4) Haunted Houses!
I am not a haunted house attender. I don’t like to be scared. I do, however, like scaring people by working in a haunted house. As our kids became teenagers, we had the opportunity to use our costuming and acting skills in haunted houses. Try being the scarer! It is incredibly funny watching people, who know they are going to be scared, become fightfully scared by fake. Because they put themselves in that situation, it is okay. Ever watch a video of people going through a haunted house? Laughter is inevitable. Maybe someday I’ll learn to play fair and be an attender but after five kids I might have to utilize some type of adult diaper. And those going with will need ear plugs to protect from my blood curdling screams.
We only held our “no scary costumes” rule when our kids were little and very formative. Scaring little ones can be very traumatic when they are dressed in their princess or superhero costume. Keep that in mind when dressing for trick-or-treat night. One year I dressed as Edward Scissorhands and even he was scary to little ones. We found this worked best for our family.
5) Tasty Treats!
There is nothing like a house full of smells of yummy soup and cider during and after an evening of trick-or-treating. Soup and cider in crock pots are an easy way to get dinner out of the way early in the day. Then eat before costuming everyone up or keep for later after everyone returns home. Chili or chicken tortilla soups are some of our favorites and don’t overcook. Hot chocolate and cider also hold well in a crock pot on low. Any of these can be purchased ready-made to make dinner even easier. We also found it was a great time to share dinner with friends if they stopped for treats and needed a break. Disposable cups are a great way to send cocoa or cider along with a cold friend as they trick-or-treat with their child. Peeps make a festive and quick addition to a mug of cocoa.
I have never once made treats to hand out. In today’s world, with all the food allergies, it is a waste of time. I am also not one to buy non-candy treats. Let’s face it! Candy is the reason to don a costume. Kids look for the familiar wrapper of the candy they love. And it is hard to trade a popcorn ball. Purchase candy a few days before to avoid repurchasing. I can’t purchase my favorite candy bar or I will have to repurchase them to hand out. I can purchase fruity candy to avoid the temptation. Find what works for your family. I do love purchasing full-size candy bars when funds permit for kids of my close friends. Maybe someday I’ll be that house that gives out full-size candy bars to everyone.
My last tip is about all the candy in the house. We didn’t keep treats in the house throughout the year. The length of time they trick-or-treat limits the amount of candy they bring home. There is value to making kids “work” for their treats. I always let my school age kids keep care of their own pumpkins of candy. Some of them had better self control than others. All of them enjoyed sticking wrappers into Never Never Wrapper Land in the couch! But I found the quicker the candy was out of the house the better for all of us.
One of these days my husband will probably surprise us all and actually dress up like a stick in the mud! Until then I’ll keep costuming away and he’ll be happy handing out candy and listening to jokes. Do what you love!
