I had a tub of Haribo packets ready last Thursday, The Lass was home first and made the effort of lighting candles in two lanterns to put on the front windowsill.
As I popped out on a shopping jaunt, a group of children (accompanied by responsible adults, it's that sort of suburb) were hovering about in front of our house in a rather indecisive fashion, so I went back inside to get the tub for them. I saw plenty more such groups on the way there and the way back, and had to repeat the exercise of bringing out the tub when I saw another such hovering group on my return.
The Lass told me that only one further group had plucked up the courage to knock on the door while I was out. At the post mortem, Her Indoors and The Lass confirmed solemnly that there is a rule that if you have sweets ready for trick-or-treaters, you have a lit up pumpkin visible from the street; and if not, children assume you are some sort of Hallowe'en Grinch and won't bother knocking.
I told them that this was new to me, we've didn't display a pumpkin in previous years, but kids still knocked. I went trick-or-treating with my own kids when they were younger (and I was the responsible adult waiting on the pavement), they just knocked at every door and hoped for the best, there was no concept of just knocking where a pumpkin was on display, some dished out sweets and some didn't.
They both remained adamant that this is - and by inference, somehow always has been - an unwritten rule. I did a quick and unrepresentative survey at work, nobody had ever heard of it.
So that's my question - is there such a rule? Or were Her Indoors and The Lass imagining it into existence? Did I miss something?
Tuesday, 5 November 2019
Pumpkins at Hallowe'en - Instant tradition
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10 comments:
Younger family members tell me that's the rule - no visible pumpkin, no trick or treat visit.
AKH, ok, I accept it's the rule now, but when did this start? This year? Last year? Ten years ago?
I am with Mark. I only became aware of this rule this year. Yet it’s talked about like it’s been here forever.
Presumably an internet phenomenon - some child somewhere has made the statement online that you only go to houses with a pumpkin, and this has spread like wildfire through the child population, and thence to the parents.....in our days of mass communications a new 'tradition' can be invented in months.
PB, thanks, backs up what AKH and I have observed.
S, all traditions had to start, or be invented, sometime and somewhere. I don't distinguish between old and new traditions, age is not an indicator of quality.
What troubles me is people who forget this and believe that "it's always been this way". Like fireworks on New Year's Eve. Sure, It's a tradition now (and a fine one too), but only has been "tradition" for a couple of decades.
My eldest kid is 6 - the first time we took her trick or treating, no such rule, last year and this year it's an absolute rule, so I'd say three years max
KtC, so it's two years old? Thanks, now we know.
A Canadian friend (early 30s) tells me this unwritten rule applied during her childhood in a Vancouver suburb.
She's an ingenious type; as her house fronts directly onto the street with no step/space for a pumpkin, she decorated her door this year with a 2D version cut from orange paper.
McH, i will organise a cut out one to stick in the window next year.
Luckily I live in the middle of nowhere so no-one bothers us at all. Don't even get all the free papers. Bliss.
So I have no idea at all about trick or treat...
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