Any ideas on how to safely hand out Halloween treats?

[FredaFrogspawn]

My dc have grown up but I always enjoy our little visitors at Halloween.

Any thoughts on how I can hand out treats with minimum risk to them and myself? Of course they may not come this year, but in case any do, I’d like to be prepared.

I can’t understand this sudden desperate ‘need’ to trick or treat, it’s like people have decided they want another thing they’re ‘not allowed to do’ so they complain and rebel against it. Do pumpkins, bake, make costumes, watch Casper, eat treats- don’t go on mass, door to door just because you think you should be able to.

Hardly a need or sudden - it's something my dc look forward to, it's a special night for them and there is only a few years when they're both at the right age for it.
We won't be doing it though, will do something in the house but it is definitely second best for them.

FredaFrogspawn

Slightlybrwnbanana
I didn't think this was going ahead anywhere.
I'm interested, in what ways is a gloved hand cleaner than a washed/sanitised one?

Glove on washed and sanitised hand. Changing gloves between each handout

Just wash your hand then? Why put a glove on a washed hand?

If we can shop safely (and we can) then this is not a serious risk at all however you do it.

However, I understand you have fear, so

How about a fishing net. You can extend it from your doorway with 'treats' of choice for the kids.

I am pretty sure it will only be close neighbours this year, or at least only close neighbours that you want to 'treat' so this should not be a big issue.

It's something my DC look forward to too, not as much as birthday parties though and neither of them has been able to have one this year. And they likely won't get to see their granny at Xmas either, though maybe we could sit her in the garden and roll her sprouts down a drainpipe

Bloody hell, treats? Lollies? Party Bags ffs? Kids will not suffer from having a Halloween evening at home. Trick or treating will be joyless this year so give it a miss!

If you’re close enough to pass food hand to hand, or place something in a bucket held by a small child, you’re too close - especially since the children won’t be wearing masks. The procession of people all pressing the same doorbell, and then moving on to do the same again, all along the street. Children feeling all the bags of sweets to choose one, if you’ve left them on a line or wall. People greeting each other in the street. All contacts they wouldn’t otherwise have had.

Best to find another way to mark the occasion, just this once.

I usually love our visitors too but have decided not to take part this year. We won't leave a pumpkin outside or decorate the house. By the way, I only found out a couple of years ago that kids only knock (round here) if you have a lit pumpkin outside. For years I wondered why no-one ever bloody knocked!

I think, on reflection, most of you are right and it’s not really responsible to join in - like a previous poster, they only come if you leave a pumpkin out here so no pumpkin- no participation.

I will shelve it at chez Frogspawn this year.

Chuck em a mini bag of skittles from 2m away?

My theory is if they actually knock then the parents don't worry too much about them getting sweets. It's being discouraged but I have sweets in case

I'm making a Covid Tree.

Just some potted creepy branches which I'll get from the local woodland today. When I was a kid, my uncle used to make a lollipop tree, so this is my inspiration. I won't actually call it a Covid Tree.

People that aren't worried about spreading Covid are precisely the ones that I would rather not have coming to my door tbh.

Agreed. I'm not sure why people are making out as though NOT going to other people's houses looking for sweets for this year is such a tragedy tbh. 'It's such a shame/they've missed out on so much' etc etc. Mine are too old now but my sister is doing spooky hunt round the house and garden, having a 'spooky' tea and watching a film with my neice and nephew. It's perfectly possibly for parents to make it into a slightly different enjoyable event for their children, they just need to do it themselves this year.

Here in Dublin we aren’t doing it in my estate this year. Parents give their own kids sweets

There is no way to support this safely. That's why it's been banned in so many areas. The more people that give out sweets the more people there will be out and about mixing together.

Exactly this. Amazed to think anywhere is even c

Sorry posted by mistake...

Amazed that anywhere is even considering this.

In Ireland, we've been specifically instructed not to go trick or treating. It's just common sense.

We are in an area with very low levels, but have been advised not to go guising so I’ve told my kids we aren’t doing it this year. I’ve decorated the front of the house though and we’re having a Halloween tea party instead.

Just incase we do get any kids, I bagged up some wrapped sweets in clear bags last week and haven’t touched them since. We have a bench at our window, so I was planning on spacing them out on the bench so kids can help themselves.

Tongs?

My compound (we're in the ME) is doing a SD Halloween.

My kids are teenagers, but of course we know lots of families with younger dc - mostly because the parents are my colleagues and/or my dc babysit the dc.

Last year I did party bags, left in the grocery delivery box outside with a fake severed hand propping the lid open, because my dc & I were out that night. It was much appreciated! But obviously not a good idea this year. Yes, I could wear gloves to make up the bags, but I couldn't control the subsequent rummaging from a safe distance, so....🤷🏻‍♀️

This year my teens are planning on dressing up in spooky costumes (I'm an old goth so that bit is easy...) & staging various creepy tableaux in the garden. Last time I checked they were planning on staggering around being zombies & eating 'Brrrrrains!' in the form of jelly in hollow skulls (yes we have 3 life size plastic skulls...)

Sweets are going to be given to 'trick or treating' kids by their accompanying adult as they pass any house that is participating - some are just leaving a pumpkin out, others are creating Halloween themed garden displays.

We do love a Halloween here - but all 250 villas are agreed that door knocking & dishing out sweets is to be discouraged this year.

It's going to save me a fortune in imported spooky halal Haribo, so all good!

So did people get many trick-or-treaters? We didn't get any!

My neighbour has 3 DC and they were kept indoors. I knocked and left a big tub of sweets on their doorstep for them to share. (It was flash-wiped beforehand!) The kids were hopping about excited looking out of the window.
We had nobody trick or treating at all.

We went trick or treating. But didn't knock on any doors. There were houses who had sweeties outside. Less than usual but I think she did quite well considering!

Paste table with bags of crisps/choc bar?

Not more complicated than that really

We usually have loads of T or T’ers but this year only 1 knocked. I did hear a few groups walking past so assume they were doing pumpkin spotting instead.

It was so weird as Halloween is usually a big deal round here.

Noone came to the door but I heard several groups passing who were doing the Pumpkin trail. According to the local fb page it seems to have been a big success