I love Hallowe’en but appreciate that not everyone else does.

Whilst I was happy to have callers when my children were small, I was less keen on my own children participating. I worried, probably unnecessarily, about them learning to beg. Even though as a I child I made guys on Bonfire Nights and asked complete strangers for a penny for charity, it feels more invasive going to someone’s home and demanding money with menaces.

Thank goodness that new etiquettes are emerging to make life easier for other concerned parents.

COVID

There have been nosigns yet that Trick or Treating will be banned. If it is, I guess we’ll all just have to abide by the rules, but as it’s outdoors and easy to safeguard, I personally can’t see why we would stop children and adults alike having fun.

(However, if you are in an area with local lock down restrictions, it’s important to abide by them, of course. Don’t let us lead you into trouble!)

You should be wearing a mask outside of home, and as it’s Hallowe’en this is a chance to have a lot of fun. Cat’s whiskers, skeletons, pumpkins – let your imagination run riot, but wear a mask if you’re Trick or Treating - and wear a mask when you open the door to Trick or Treaters.

Whatever you feel about masks, if two people are wearing them, there is a lower risk of transmission, and giving someone COVID is no way to thank them for their generosity – and giving Trick or Treaters COVID is hardly a lovely gift.

Take a bottle of hand sanitiser with you and wipe your hands after every encounter.

If you’re going door to door, ensure everyone stays outside of people’s houses to reduce any infection risk.

Of course, if you’re thinking of going one step further and having a party, make sure you stick within both national and local regulations, whatever these may be at the time!

Parents, watch your youngsters

Children are both at risk and a risk to others if not properly supervised. Accompany any child under 11. If that creates a ‘dinner time’ problem, I personally recommend a slow cook casserole prepared in advance, and baked potatoes. It takes skill to ruin them and they’re forgiving over preparation and return times. Plus they’re a healthy balance to those sugary treats!

But whatever you do,do n’t leave your primary school age children to wander alone.  Stay at a distance, of course, but make sure you’re watching for their safety and supervising their behaviour. The child whoc ries because they don’t like what they’re given or because someone else got more will need both comforting and explaining to, and may even need to learn to apologise. And we’ve all heard of youngsters who scare people or throw things at their houses. Don’t let it be your children letting the side down.

Try asking your neighbours in advance if they’re happy to be called on. This can smooth the way considerably, and may remind willing participants without children to buy in or make some treats.

Where to knock on Doors

It seems sensible to me that children should be encouraged to only knock on doors with pumpkins outside or Hallowe’en decorations up. That way we avoid the person who lives alone or who is afraid of teenage Trick or Treaters.

And we avoid embarrassing the neighbour who didn’t realise it was Hallowe’en and only has acouple of biscuits in the cupboard. Whilst children should be grateful for whatever they have been given, today’s children seem to have high expectations.

Letting people knowyou are OK with callers

If you’ve prepared well and have a store of brightly coloured sweets to hand out to little callers, let them know you’re happy for them to call by putting out a little pumpkin or a lighted candle on the doorstep. Or put up a sign saying “Trick or Treaters welcome” until your Hallowe’en stock run out or it’s time for bed!

If you are not, close the curtains, and maybe even leave a ‘No Trick or Treaters Thank You’ sign up. Trick or Treaters tend to come around one after and if you don’t answer the door to one, others will pass you by.

It takes a lot of stress and fear out of this annual ‘sweetfest’.

Costumes

Personally I love handmade costumes, but supermarkets sell fantastic costumes so cheaply that many people buy them.

However, from one yearto the next, our little pumpkins grow up. Why not take this year’s costumesalong to a charity shop or pass to a friend/family member with younger or smaller children rather than throwing away?

The environment

All that plastic, from light up pumpkins to plastic plates, add up to an environment challenge as well as costing parents an arm and a leg.

Save them for next year or pass them on to friends or a charity shop. Just don’t let it create landfill!

What can’t be saved, recycle as much as you can, from paper sweet wrappers to plastic plates.

Storage

You have all of thisHallowe’en paraphernalia. Add Christmas decorations, special occasion China and reusable trees, birthday bunting and extra seating for when you have extra people over for big occasions.

Maybe you’re lucky and have a big cellar or attic for storage, but for many of us, these things fill our cupboards, get hidden where we can’t find them, or gather dust under our beds.

External storage, like easyStorage, is ideal for these things. You’re going to access them once ayear. You can save yourself a lot of space and heartache, and could be surprised by just how little it will cost you. We can even offer you a no obligation local storage quote, online.