Go Away!!

There is goes again: the front door bell!  Every Halloween I ask my parents or friends, that should they wish to visit me on this evening, to telephone me in advance.  That way, I know when the bell rings it is just another gaggle of irritating little t**ds attempting to screw my hard-earned money out of me.  And for what?  For placing a plastic 10 pence stupid mask over their impudent faces and crying 'trick or treat'.

Occasionally I drop my guard (like I did last night) and answer the door.  My standard response is 'not tonight, thank you'.  Usually they turn on their heels and go away.  If they come back and start their anti-social nonsense (again, like they did last night), I have a small bucket of water by the door.  Some pre-pubescent pillock came back and gave my front door a mighty kick at around 8pm last night after I had refused him money.  Only lightning speed saved him from being drenched in tap water.  That's what you get in a society where horrible children won't be thrashed for bad behaviour: a continuation of the bad behaviour.  Now it has got to the point where people who object to giving money away to a brat in an ensemble of threadbare mockeries and a pointed hat have to keep an eye on their house in case there are any repercussions.

Radical Muslims and Irish separatists jointly top my loathing league.  However, most people under the age of 16 in this country come a close second.  I happen to think a clear majority of children these days are eminently vile: brought up by parents who themselves were not sufficiently subjected to a good hiding when it was warranted.  Add in a contemporary society where everybody has rights EXCEPT for the silent majority, and you have kids who think they can rule neighbourhoods; more than pleased to demonstrate that fact if they can't hold you to ransom of All Hallows Eve.

My message to brats who want to knock at my door is 'don't waste your breath'.  When I was a kid, I had to tramp streets and strain my voice with Christmas carols to earn a few pence. These days they expect munificence for sewing together a few rags from a bin and painting their faces green.  Green faces and black eyes: wouldn't they go together well!?

Comments

[Andrew McCann]

Tell you what, Mahons, we'll have a little challenge.

Let's see if you can respond to any thread I write without turning it into a clear criticism of me personally (and HE thinks I need help?).

Because everytime you go down the road of being facetious, I'll reciprocate. And in the end, I'll close the thread after I have had the last word. So you're really in a tussle you can't possibly win.

Thus, we'll start again. I'll delete your first response and, in future, either post something that has the thread as its central basis of argument, as opposed to me, or just **** off.

[Colm]

Andrew

I have no idea what mahons said, but this thread is about your PERSONAL attitude to the social tradition of trick or treat.

Come on be an ENGLISHMAN about it. Take mahons (or anyone elses) digs on the chin whatever it was he said. You don't want to get a reputation as being as touchy as a radical Muslim do you.

[Andrew McCann]

Colm

It is not about 'taking things personally'. It is about sticking to the topic. Occasional digs at the authors of this website is fine.

When it becomes the basis of every single response a person types, it becomes very boring and time-consuming (because I will not let people like that have the final word).

[mahons]

Andrew - you've got a pretty thin skin for someone who makes the comments you make. If you post your personal view attacking a children's holiday and interject your personal experience did you expect that no one would respond to that view?
I find it sad that someone would take the position you do regarding a children's holiday. Especially what I hope was just a poor attempt at humor when you refer to black eyes. In the context of the exchanges on this site I think mine was rather tame, and I am surprised you are afraid to let it stand.
It is your post so I won't contest your right to edit it as you see fit.

[mahons]

May I infer that my planned trip to Yorkshire next Halloween and Gerry Adams costume will not result in the gift of Cadburys should I chance upon the McCann household?

[Andrew McCann]

'did you expect that no one would respond to that view?'

Not at all. But I do not expect the entire response to be limited solely to a jibe or jibes at myself, which have become your trademark over the last while.

Should you chance upon my household, it won't be a bucket of water you'll receive.

[Colm]

Anyway back to the topic....

There is a difference between good natured trick or treating in which the children will either acept a sweet or perhaps squirt a water pistol at you, and thats's it which I think is ok but only if done in moderation and on the night itself. I think what is unacceptable is the growth in much more menacing and upsetting vandalism, threats and violence which can be associated with 'trick or treating'.

[wayne]

lighten up...

whats so bad? so you give a few kids 10p, is it going to break the bank? does it mean that the world is going to come crashing down just because the world isn't like it was decades ago?

