I don't get why Hallowe'en can't 'happen' this year

[BabyLlamaZen]

I know a lot of people hate halloween, so this isn't about that!

For those who find it a bit of fun, especially with kids, I dont get why everyone is going on about how it's ruined and cancelled?

Isn't the whole point doing up your house all creatively and spooky then going for walks around your neighbourhood to have a look? I.e. your daily walk. Ok so we won't be going inside other houses, but did you ever? My plan was to leave individual paper bags of sweets in a basket on the front step with some sanitizer. People take them at their own risk, like every year? 🤷‍♀️

How is it worse than going to eat in a cafe next to strangers? We know it's mostly airborne. Am I crazy?

In my area there is crowds of children at Halloween there couldnt possibly be social distancing if it was done as normal. I'm just having a family halloween party and games instead this year then we will watch films.

OP Drop the sweets bit but the rest seems ok.

We’re doing the long tube thing... length of guttering from upstairs window to street. Haribo bag picked up our end with tongs. I hope we get some people!

It’s true that it’s fun to go around in groups as a kid, but in our area lots of families with younger kids usually go as a family.

Halloween isn't cancelled in our house, OP, I can't wait to get carving pumpkins..and we don't have any kids! I say go for it, just don't bother with the sweet bowl.

We’re hoping to still do the dress up and walk round but I will give my dc sweets at intervals rather than any rummaging in bowls. Doubt many will be offering anyway.

We’re doing the long tube thing... length of guttering from upstairs window to street. Haribo bag picked up our end with tongs

This is brilliant. Don’t wait for knocks just send em down if you see any kids!

If people like Halloween, they should do all their stuff at home or in the gardens, instead of trailing around the streets expecting to be given sweets and stuff. There are many elderly people around,and they don't like to be disturbed, Dogs in some houses start barking with any noise.

Last year, some kids came knocking on my door, I did not an answer it, as I was in my attic room sewing. The local village kids come round in little groups, with a couple of Mothers in tow. despite this, I saw later, that not opening my door. or handing out anything, they had thrown ketchup all over my door..

@AGoatAteIt we’re decorating the inside of the house and having “spooky” movies what movies were you thinking of, just out of interest? I like the idea of a spooky "at home"...

Drainpipe idea is fab!!!!!!!

We’ve done pumpkin carving already 😂 probably will need to do another one before Halloween because they’ll go off.

I’ve bought sweets and have a vague plan to decorate, dress up and have a walk around. However it falls on their dads weekend so he may decide not to do anything or agree for me to take them out.

We're doing Halloween, just differently this year. I'm doing a Halloween party for my dc and niece and nephew, with scary food, music, a few games and activities. Then we're going to go for a walk around the neighbourhood and every time we see something related to Halloween (pumpkins, decorations etc) I'll give them a sweet. You can still do Halloween, just differently from normal.

Read the OP again - no bowl mentioned

I picked up sweets today in case kids come around. We don't have any the right age (hopefully they will be sensibly at home in their student houses )

We dropped the whole 'stick your hand in the box and pull out a sweet' thing two years after DS was born when a bunch of teenagers grabbed handfuls. I told them to put them all back and handed one packet to each kid.

From then on we've always had DS give a bag of haribos to each child. I used to hold the box and he'd give them out - no hands in the box apart from his.

This year, if our friends kids do come knocking, DS is dressing as a mad, psycho chef with an axe in one hand and tongs in the other and he'll grab the bags with tongs. He'll be wearing a scary mask, as will we.

We normally get 100 plus kids knocking at our house (I get through 2 huge boxes of haribos). But they only come to the houses with pumpkins (real or plastic) outside. We're in the UK and I thought that was the rule now - don't disturb people who don't have Halloween decorations or pumpkins outside.

A local thing here suggested a pumpkin walk similar to the rainbow or teddy walks people were doing for dc in the lockdown but the parent would give the child a small treat each time they spotted a pumpkin.

People don’t do loose sweets and they’re always got packaging around them. I don’t understand why someone can’t dish them out, take them home, rinse them before little hands unwrap them.

With everything going on I’m just hoping for a little normality.

I just bought a load of sweets and chocolate eyeballs from M&S for the kids at the weekend as I thought it was happening. However, I will drop some of these round to each child's house (3 next door, 2 in 2 houses, 2 nearby etc) - all socially distanced and sanitised. Only doing that as I'd snarf all the sweets myself.

Still wondering whether I should make Halloween cupcakes for the kids every year which I do do? Opinions?

I've stuck chuppa chup lollies into a pumpkin before and just offered those when kids have knocked at the door. Most kids are good enough to just take one lolly.

That could definitely be done this year but just leave the pumpkin outside. However I'm happy to have an excuse to shut the curtains and ignore the fact it's Halloween this year!

We're having a spooky day, I'll buy a bunch of spooky treats, she can dress up as whatever she wants and we'll have a pumpkin and some spooky kid friendly films. It is what you make it. I'd love to take her trick or treating but that's just not possible so we'll adapt!

YANBU. We just won't be answering the door this year.

Please don’t skewer sweets on your lawn.

We’re having a couple of kids round for a mini Halloween party - bbq sausages, sweets, decorations, bobbing for apples, toasting marshmallows over a fire pit, maybe sparklers, dressing up... it’ll be great.

[quote coldbutblueskies]**@AGoatAteIt* we’re decorating the inside of the house and having “spooky” movies* what movies were you thinking of, just out of interest? I like the idea of a spooky "at home"...[/quote]
My son is 9 so our idea of spooky isn’t really but along the lines of the Addams family, nightmare before Christmas, Caspar... son has ASD so we have to be careful what he watches as he doesn’t always take things as they are intended.

I don’t understand why someone can’t dish them out, take them home, rinse them before little hands unwrap them.

Because there are multiple people touching them... That's why.

There doesn’t have to be multiple people touching them - that’s by far the least important part of Trick or Treating. I’ve never done it that way and never had anyone complain that I’m doing it wrong.