HALLOWEEN - MNHQ WANT YOUR TOP TIPS FOR SURVIVING THE 31ST

[AbbyMumsnet]

Hi all, we're putting together a Halloween guide and, as ever, would like to enlist your invaluable support. Please place your top tips here.

The sort of things we want to cover include:

What to do if you hate Halloween. Hide and turn the lights out?
How to make the most of it - decorating tips/costume tips etc etc
If you stay in but want to partake, how can you make things more fun for visiting kids? Scary music and Scream masks?
What are your fave party games?
Party food - got any good recipes?
Best way to carve a pumpkin.
What to do with the pumpkin you have just carved out.
Acceptable tricks to play - are there any?
* Top tips for safe and successful trick or treating: Do you only go to houses that have a pumpkin outside? Should you always aim for the posh houses owned by Americans - or just the road leading up towards school?

Over to you, oh wise ones...

...and live. plain yoghurt.

When the dd's were small and the trick or treaters were ringing on the door at just the same time as I was trying to get 2 small people asleep I put a big sign over the knocker saying.

PLEASE DO NOT KNOCK, BABIES TRYING TO SLEEP. PLEASE HELP YOURSELF (big arrow pointing down)

On the door step I put a big fruit bowl full of the mini cadbury bar thingmies.

Worked fine, althouth I heard my note read out loudly and badly by lots of children (followed by lots of shhhhhhhhhing as they realised they were meant to be quiet).

I'm not a big Halloween fan so I may do the same this year even though I don't have babies anymore.

Recipe in this months BBC food magazine for pumpkin cake (along the lines of carrot cake) to use the hulled out pumkin in.

Will find and post if anyone wants it.

Please can I let it be known that despite all appearances I am not completely obsessed by cake. I do have other interests too.

I quite like Halloween and the trick or treaters - as long as they are little kids and have bothered to make an effort and dress up. Ds likes to wear a devil's costume to answer the door ( he doesn't go trick or treating) and I buy lots of sweeties which I sometimes decant into paper cups decorated with pumpkins which I make from coloured sticky paper.
I have friends who hate the whole idea and refuse to open the door

Move to an area with an average age of 70

In my dad's over-70s cul de sac, a neighbour hands out posters saying 'Elderly person - please do not disturb' or something like that.

I would advise being very careful who you team up with to go trick or treating. Some dc become manic and well out of control, and your kids will follow them over the road if you're not careful. Try to choose calm, controlled, obedient kids to go out with (I am being serious, though.)

Franca' - is that to avoid the whole thing?

Littlelapin - why not "we eat children"?

we usually buy a shedload of nasty sweets

dh once shouted at one who turned up not dressed as anything

'trick or treat' said boy

'what are you?' said dh

'er'

'for goodness sake at least put your jumper over your head and pretend to be a headless ghost! make an effort! there are witches and all sorts knocking on my door and they've put a bit of thought in' etc etc

boy runs away

yes Abby , it sounds too hard work for me ... (actually I find the trick or treaters very cute, in some kind of American movie sort of way, but it's really a celebration which is not in my DNA - god I said it, DNA - and I'm sure that if I tried to cut the pumpkin I'd cut at least one finger and btw you can make very good risotto with it! with the pumpkin I mean, fingers are optional)

My broomstick at the door and a sign saying 'sacrifice volunteers, please ring bell' normally does the trick.

i have a recipe for pumpkin or butternut squash bhaji

games:

pumpkin bowling( use large plastic bottles and decorate as witches/ use a small pumpkin for the ball)

spooky bingo print your own game here

burn a cd of spooky sound for playing in the background

get hold of a blue Uv lightbulb(Maplins) to make white things light up in the dark

I hate Halloween, its not respected in this country like it is in US (i.e. no light on no ringing bloody doorbell).
I dont encourage my dd to take part.
I dont answer the door or leave sweets or 'treats'.

Bah humbug

Pumpkin Bhajis

1lb grated pumkin or butternut squash
1 finely sliced onion
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp tumeric
chopped fresh curry leaves or corriander

some chickpea flour( no more than 4 tblsp)
1 tsp of baking soda
a little water

In a large bowl mix together the grated pumkin, onion and spices with your hands. throw in the chopped corriander and turn over well.
Mix the baking powder with a little chickpea flour in a cup and put in on top of the pumpkin mixture. Add more chickpea flour and stir with a knife until the mixture is quite dry.
Carefully drop by drop add some water until you have a paste consistency.It should not be too sloppy.

heat 2-3 inches of oil in a wok or a deep fat fryer. Take dessert spoonfuls of the mixture and carefully drop into the hot oil. The bhajis will puff up and will go golden brown in about 3-5 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper. They can be reheated in a moderate oven during a party.

Round here most kids don't knock if there is no pumpkin or obviou signs of 'festivities'. Seems to work well.

Also, when my youngest (born 21st Oct) was a baby, we stuck a big sign up on the door saying ''new baby asleep. Knock and I will flay you alive. But help yourself to a sweety'' which I left on the door step. No-one knocked

oh! I want pumpkin bajis now!! what a delicious-sounding recipe

we did this one year.

dh loves halloween LOL