Candles and Halloween

[Chimbos]

Out trick or treating with my kids this evening. I stay right next to them as they are quite little and on quite a few doorsteps there were real lit tealights inside pumpkins. I do realise that the chances are low but soooo many kids wear those super flammable dresses and it would just take a kid bending down near a pumpkin with a large mouth and a candle pushed next to it for the dress to go up in flames. Perhaps I’m being paranoid but AIBU to nudge people towards either using LED tealights or keeping the pumpkins out of reach of children?

No need for real candles, when led tealights are readily available. You can even change their battery, and use them again. I don't see why real are needed at all for trick or treating.

I had a real candle inside a pumpkin on my driveway tonight. If you are concerned, don't bang on my door on my property demanding sweets....

Thank you for posting this. Seems this topic has touched a nerve with some people but if it has even the tiniest chance of raising awareness of this and stopping a child going up in flames then I’m very happy to be called a joy sucking Karen 😁

If you want a pumpkin out, it’s really not much extra effort to either buy an LED light or place it out of the way of where the children will be standing.

Give Kevin my regards

Why bother joining in the Halloween fun with an attitude like that?

We use real tea lights but put the pumpkins well clear of the path on an area to the side, raised up a bit. We used LED ones for a while when we had them down on the path - it was the Claudia winkleman story that made me realise. The way we carve the pumpkins would make it v hard to get anything touching the flame but a bunch of jostling 4 year olds are exactly the type to do it if it’s where they stand, so we move it out of the way.

PMSL at the person who thinks the tea lights outside in a damp pumpkin on damp grass might burn your house down though - perhaps if it wasn’t late October in the UK that might be more of an issue. Costumes are much more of a risk though.

Because you bang on other people's doors then expect them to have submitted some sort of risk assessment to protect your child.. I'm happy to dole out sweets. I have a candle inside a massive pumpkin with a lid on.. If you aren't happy with that risk, don't ring my doorbell!

Maybe not buying flammable tat would be an idea? There’s something rather joyles about LED candles vs a real flame.

Get a grip

It’s inside a pumpkin, all you see is the glow anyway.

Cotton and other non tat is also flammable

We had a real candle but our pumpkin was high up so not a risk to anyone. It’s something to think about but the main responsibility is with the parent who is supervising.

Same

Mine had real tea lights but is always placed on the gatepost which is high up and wide. I wouldnt put them on the doorstep or as nothing else they could trip over.

Or keep your children away from pumpkins maybe? I mean if they want a candle in their pumpkin in their garden that’s up to them surely. Keep your kid’s flammable costumes away! I know what to do next Halloween!

Same, I always use LEDs in our pumpkins now.

Exactly! Your kids your responsibility to keep them safe. If you think their outfit is a fire risk then buy them one that isn't!
Maybe I'm just a grumpy bore but tonight's trick or treaters have really taken the piss! Teenagers literally taking all the sweets. Stealing buckets off other children and leaving litter up the street.

Won't bloody bother again!

It is a bit joyless though. A plastic and battery tealight instead of a real flickering flame. Its not in the spirit really, I think I'd rather not bother. I will consider pumpkin placement more carefully next year though

Clearly trick or treating looks a bit different in different places.

Houses my child called at today often had multiple pumpkins lining the narrow front path and doorstep, and multiple children going up to the door at once and (politely) pushing to get past each other both coming and going.

In that situation it is very likely a child’s clothes will go close to a lit pumpkin. The only way to avoid this is to ensure your child skips any houses with pumpkins close to the door or path (but this is most of the houses ) and/ or only goes to knock when there are no other kids there (but this is never!)

If you’re trick or treating in places with bigger front gardens with pumpkins away from the front path, or not many kids calling at once, I can see this all sounds over cautious but in my scenario it’s a very real risk. and I wouldn’t actually have thought of it till tonight

Indeed...

It's Diwali today as well as Halloween. My mother put out diyas ( oil lamps). The children trick or treating were very close to them. Had to tell them to watch out. Was worried their clothes would catch fire.

Inside the pumpkin isn't a danger to anyone. We put the pumpkin on the pillar at shoulder height too. LEDs ones are plastic, no good for the environment and expensive. Take care of your child instead

I had this thought as I was about to put a pumpkin on our doorstep so put it on a raised garden box type thing instead. Unlikely but you’d never forgive yourself if something happened.

Surely you thought about this when you decided what costume to get for kids and where to take them?

Halloween pumpkins have always had candles in them. They aren’t some new fangled thing that have only just appeared. This is what trick or treating at Halloween is. Real flames are part of the magic for me.

If you’re going knocking on people’s doors asking for sweets you should be making sure you and your kids are up to the situation, not demanding the people you’re approaching adapt to you.

Please stop using that misogynistic term which is insulting to women.
We don't need misogyny on a women’s forum thank you.

I don't get why there OP is getting so much resistance.
it is such a little change to buy some LED tealights or bulbs and they still give the perfect pumpkin glow but keep children safe.
lots of people in our area had clearly made the switch but I was very cautious and made the kids stop and check for real candles before approaching each house.
as OP has said, even with all the reminders in the world, kids do end up bustling and jostling in excitement and I can see how quickly and easily an accident like that with Claudia's poor daughter can happen.