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Looking for a safer Halloween?
Here's some sneaky safety tips, party and costume
ideas and some Halloween history.
Where did Halloween come from?
Hundreds of years ago in what
is now Great Britain and Northern France, lived the Celtics. The Celtics worshipped
nature and had many gods, with the sun god as their favorite. It was he who
commanded their work and their rest times, and who made the earth beautiful and
the crops grow.
The Celtics celebrated their New Year on November 1st. It was celebrated every
year with a festival and marked the end of the "season of the sun" and the beginning
of "the season of darkness and cold."
In recent years Halloween has become truly scary again.
Not evil spirits but evil humans, plus just careless ones, are the concern.
When your children go trick or treating, there's a real chance that the "trick"
will be played on them, with possible tragic consequences.
According to the news media, Halloween is fast becoming one
of our most celebrated holidays after Christmas. If you're still allowing
your kids to go out trick or treating, you may wish to consider putting a stop to
it. Not only is it dangerous; all that cheap candy isn't good for them anyway.
But just because things have changed,
you don't have to stop celebrating. Here's some ways to safely do so:
- Follow the usual safety instructions; avoid flammable
costumes, use make-up instead of masks,
don't have hems so long that children trip, use flashlights instead of candles.
See more tips at the
Halloween Safety Tips page. Make sure you won't
be liable for greater losses when children visit your home.
- The internet can be your Personal Research Center for
Halloween fun. Visit
Halloween
Online for decorating and costume hints. The
Dollar
Stretcher has Halloween ideas for teens. Goodwill Industries
says you should create your own costumes at Goodwill; a great idea that benefits
others less fortunate as well as your own pocketbook.
- Decorate your house. Inexpensive decorations are
available everywhere, and can be used again next year. Make a ghost out
of a weighted sheet on a pulley; drop it in front of unsuspecting tricksters.
Buy a tape of really scary music and dim the lights on Halloween.
- Make your costumes yourselves. It's fun, creative,
educational and gives you an opportunity for quality family time.
- Giving out treats? Forget homemade unless you live
in a very small community where everybody knows everyone else. Give
only commercially-wrapped treats. Buy a scary witch's hand glove or use
makeup and purple or green nail polish artistically on one hand.
Dim your lights, don a mask, put the door on a chain and reach out the crack
to dispense the candy. Home invasions are an increasing problem and Halloween
is perfect cover for that activity. Play it safe.
- To trick or treat in your own neighborhood, make a list
of neighbors you know and trust. Check ahead of time that they will
be giving out treats. Accompany your children at least to the front sidewalk
of only those on the list. Make sure your children take the time
to show their costumes and to thank the benefactors; no grabbing and running
off!
- Visit a fun house or carnival with your children.
Drive carefully; there's lots of little ghosts and goblins out there that may
dash unheedingly in front of your vehicle.
- Have a Halloween party for your children and their friends.
Run a contest for best costume, ugliest costume, scariest, prettiest, etc.
Play "Pin the broom on the goblin". Forget bobbing for apples; it's unsanitary.
Try a race while balancing an apple or tiny plastic pumpkin party favors on
a spoon. Many other party games can be altered to reflect a Halloween theme.
Rent a video, schedule a television movie or read them a story. You don't
have to spend a lot of money.
For food, try Worms and Eyeballs
Salad, inexpensive boiled hot dogs with bottles labeled blood (ketchup),
boogers (pickle relish) and ichor (mustard),
Mummy Fingers
with more blood (ketchup) for dipping, or corn on the cob and use the husks
for
Mummified Mashed Potatoes. Serve
Black Mess for dessert.
For drink, serve Blue Witches
Brew, apple cider or
Spiced Tea
with floating plastic spiders. After the meal, have a pumpkin piñata
filled with wrapped treats. Give them each a zipper sandwich baggie of
candy to take home, too; try
Chocolate Spiders,
Buzzard's Nests and
Crisp Rice Candy Squares
with a candy corn accent.
- Make your own Haunted House with your children; involve
another parent or two. Great hints on gross and grisly effects at
Halloween Party.
- Have a Scavenger Hunt; this works best when the
guests live in the same block and can safely visit and raid each other's houses
for the things they need to find. (For pity's sake,
check this out with your invitees' parents first.)
- Have a traveling party. Get a group of parents
together and have each sponsor one meal course, one game, a treat for later
or an entertainment. Spread around four or five hours of fun.
Be careful; you don't want to be driving around much (or having
teenagers drive themselves) on Halloween.
- Brave? Have a sleep-over. Be prepared for
double the normal trouble and excitement this causes. Watch it;
no candles allowed. If you rent a movie, make sure
it's not too scary for the age range, and that it's something the other parents
will not be upset about.
Keep your kids safe at home (or in another adult's safe home)
on Halloween; you'll be glad you did.
Send
your Safer Halloween ideas and hints.
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