Seriously… they ring the bell and stand there like beggars without a costume, a smile or saying “treat or treat” or even an evil laugh. I told the first group of them (with a smile) “Sorry kids, no costume, no candy.” One of the larger boys and one of the girls said, “bitch” quite nearly in unision. I was appalled and shut the door.
Of course then I got to thinking… I’m home alone with a puppy for a guard dog and my own teens and husband are at the high school football game.
My reply this year is no different than other year in the past, it’s just that usually I have my own house full of teens staring back at the teen beggars and laughing and sort of “backing me up”.
Do you say anything to these rude twerps or just doll out the pay off?
What would you have said, if anything, in response to being called a bitch as above?
I’d dole out the pay off and realize that they , at that age, ought to be at a party, not out strolling the dark streets, bumping into seven year olds who can’t see out of their mask.
My daughter is trick or treating with her friend, I do believe she went as a witch.
I have 2 candy bowls, the good stuff for the younger kids in costume and some cheapo stuff like Smarties for the older kids. I was given a box of 24 diet yogurt bars, those will go the those without costumes.
I’m mean. I toss it right back at them. If they’re slightly oversized kids at heart they’ll play along. Me: Hello! Happy Halloween! I don’t recognize your costumes. Let me gues…you’re…you’re…? Them: Huh? Me: Disaffected youth! Them: WTF–or an apt comeback.
If they don’t have the presence of mind or sense humor to play along, they’re nasty opportunists. No treats.
Anybody who loses control of their mouth gets a chirpy “let me take a good look at you for the police, dear”, then the door slammed in their faces.
One kid tonight didn’t have a costume, and I asked him, “Hey, where’s your costume” he just took his hand back in a good natured way. If he had left his hand out and gave any kind of cute, imaginative answer I would have given him some. I think maybe one of his friends didn’t have a costume and I didn’t notice, I noticed him because he didn’t even have a hat on. We had 127 kids come to our door, I didn’t notice what each one was wearing.
I like the cheap candy solution, but enjoy making them suffer for it a bit, first.
I like to remind them that it’s trick or treat and wait for them to perform a trick for me. I had one kid tonight trying to stand on his head and another told a joke,two claimed to be wearing each other’s clothing and dressed as the other one, that’s enough for me. One pretty cool group of 5 middle school aged boys had a great answer “We’re christmas carolers!” and serenaded me upon request. They got extra goodies.
I’ve been vandalized before and have no wish to go thru it again, but as long as I’m wasting their candy collecting time discussing it with the non-participatory, I’m happy.
My sister brought my nephews by, while we were visiting they went up and down just my block by themselves. Still within TOT standard time, and at 12 and 14 they might be pushing the age limit, but both were costumed. Someone apparently had their own solution to older kids, apparently, and tossed a raw egg into each of their collection bags. Whatta putz. :mad:
Gosh, you people take this stuff way seriously. I mostly get little kids (who I just adore) but a few big’uns. Most of them have some sort of costume on, even if it’s just extra eyeliner or a funny hat. They all get candy, although I have been known to give extra candy to the wittle pwecious cutesy-wootsy ones.
I do, however, insist on hearing “Trick or Treat!” If I open the door to a gaggle of older kids who just stand there, I cup a hand over my ear and say “I can’t hear you!” Sometimes I make 'em repeat it until they’ve all got it down nice and loud.
(small hijack) Tonight I told one teeny little guy (maybe four years old?) to have a happy Halloween, and he stopped in his tracks, peered up at me with this very serious little face and, for all the world sounding like he was a sixty-year old midget, said, “Well thank you! And you have a nice Halloween too now, OK?”
“Sorry, I already ordered all the magazines/cookies/popcorn/knick-knacks I want from the last kid that was here. I assume that’s what you’re doing since you don’t have a costume. If you really want something, there’s some pine cones under the tree over there.”
Yeah, I’m a stickler for tradition. I put what I would have given them in my own bucket and eat their shares later.
Our very last trick-or-treater was around 13, but he had a very neat costume on (I had to ask what it was: Demon Bat or something along those lines). We’re in a new neighborhood and this Halloween was very good for all: the activity started around 6:30 and ended at 8:00. No cars on the streets, and we have ourselves a whole lotta candy!
I was at my best friend’s house tonight when a group of teenagers, sans costume, approached. One of them, who looked like she was about 17, said “I’m not as old as I look!” We hadn’t even asked how old she was! One of the girls with her was about 8 months pregnant. I’m guessing when you’re eating for two, you probably shouldn’t be out trick-or-treating. We gave them all candy, but were discussing things to give them next year. She suggested cans of sardines. I said every time she brushes her dog, she should save the hair she cleans out of the brush in a special bag; next year, she could have lots of fur balls to give them! It also might be amusing to save all the fortunes out of your fortune cookies over the next year. The kids without costumes don’t get candy, just a fortune!
We only had a couple without costumes–we did get a lot of teens, but most were in great outfits. The ones without costumes were with big groups of costumed kids. One said he was a high school student, and got the answer “no kidding.” But they did get candy–we had an awful lot of treats, and they were good-natured about it, and I don’t care that much, as long as they aren’t totally blatant, as Abby’s were.
There’s not supposed to be trick-or-treating in my building (They throw a party for the kids down in the lobby), but for the first time since I’ve lived here, three young teenagers with no serious costumes knocked on the door.
“Wow, I haven’t seen a trick-or-treater in years! Would you prefer Ramen noodles or a packet of oatmeal?”
When I hear the knock on the door, I just reach over and flip off the light. They seem to get the message, and I guess they’re too lazy to vandalize anything.
