This post is in regards to Halloween which is coming up on Tuesday 31st October. Please read on no matter your view on Halloween for some ideas on how to deal with Halloween.
In the past we have had some good discussions around Halloween. Some people were for it presenting arguments such as it’s a good way to get out to meet neighbours. Some people were against it with their concerns around child safety and commercialisation.
If you are willing to be called upon for Trick or Treaters we suggest you either decorate the front of your home with Halloween items or simply place an orange balloon out the front. You could even place a simple picture of a pumpkin on the letterbox as another idea (search Google). Others have suggested leaving your light on was an indication of willing to participate but this may not necessarily be a safe bet and the other options are much clearer.
Our recommendation is if you are wanting to take your kids out Trick or Treating is to letterbox your neighbours and advise. Include with your note an orange balloon or picture of a Halloween pumpkin asking them to stick them out the front if they are willing to be visited. I would also suggest including a picture that indicates they clearly DO NOT want Trick or Treaters (search Google). This makes it a simple option for your neighbours to opt-in or clearly show they have no interest to participate. Please ensure you are supervising your children whilst they are out Trick or Treating.
For those that don’t want to be called upon by Trick or Treaters the recommendation above of printing out a picture showing you don’t want to be visited by Trick or Treaters is a good idea to avoid being disturbed.
If you live in Forde or Crace you can register your home with your suburbs community group if you are participating and you will be able to view the map with registered homes as well. The community associations for these suburbs are also holding Halloween events for the residents of the suburb. Please check the event details on their Facebook pages.
If you would like to read up on the history of Halloween see this entry on WikiPedia.