Tricks (and a few treats) for a Happy Halloween

All Hallows’ Eve opens the door for imaginations to take flight, fun, and mischief on every end of the scale. It’s a Cinderella kind of story for kids and kids at heart: anyone can be their favourite superhero or princess for the night, if just for the night. Trick-or-treating for the littles and parties for the young at heart abound. It’s a pretty awesome holiday. It’s also a good opportunity to maximize family time and be part of the community at the same time. As a homeowner, opening your door to strangers over and over through the course of the night to hand out treats is a great time to get to know your neighbours; whether you’ve just moved in, or haven’t taken the time yet. If you’re trick-or-treating with little ones, we’ve got a few tricks for you to keep in mind for a safe, fun night:

1. Dress for the weather! Choose a costume that’ll fit nicely over layers to keep warm on a brisk night. It being Vancouver, making an umbrella or gum boots part of the costume may not be such a bad idea, either.
2. Safety pack: add a flashlight, cell phone, and contact information to your child’s costume so even if you get separated or they’re old enough to go it alone, they won’t be out of reach. Adding reflective tape somewhere on the costume will also help keep them visible in the dark.
3. An oldie but goodie: tell your children to never eat any of their loot until it’s been inspected by you!
4. So over the trick-or-treating? Make handing out candy a party! Have friends over, order up some Halloween flicks on Netflix, pop the corn, and get ready to ogle all of the costumes that show up on your doorstep. Guess how many Minions or Disney Princesses you’ll see; winner gets a loot bag!
5. Check out the CDC’s “Safe Halloween” protocol for just that, and have a very Happy Halloween!

Got any cool ideas to make tricks or treats even better this year? Share them on our Facebook page!