...about pumpkins?

[foxtiger]

DH really enjoys the traditions of Halloween. For the 10 years or so since our own DC grew too old to take part in trick or treating, we have usually decorated our porch (only on the day itself, not for weeks beforehand), had a pumpkin lantern or two and dressed up in costumes to answer the door to other people's children. This is his brainchild, I can take it or leave it, but I do enjoy making pumpkin soup!

We are still being quite careful about social distancing, and we both agree that it would not be a good idea to be opening the door to lots of people and handing out treats. However, DH still wants to make lanterns etc. I say there's an unwritten rule that you only have a pumpkin lantern outside if you are happy for people to knock, and that having one if we're not taking part is a bad idea because:

1. it's just not the done thing/could be perceived as unfair/unfriendly/mean and some little children might be upset

2. some of the older kids might well respond to the disappointment by trashing the pumpkin, egging the house etc!

I say we can have a lantern inside if he likes, but it shouldn't be visible to the world. He thinks it will be OK so long as we put a note on the door politely explaining that we're not "open for business" because of the pandemic.

AIBU, and how do I convince him? I would consider saying "OK, you can do that but I'll be out for the evening" - but for the same reason we don't want to interact with the kids, I don't really want to go out either!

I agree with you however I saw on another thread that some people are taking there dc out and everytime they see a pumpkin/decorated house they are giving there kids sweets (not knocking on doors) could he have heard about that?

Yanbu, I totally agree with you. I love carving pumpkins and I'll do it this year but not put them out. I usually decorate too but I think any form of decoration will just draw trick or treaters, excited kids rarely read notes before ringing the bell

Could you leave sweets in a bowl outside the door in case anyone is trick or treating? When they're gone blow out the light in the pumpkin

If you have a back garden, just put them out there instead.

Thanks, everybody. I will suggest the sweets outside or just doing the back garden instead.

In our village it is definitely a rule that you can visit a house if decorated.

We will be keeping our pumpkin inside this year for that reason unless our local paper publishes some kind of 'pumpkin trail only' sign.

Round here people are decorating houses and kids are encouraged to do a pumpkin walk/hunt rather then trick and treat.

If you're happy to, I think it's a lovely idea to put a bowl of sweets outside with tour lantern. You could put a few out and then refill after an hour or so? I only suggest that because sometimes one set of kids ruins it by swiping the whole bowl

I plan to leave sweets in a bowl at the end of the drive and a bottle of hand sanitiser next to it, should it be needed. I will leave larger sweets eg lollies and not smaller sweets, to avoid little hands digging into the bowl and accidentally touching the wrapped sweets they won't be taking.