Who’s ready to trick or treat? Walking around the neighborhood for candy and figuring out what house is dishing out the best goods this year and seeing all the house decorations and costumes are always some of the top highlights of Halloween. With trick or treating, it’s always important to remember a few things so that you have the best time possible!
Check trick or treating hours: Each neighborhood may have set trick or treating hours, or it will depend on the city. Make sure to check for when you can go out and/or when you can expect trick or treaters at your house! Usually Trick or Treating starts right before the sun goes down. Additionally, there is Trick or Treat on Court Street and the Tiger Night of Fun on October 31 as well!
Only go to houses in areas that you know and that have lights on: Yes, Halloween is a fun time, but that doesn’t mean safety should be disregarded. Choosing familiar areas will help with navigation and safety. Plus, knowing your way around will enable the trick or treater to visit more houses in the set hours! Also, having one’s lights on is the universal symbol for “Trick or Treaters Welcome.” Make sure to only visit houses with the lights on, and to make sure your own lights are on to welcome visitors!
Supervise young children and have older children stay in groups. Younger children should always have a parent or adult walk in the neighborhood with them as they trick or treat. If the child is very young, the parent should actually accompany the child to the door. As children/teenagers get older and want to trick or treat without an adult, make sure they have several friends in their group to walk around with. Also, make sure that he or she has a cell phone on them that they can contact a parent with in case of an emergency. If the child/teenager does not have his or her own cell phone, let him or her borrow one for the night.
Make sure costumes are able to be seen in the dark: It’s getting darker earlier, and costumes should (literally) reflect that. Costumes can either have bright elements or be equipped with some sort of reflector. Glow sticks or flashlights can be used, too. You want to be sure that everyone can see you!
If the weather gets cold, prepare for jackets: There’s always the possibility for inclement or chilly weather on Halloween. If that is the case, make sure costumes can handle an extra layer of warmth to avoid chills and potential illness.
Check your candy when you get home: Before digging in, always take a look at the candy. Don’t eat anything that has broken or damaged wrappers, anything that has been opened already or even things that weren’t wrapped to begin with.
What are your Halloween plans this year?