Thread: Rant about neighbors

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My neighbors are usually pretty cool. But today, they perturbed me a great deal. 3 of the neighbors on my block, two on either side of me and one across the street are wanting to do a Halloween block party on Halloween night. They want to close off our block. This, I am not happy about at all. This is the first year Brian and I were going to do bigger projects and are very excited for Halloween night. If the block is closed off, we won't get many TOT's at all. Most of our neighbors know we are hardcore about Halloween, we sit out all night passing out candy. We don't go in the house til most of the TOT's are done. I don't know why they would pick Halloween night to do a block party. Sigh. So, if the idea goes ahead, we'll have a more elaborate haunt but with not many people experiencing it. That's the whole reason we do it. It's for us because we love Halloween and we love having TOT's come experience it. Bleh. I'm really perturbed about this. Am I being unreasonable? Or do you guys get how I feel?

Are they doing a Halloween party? I can't see why they'd want to close off the block if they weren't.

If you are on good terms with them, you could very nicely plead your case.

If they do end up closing off the block, could you talk to the neighbors on either end about letting you put up a Halloween sign point the way to your house for the TOTs? Something about the haunted house THIS way with an arrow towards your house.

Well, the three organizers did something like this a few months back. They invited all the neighbors to drop by and chat at two houses. Like a moving party. I think that is what they are wanting to do for this, have houses open but also be able to chat and visit freely outside. Which is why they'd like to close the block. We got a good bit of traffic on Halloween night. Lots of kids come in from the neighboring town and their parents drop them off or wait while they go down the block. If they closed off the block, they'd eliminate that traffic making it easier to do the moving/outside party.

I don't want to sound snotty but a lot of people that take their kids to TOT always come to our house and say they come every year to see what we did to the house. They take pictures with Brian in his costume or in front of our little lighted arch. There are maybe 3-4 other houses that pass out candy and two others that decorate. So it's probably not a big deal to anyone else if they don't get very many TOT's but it's a big deal to us. I'm on ok terms with the neighbors but I feel like I can't plead my case very well. They are fairly pushy and I'm pretty meek. We could do a sign pointing to our house from the cross street which has a lot of traffic. I'm still not sure we'd get many TOT's though as most of the ones we do get come in cars. I don't know that the parents would drop them off on the corner and let them go down the block without them driving alongside them.

I understand about not wanting confrontations, I hate them too. But I'll bet they didn't even think about your situation and once you bring it up to them, you all could work it out. You'll only know if you talk to them. I've learned that sitting and stewing just gives me a bad stomach ache. When I finally get the guts to go talk to people, it's usually solved very quickly and then I end up beating myself up for not doing sooner.

Wow, you know that's actually a cool idea! I would love to have a block party on Halloween. But I would definitely put up a large fluorescent green sign on both ends of the street where the barricade is saying "Trick or Treaters Welcome" or "Come See the Creepiest Halloween Display Here". Then have some signs (same color) with arrows going to your house. So I suppose that you're not going to the block party and will be staying in?

As long as you have the signs, they will come. But if you have people standing guard at the barricade that'll be annoying.

Whoever is planning the block party should give out little tickets for food and drinks so anyone going to your house for TOT'ing or whatever can't just grab them on their way out of your block.

Originally Posted by Terra

I understand about not wanting confrontations, I hate them too. But I'll bet they didn't even think about your situation and once you bring it up to them, you all could work it out. You'll only know if you talk to them. I've learned that sitting and stewing just gives me a bad stomach ache. When I finally get the guts to go talk to people, it's usually solved very quickly and then I end up beating myself up for not doing sooner.

Sounds just like me. I'll brood over stuff for weeks if I need to but then after talking to the person all the bad feelings just dissipate. Why I don't go up to them sooner, I don't know. : )

Well, I know I'm a just a big chicken. The Terra Queen stuff is an act...

I feel for you. After spending all your time making the props for yourself and the children to have the rug pulled out from under you. I would talk to them and see if they could keep it on the other side of the street so you could still do your thing on yours. That way there would be parking for the parents too and it wouldn't interfere with your neighbors. Then they can sit in their yard and watch the children get scared.
Our neighbor next to us doesn't decorate at all for anything. He always has his lights off. Though I did hear that last year he gave out candy. Which surprised the hell out of me since in 17 years he didn't do anything. Everyone else around us turns their lights off around 8:30.
We are in the burbs on a corner of a busy street. If we are lucky we get maybe 12-15 children. It's a bummer after making props for 7 months but, I like it making them.
If you are in the middle of the block maybe you could put out votives along the sidewalk to your house and decorate the walkway to your house. Put a sign at the end of the block mentioning you are the only haunted house on the block and it's well worth the trip. Just a thought. Personally, I would still go ahead with you Halloween. It's only one night a year and you deserve it.

Originally Posted by Terra

Well, I know I'm a just a big chicken. The Terra Queen stuff is an act...

Yeah, as-is my zombie - I don't really act like that. lol

Surely not all the homes on the street want to see the road blocked? Have you canvassed round to find out? I like the idea of having signage up to let people know that your only closed to four wheeled traffic. The bi-pedal beasties and ghosties are still welcome to come in! That might be the way to go.

Talk to your neighbours about it. I'm sure a solution can be found to keep everyone happy.