Where do you live where it is over already?  And I agree with you - this is participation-optional event for adults.  Bah humbug. 

I agree. No lights means "no". In my experience, no lights can mean: no one is home, the people went to bed, the people don't celebrate Halloween, or a registered sex offender lives there and will be in deep caca with the law if his/her light is lit. My house/petsitting experience taught me that kids in affluent neighborhoods can be more annoyingly persistent. I think the kids in the less well-off neighborhoods here get a ride to neighborhoods with better pickings. 

Halloween was never big here in my part of Australia, but in recent years it's got bigger and bigger, with big marketing displays at local supermarkets, and large groups of kids roaming around trick or treating.  Personally I'm not a fan. It's not part of our culture, and it feels so American (not meaning this as an insult, but just as a statement).    For years, I've just been closing our front door, removing the door bell, pulling down the blinds and ignoring the knocks at the door.  Apart from being a bah humbug about Halloween, my main reason for not supporting it is that my son (who has mild Aspergers and some other issues) is very nervous about the groups of people in the street, scared that the house will get egged, and gets very agitated.

Finally this year the kids seem to have taken the hint and not knocked at the door. (I was away, but the rest of the family were home.).   Some houses put balloons on their letter boxes, or some decorations on their front door.  I think people should only allow their kids to knock at these doors.  

Sorry, rant over!

Sorry for the import! Some new additions to our culture I like, some I wish would leave. But I really liked our last contribution from Australia. Wild land firefighters! Last summer was a bad season around here and some Aussie and Kiwi firefighters came to help. They were awesome. Hope y'all have a quiet fire season this summer, but if not, some of our folks may come help.