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Off topic: At what age are you too old to trick or treat? Thread poster: Viktoria Gimbe
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I had an argument with a mother of an 11-year old. I told her she better go along for the trick or treat this year because, well, next year, her daughter mat not want to do it anymore. She wouldn't believe me.
I told her that when kids have things growing on their bodies that were not there before, when kids want to start buying their own clothes, when kids pose for pictures like they're pinups, well, they will pretty soon expect to be treated as a grown-up. And this includes also a... See more I had an argument with a mother of an 11-year old. I told her she better go along for the trick or treat this year because, well, next year, her daughter mat not want to do it anymore. She wouldn't believe me.
I told her that when kids have things growing on their bodies that were not there before, when kids want to start buying their own clothes, when kids pose for pictures like they're pinups, well, they will pretty soon expect to be treated as a grown-up. And this includes also acting like a grown-up - which means no trick or treat because, like teens say it, "it's for baaaabies".
I can only remember going as an adult, to accompany other kids - basically, to help out moms who have their hands full.
How old were you the last time you went trick or treating? How old do you think is too old? ▲ Collapse
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texjax DDS PhD 
Local time: 18:32
Member (2006)
English to Italian
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| Just started :-) | Nov 1, 2006 |
I just came back from the first trick or treat of my life (my son, 3, kindly accompanied me). I had a lot of fun, I'm eating candies like they are going out of style, I will not step on the scale for weeks...and I can't wait to do it again next year!
Cheers 
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| When you feel too old, you are too old. | Nov 1, 2006 |
There is a billionaire down the road who hands out $1 chocolate bars. I drag my children over, just so I can get one. 
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PRen (X)
Local time: 18:32
French to English
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Hi Viktoria
I had a few kids show up tonight who looked about 14 or 15, but I indulge them and give them lots of candy. I'd rather see them collecting candy than hanging around the mall! And I try to remember how hard it was for me to give up trick or treating when I was a kid - I think I was 14 my last time out, but I was young (and looked even younger), and in those days, there were no malls!!
Paula
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Viktoria Gimbe
Canada
Local time: 18:32
English to French
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TOPIC STARTER | What made you stop? | Nov 1, 2006 |
Paula, intesresting insight. So, what made you stop? From the way you express it, I am guessing you forced yourself to stop. Was it because you felt you were too old? Was it because others told you you were too old? Was it because you were too old for it anyways and had more important business to tend to (several of us were already working at that age)?
If it was up to me, I would do it again, just for the kick of it. But I can already see the faces of the people handing out candy, ... See more Paula, intesresting insight. So, what made you stop? From the way you express it, I am guessing you forced yourself to stop. Was it because you felt you were too old? Was it because others told you you were too old? Was it because you were too old for it anyways and had more important business to tend to (several of us were already working at that age)?
If it was up to me, I would do it again, just for the kick of it. But I can already see the faces of the people handing out candy, staring in disbelief at a grown woman dressed like Darth Vader. In fact, if I were them, I'd stare in disbelief too - although I'd find it amusing still! I would also feel bad for taking the candy that was meant for kids.
Maybe the real deal would be to have kids and go trick or treating with them? ▲ Collapse
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Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:32
Russian to English
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In memoriam
Trick or treat was unknown in this country (UK) until comparatively recently. Halloween was just celebrated by a few innocent customs like bobbing for apples. As far as I can see, trick or treat is a good training ground for future blackmailers and extortionists. It is an unwanted import from the USA.
[Edited at 2006-11-01 07:44]
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Call me mercenary, but you can never be too old where chocolate is concerned!
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Vauwe
Local time: 00:32
English to German
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The kids that rang my door bell yesterday weren't willing to sing or do anything to merit candy.
Jack, you are right : blackmailers
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| Tend to agree wih you Jack... | Nov 1, 2006 |
Jack Doughty wrote:
Trick or treat was unknown in this country (UK) until comparatively recently. Halloween was just celebrated by a few innocent customs like bobbing for apples. As far as I can see, trick or treat is a good training ground for future blackmailers and extortionists. It is an unwanted import from the USA.
[Edited at 2006-11-01 07:44]
It's now arrived in Italy too. I have to say though that last night, I'd completely forgotten it was Halloween, and when I answered the door to find a four foot tall skeleton in front of me I jumped a mile and shrieked at the top of my voice... and then laughed at my own stupidity and gave them a couple of euros (I didn't have any sweets).
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| Money, not sweets | Nov 1, 2006 |
Marie-Helene Hayles wrote:
[I] gave them a couple of euros (I didn't have any sweets).
Would you share your address? I could use a couple of euros!
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Edward Potter
Spain
Local time: 00:32
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
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| Very good childhood memories | Nov 1, 2006 |
Jack - once again you have me laughing out loud. I actually became one of the "trickers" when I became too old to trick-or-treat (or more accurately, just treat). My last time as a child was when I was 11 or 12. Thereafter my punky adolescent friends and myself deemed ourselves too cool to dress up as monsters and such and went around shaving creaming people (who were smaller than us), egging cars and breaking things with firecrackers. I am not saying that I was right; I am only stating histor... See more Jack - once again you have me laughing out loud. I actually became one of the "trickers" when I became too old to trick-or-treat (or more accurately, just treat). My last time as a child was when I was 11 or 12. Thereafter my punky adolescent friends and myself deemed ourselves too cool to dress up as monsters and such and went around shaving creaming people (who were smaller than us), egging cars and breaking things with firecrackers. I am not saying that I was right; I am only stating historical facts.
