 2001 Surely such a sign would be an invitation to 'trick'.
Kids in my area seem to have evolved from traditional 'trick or treat' practices to firing rockets at police cars.-- stupop, Nov 01 2001 3/4-baked. A similar thing happened to me and my housemates last year, although not because we forgot, purely because the kids near us are a bunch of little s***s who deserve nothing more than a good kicking. We decided to create a goody-bag from all the crap in our cupboards and put it on the doorstep with a note telling them to help themselves. The selection, including a mouldy potato, 2 stale biscuits and a trial-size can of Kaliber (god only knows how we got hold of that), was still there in the morning, no tricks had been played, and no-one rang our doorbell this year. I pronounce this method an unrivalled success!-- CoolerKing, Nov 01 2001 <5 years ago>"Hey, I'm sorry I totally forgot... do ya wanna pick your candy out of your teeth with these way cool toothpicks or would you rather crunch on an ice cube?"</5 years ago>"-- thumbwax, Nov 01 2001 I have found that the ideal way to avoid annoying little Trick or Treating kids is to go to the pub straight from work and not come home until closing time. You don't even know if anyone called at the door. Downside is working with a stinking hangover today.-- sven3012, Nov 01 2001 Half a ton of toilet paper in your tree.-- DrBob, Nov 01 2001 Halloween is a blast [UnaBubba]. We need to fly you over next fall so you can see what you're missing. These nay-sayers are not different than the Grinch.-- phoenix, Nov 01 2001 chap from my office put on full Arab dress and a big bushy ObL beard and chucked talcum powder every time he opened the door. Little tikes ran away screaming every time. Heh heh heh.-- lewisgirl, Nov 01 2001 Well, bm, he did get in the local newspaper because he wore the same outfit to a nightclub after the fancy dress party, and allegedly left an envelope of talcum powder behind, which sparked an alert. Prosecution is being considered for these cases in which police time is wasted but the difference between my example and yours is that yours sounds malicious and personally directed, whereas my friend was actually entering into the spirit of the night, with the addition of a topical 'ingredient'... (btw didn't understand your metion of crumbs elsewhere)-- lewisgirl, Nov 01 2001 Rods Tiger: ironically, Guy Fawkes night was the Puritans' attempt to put an end to Halloween once and for all. That is why they fall so close, and why traditionally Halloween has not been celebrated much in Britain.-- DrBob, Nov 01 2001 I personally do not agree with tick or treat but have given in for the past couple of years to my children's excitement and allowed them a few hours fun as witches and ghosts. I would love to have a "non participating logo" but would fear the worst as "Stupop" suggests. Even though I have had plenty of goodies to offer in the past, I still got exploding parcels through the letterbox which nearly injured my cats and almost frightened me to death! This year all the local children had a party tea with a halloween twist and tricked a few pre-warned neighbours, followed by a "Casper Video" allowing grown-ups some 'rare' free-time for the odd drink. Next year I'm offering toothpaste and toothbrushes - my children have enough sweeties to last a year.-- arora, Nov 01 2001 Sorry if I missed the explanation, what does Tick or treat celebrate?-- arora, Nov 01 2001 Kids go around in scary (and I use the term loosely) masks and knock on doors for sweets. Of course, if you're like St threef and forget to buy any, you can always give them a parasite instead.-- CoolerKing, Nov 01 2001 (Back on topic)
How about a vampire with a stake through it's heart? Smashed pumpkin? Pit bull in the front yard? The remains of last years Trick-or-Treaters by the sidewalk?-- phoenix, Nov 02 2001 Rods Tiger, DrBob & PeterSealy: I think Guy Fawkes Night is (or was) a pretty dodgy celebration more for the fact that it was a way to excise those nasty pagan elements of what used to be Samhain, in favour of good old sectarian triumphalism. Sure, the man was a terrorist (or revolutionary, depending on your point of view), and a crap one at that, who only managed to give the Puritans even more excuse to persecute Catholics, but the idea of gathering your kids around a burning effigy of the Pope seems more than a little dubious to me. See the link I posted on Halloween For the New Millenium for a good overview of my favourite Spectacular Failure from History.
On-topic: We've never had the Trick-or-Treat problem in Scotland, despite Halloween always having been a big-time tradition here (obviously more than elsewhere in Cyannica); our tradition is that if the kids want sweets then *they* perform some sort of 'trick' - tell a joke, sing a song, etc.. You could take this a stage further and have toilet paper ready to throw over them, if the little bastuhds ain't willing to work for their candy. Or a water pistol.
"Dance, monkey boy! Dance!"
Has anyone posted a Reclaim Halloween For The Satanists idea?-- Guy Fox, Nov 02 2001 In Belfast Hallowe'en has been celebrated for years, with our only knowledge of Guy Fawkes' night coming from 'Blue Peter'. Rather than trick-or-treat, children would dress up in scary costumes and go round the doors saying the following rhyme:
Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat if you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do if you haven't got a ha'penny, god bless you.
Although the 'god bless you' bit was sometimes replaced with 'we'll put your windaes through'.-- stupop, Nov 02 2001 I thought that rhyme was for Christmas? It's known in England too - I'm sure it's in my dad's old kiddie books, and he's from Kent.-- lewisgirl, Nov 02 2001 I thought it was that if you were participating, you turn on a porch light or front light or if you don't have one, an inside light near a window. If you aren't participating, turn off all the lights and look like you're not home. Sucks cause it's your house and why should you have to do all that, but then, you kinda suck if you don't have the heart to participate anyways.-- marbargarbo, Jul 18 2002 Rip a centrefold out of any porn magazine and tape it to your front door. I imagine that would solve your problem.-- earl, Jul 19 2002 //Has anyone posted a Reclaim Halloween For The Satanists idea?//
Pagans, not Satanists. Satan is a Christian invention.-- GenYus, Feb 12 2004 Rods Tiger, the relative positioning of halloween and Guy Fawks day is genius.
1) Make Scary pumpkin lantern at Halloween 2) Blow it up with a banger or nailed in rocket on fireworks night.
It works because by then its gone a bit mouldy. Make sure you use a large enough explosive device though.-- Loris, Jul 07 2004 At least where I live, the traditional way to keep kids away from your door is to leave the front doo unlighted and close the front drapes. If nobody is home, why knock?-- 5th Earth, Jul 07 2004 random, halfbakery