Does anyone feel any anxiety about trick or treaters coming

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to your door for Halloween? Or Christmas Carolers for that matter?

This is nothing against trick-or-treating or Halloween or Christmas Carolers or Christmas. But something about facing a group of people coming to the door is unsettling to me. I realize on Halloween a lot of children are having a whole lot of fun and I don't mind children and I wouldn't mind giving some candy - but like Christmas Carolers - its one of those things that makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable. Now, I have less sensory issues than many people on the spectrum and I suspect I am more social than most people on the Spectrum. In general I like the idea of having visitors - but for me that rarely happens. But this trick or treating or caroling thing is just too invasive for me.

Does anyone else feel that way?

I wouldn't like it at all if I thought any trick or treaters were going to come to my door. It's very unlikely to happen though because I live out in the country. Around here people turn on their porch lights to signal that they are open to trick or treaters. If you don't turn on the porch light, they don't stop at your house.

I've never heard of anyone Christmas caroling out here. Maybe churches do it amongst their own members but I don't think anyone would go to someone's house to do it where they would be unexpected or uninvited.

I don't think anyone should be obligated to participate just because it makes kids happy, it's a fun occasion, everyone does it, whatever. People have the right to their privacy and their own beliefs about holidays.

I hate opening the doors to trick or treaters. I hated it even more when I had to accompany my younger brother at trick or treating last time when all I'd wanted to do was get on with my studying and be in the warmth.

I find it to be overwhelming, especially when they yell, "TRICK OR TREAT!"

It's mean, I know, but all I want to do in response is slam the door shut and hide. I live in London on a packed road so I have no choice.

Turn off your outside lights or put a sign on the door saying No candy.

Am I the only one here who ever went Trick-or-Treating as a kid???????

During my best "run around by yourself" years T&Ting I lived in a quiet little town
and all kids went T&Ting.

I think now is the time for payback.

I got to have fun so now why not let other kids enjoy the same?

We've got a big bowl of candy and don't get upset if some grab more...they're just kids after all.

It's like having grandkids for an evening.

I don't mind it because the script is pretty clear.

I generally take the kids out TorTing and that script is pretty clear too-- I hold the baby's hand, walk up people's driveways only if the porch light is lit (or better yet follow the crowd), let them do the yelling of "Trick or Treat!!", and remind them to say "Thank you!!" seven thousand times. The script is clear and simple, and I'm cool with that.

What I'm NOT cool with is running into other parents that I know only in passing, trying to recognize them before they or their kid speaks (I'm good with voices but extremely face-blind), and then having to make chit-chat with them while my brain frantically scrambles to remember WHAT I SHOULD NOT SAY around this family.

I'm SUPER NOT COOL with t-or-t-ing with some other kid's family. Then I have to make chit-chat with some other mom/dad/grandparent that I barely know and triple-flip about whether my kids' manners are good enough relative to theirs, whether I have as much clothes on my kids as they do on theirs (my kids are a lot more sensitive to hot and a lot less sensitive to cold than most people, just like me), the whole list of how-do-we-get-along-even-though-we-are-not-like-you rigmarole.

There is exactly ONE family that we actually mesh with.

This year, I think we're going to the town over the ridge (where the houses are close together and WE DON'T KNOW ANYONE).

We haven't had trick or treaters knock at our door for years. But I wouldn't mind answering the door to children under 10, because I think it's sweet, and I wouldn't mind giving them a little something. But I wouldn't answer the door to teenagers because they're not innocently trick or treating, they're just being a nuisance. I am advising myself not to go out at all on Halloween night because I'm one of those people who attracts stupid behaviour from teenagers so I will probably end up having eggs thrown at me or something. So I'm staying indoors, so that as far as the world knows, I don't exist.

I never get any trick-or-treaters, I think most kids would rather go to houses than apartments. The only thing I'm a little worried about are the teenagers who go out late at night to do only the tricking part that's stupid or dangerous. Carolers? People still actually do that? They never have where I live.

I still don't think it's fair adults can't go trick-or-treating. I was thinking of making a sign saying "grown-ups love trick or treating too!" and carrying it while out in costume, but I'm worried how people will react. They'd probably "Go buy your own candy!" Or just laugh at me, plus I have no one to go out with so it might not be safe.

Not that many come to the door here because it's a chain of low income apartments but lots pass on the sidewalks. Afew knock but I just don't answer the door sense we're not getting candy for em anyways & don't want them to trick us for answering & not giving em candy. I don't feel anxiety due to not answering the door.

I remember reading The Worst Case Scenario Survival Guide and it said to come out partially clothed and make it awkward for them.

I hate it when i have to stand in the doorway feeling 'locked' and have no idea how to react in the social situation. I always destroy my doorbell and keep the lights out.

Luckily I live in France, so here we don't have kids coming around begging for candy. Here Halloween is mostly an adult celebration where people costume up, guys usually has zombies or any other horror character, and women has sexy, hot and slu*ty catwomen, witches or schoolgirls and go out partying in a nightclub.

But I use to live in the USA in Los Angeles, and when I was living there I panicked and was terrified by kids, their parents or their older brothers and sisters ringing at my door for candy, each time someone rang I felt it has an aggression... But I did planned the day before buying a lots of candy, so I was ready but couldn't cope with it.
Then the following years I would lock up my place, put out every light so that nobody thought I was home and lock myself in my room with just my laptop in the dark and wait for it to be over, but some still rang and the door and it made me jump, but I never answered.
And finally one year the police came over. A friend of mine from France came over, I told him we where not going to answer the door and shut all the light out, but my friend thought it would be funny to give away condoms with the candy, some parents complained and called the cops and took my friend in for corruption and let him out the next morning saying parents where going to press charges against him, eventually the week later my friend flew out...
And my last year in the USA I went out for Halloween to catch two movies and then went out for a late burger at In N Out and came back home late, just not to deal with a bunch of kids ringing at my door.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, like really, no houses around us on a dirt road miles from pavement, so I didn't get to go trick-or-treating except one year I went with my cousins down in Hollywood. That was crazy because down there, there are a lot of people in the movie industry, so they have access to amazing costumes. One lady had two 6 foot albino pythons that she let me pet. Another man was dressed in an awesome draconian outfit, said he worked on special effects. But other than that I had no experience with it until I moved in with my husband. The first year I freaked out and got flustered. These teenagers came to the door with crazy werewolf masks on, very well done, and my dogs freaked out and had the screen not been shut, I think the dogs would have gone for blood. Last year we didn't get anyone, so I really don't know how to feel about this year... I might just keep the lights off and hope no one comes around.

For Christmas Carolers, we don't get those here. My church has sometimes held a caroling experience at the local grocery store, but never a door to door thing. I think I would be incredibly awkward for that... I'm not good at staring at people standing in front of my house!

Trick or treaters? I don't even open the door for the UPS man!

Back when I was growing up teenagers used the day to vandalize deface property by spraying shaving cream or "egging". A couple of times I was hit by eggs on the way home from work. It has not been this way for a couple of decades but I still fear the day a bit.