Nevertheless, up until my concept of fun changed, I had a great time trick-or-treating every year. I can remember being a cowboy the first time I ever went.
The last time I went was when I was 24 or so because I had a foreign girlfriend and she had never gone trick-or-treating. We got together with another friend, dressed up as a country bumpkin, a rock star and a skeleton, then went around a nearby neighborhood asking for sweets. I noticed that the quality of the sweets had gotten better since the last time I had gone trick-or-treating - probably because there were not as many people doing it anymore. We had a great time but got a lot of comments like, "aren't you too old to go trick-or-treating"? Heck, my uncle went trick-or-treating when he was in his 60's, just to do something fun. He dressed up as a little girl with long blonde hair and a little basket to collect the sweets. ▲ Collapse
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Thor Truelson
United States
Local time: 17:32
Swedish to English
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[Edited at 2006-11-02 05:57]
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| Italian Halloween | Nov 1, 2006 |
Marie-Helene Hayles wrote:
It's now arrived in Italy too.
Well, when I was a kid (early 70s), and being half Irish, we used to "celebrate" Halloween with other children in the neighbourhood (all from expat families working in Rome for FAO or some multinational corporation). I remember it was hard to explain Halloween to my Italian friends at school. The closest I could come to was "It's like Carnevale*, except you have to dress up as something related to witches, skeletons, ghosts, and you can ONLY call at houses with a lit pumpkin" (those were our strict instructions at the time, we had a list of homes and a map, and the adults all knew we would be calling round. Nowadays if I had kids I would be terrified at having them walk around unsupervised in the dark).
In recent years it has caught on in Italy and in other countries, but ...call me old fashioned, it doesn't look as fun as it used to be. And, most of all, Italian kids have no idea of why and how Halloween began .
As for the goodies...we used to coat apples in sugar and wrap nuts and sweets in coloured paper. This evening I opened my nephew's bag and there were only shop-bought candies. That's sad! Half the fun was preparing the tricks and the treats, I remember.
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival
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Alp Berker
United States
Local time: 18:32
Turkish to English
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In memoriam | Never to old for fun | Nov 1, 2006 |
I took my girls trick or Treating last night and they had a great time, they saw their friends and I got to see and chat with some neighbors that I hadn't seen in a long time. Halloween is meant to be fun holiday here in the US with trick or treating for children and parties for everyone, and if we are guilty of exporting that to everyone I plead guilty. It's up to everyone else to figure out how to celebrate and deal with it culturally if they want to. Far to serious crowd at times here. lighte... See more I took my girls trick or Treating last night and they had a great time, they saw their friends and I got to see and chat with some neighbors that I hadn't seen in a long time. Halloween is meant to be fun holiday here in the US with trick or treating for children and parties for everyone, and if we are guilty of exporting that to everyone I plead guilty. It's up to everyone else to figure out how to celebrate and deal with it culturally if they want to. Far to serious crowd at times here. lighten up There are far worse things in the World. ▲ Collapse
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Daniela Zambrini wrote: And, most of all, Italian kids have no idea of why and how Halloween began . As for the goodies...we used to coat apples in sugar and wrap nuts and sweets in coloured paper. This evening I opened my nephew's bag and there were only shop-bought candies. That's sad! Half the fun was preparing the tricks and the treats, I remember. * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival
The italian kids have no idea of why and how Halloween began, or the British kids, or the Belgian (or...) ones: I think Halloween shouldn't be "exported" because it sounds false. But the money made selling anything Halloween-themed is far too attractive to business people (it is like St Valentine being, in Europe, only for people in love with each other, and in the US virtually every child or young person is supposed to buy a treat and a little card for everyone in the class plus their teachers, plus cards for their parents and grand-parents and who knows what or who else. I try to limit this as much as I can but "culture" is hard to resist! And who needs all that? Or should I say: who needed to SELL all that?).
I'm from Belgium and I hate knowing from my mom that now children over there are also celebrating Halloween, because they have no clue of what it is all about. But as I am living in the States, I was very happy last night with my kids, walking in the neighborhood, being part of it (I wouldn't see myself wandering in the streets of my Belgian neighborhood, with my kids, asking for treats in french!!! "TRRick oRR tRReat" ). In fact, we used to go from house to house on the 6th of January (for the day of the three kings, les rois-mages), dressed as the three kings, singing their songs, for a few coins or treats. I am not sure this still exists.
And last night we had a few (2 or 3 groups of) teenagers, around 16-17 years old, knocking at our door, with great costumes and very well behaved, so it was a pleasure to reward them with treats. I think it's nice to see "big guys (and girls)" enjoying with their friends without doing anything stupid.
About the shop-bought candies, we were advised not to bake or prepare anything home-made, nor to accept any, by fear of bad-intentionned people who might put who knows what in them (it seems it has happened before, sadly). It might not be as nice, but it is safer...
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