[Andrew McCann]

Wayne

What have they done to earn 10 pence? Nothing. Why should kids or adults be rewarded for making complete prats out of themselves? When politicians do it, we mock them; when kids do it, we reward them!

Weird!!

[mahons]

Roughly the same argument made by Scrooge about Christmas in a Christmas Carol.

Clearly there has been increased vandalism in Halloween that was not present when we were young. However, at its core it remains a childrens' holiday which should encourage their imaginations. Don't give it up, or only the vandals have won.

[Hugh Green]

Well, I've just got through two boxes of Cadbury's heroes, and the hordes keep on attacking.

[Bram]

When I was a kid, there were rules to Trick or Treating on this side of the pond. A grouchy old man or woman with no candy - we go back later in the night and egg their house. No offense meant - it's just the rules.

[wayne]

"Why should kids or adults be rewarded for making complete prats out of themselves"

When adults do it then it's called stand up comedy...

You're the halloween version of the grinch

[SBK]

Andrew

Lighten up a bit, unless they push a dog dirt through your letterbox!

Our old favourite on Halloween (when we were teens, not vandals, and we didn't scare old people or the infirm) we'd quietly attach a thin length of fishing line to our least favourite peoples door knockers. We'd hide in nearby bushes and pull the line to knock the door. After a few times they'd be right inside the door and open it instantly when you knocked. They couldn't see the wire and they'd just stand there puzzled. How we laughed!

Setting bangers under big dog poos was always a good one. And then there was this one time when we grabbed this guy, hid him in my garage for a week and sent his severed finger to his parents...er...um...

[The Phantom]

Holloween makes young kids happy and there's nothing wrong with it and long may it run.

Andrew, BAH, HUMBUG TO YOU!!

[Ahmed Gilhooly - aged 14 1/2]

'spose a toblerone is ourra de question ??

[alison]

LOL. Fair enough Andrew..not sure why you have to give them money and take your point - when did that start then, with cash? Dishing out sweets is fine for a bit of fun.

[kloot]

Ah sure you dont want to be encouraging children to be practising those pagan Irish (wouldnt ya know it was them) rituals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

[kloot]

Bet the were seperatist pagans and all :)

[SBK]

kloot

they weren't separatists they were just vandals with a penchant for Cadbury's Heroes ;-)

[kloot]

that said, yes it can be annoyin when there are kids knocking on the door all night (especially when you have nowt in for them)

But that said, I did it as a kid and im sure my niece is doing it down home tonight, so I suppose its a case of either turning the front lights off, puttin on a happy face and just saying sorry or just playing along. Put a note on your door saying that they are not welcome.. although that could result in hassle

[kloot]

mmmm... Cadbury's Heroes

[SBK]

I bet none of you have done my old fishing line on the door knocker thing? No broken windows or other thuggery, just a confused looking man or woman wondering how you can disappear into the night

[kloot]

SBK, that one sounds familiar alright. Problem was that when I was growing up there were only about 8 houses in the estate, kids in all but one, so we always ended up getting caught. But that said the adults never over reacted.

My memories of halloween were of all the kids in the estate getting together at one or other of the houses to play halloween games, like ducking for apples or other such games. cant seem to remember much of em now.

On a seperate note, was in a shop in waterford last sat and they were playing christmas music !!! in october!!! agghhhhh

[SBK]

kloot

I'm from Norn Iron (born and bred). Where I lived one family (the family changed every year) always organised a Halloween party for us young uns', with games like ducking for apples (and one year pears!!!). We always got given toffee apples and we'd be taken trick or treating (with our families permission) by the host parents. We also had a bonfire and had sparklers and lanterns usually made from turnips, or even big spuds if you used birthday cake candles! Real fireworks were banned in NI when I was a kid, for reasons we all have to admit are perfectly reasonable. Most importantly even though i lived in a Catholic area all us "Prods" were invited. It was only when we hit our teens that words like "fenian" and "hun" entered our vocabularies and we all stopped being friends. But that's another (and sadly all to frequent) story of life in Norn Iron. Those were fun times. I wish I was 20 years younger :-(