Halloween

My kids all grown up and living on the other side of the world now but I’ve always loved Halloween night and ickle trick or treaters calling to the door.

To all those reading this who have kids, has the subject of Halloween been brought up yet?

Princess Calla

Yeah on a family group chat.

There's a few of us that have small children.

I think the general consensus is trick or treating isn't going to happen.

I live in Dublin we've one or two more cases than the rest of the country, I think the risk is a bit high.

Our road is full of retired people too I'm not sure how they'd feel opening the door to primary school kids.

Still a few weeks away but the numbers are not moving in the right direction.

We'll probably do a treasure hunt or something for the kids... Holloween is my favourite time but what can you do?

I know it’s tough going.

I think it would be a good idea to pop a note through the door of those elderly folk and keep them posted on what is or isn’t going to happen.

I live in a small estate and the only idea I came up with is maybe going full on with decorating the area so the kids can do a spooky walkabout.

Every grocery shop large or small has made a tidy profit since Covid. They could give out pre made and sanitised goody bags to all schools to give to the kids?

jam_mac_jam

I feel sorry for kids but I won't be opening the door to any this year.

eviltwin

Won't be happening in my house either. We're going to go away down the country for the week and avoid it all.

woodchuck

I don't have kids, but I'd be perfectly happy to open the door and hand out goodies to kids (I do love Halloween though). However I feel there will need to be some sort of guidance in relation to this though. For example:
- Have some sort of sign or decoration up outside your house if you're willing to have people call to your door.
- Parents would need to be strict and make sure that their kids keep their distance. Maybe the parent could step forward for the goodies instead of the kids to keep things under control.
- Masks should be worn by all (shouldn't be much of an issue given the holiday!)
- Parents should maybe wipe down all external wrappers before letting the kids at the treats when they get home.

I feel like Halloween should be salvageable. Especially considering it's the one time of the year that it's normal to wear masks :P

I’ll answer the door and give out treats.

If people don’t want to answer the door, that is fair enough.

DangerScouse

I really don't like Halloween as it's seen as a reason for feral kids to run amok in certain areas. Any festival that includes the burning of domestic waste on green areas damaging the environment isn't something to be looked forward to. Funny how the kids and parents of these kids and teens who build these bonfires aren't ever around for the clean up afterwards either. Tells a lot about their character.

eleventh

Every day is like halloween now.

paw patrol

my kids will be out and about for halloween.

call me when ebola lands in ireland and we can talk about postponement then...

I never usually get dressed up when I answer the door but I suppose this year would be the perfect reason to get a crazy mask.

ceadaoin.

Yeah I dont see any reason why Halloween can't happen in some form. Usually my daughters school has a trunk or treat event and I can see why that can't happen, all the kids are gathered in one place and there's music in the hall etc. But trick or treating? Why not? I'll probably make up bags with a few sweets in each. Kid comes to the door, I quickly deposit it into their container while wearing a mask. No prolonged contact and no hands going into sweet bowls. I dont see the issue.

Its a huge thing here, a couple of governors tried to ban trick or treating but back tracked fairly quick due to the reaction.

It’s definitely doable but I think it’s a good idea to start thinking about it now so communities can thrash out all ideas.

jam_mac_jam

No thanks. Don't really want to put myself at risk for loads of random children so they can have sweets. It is low risk but not really worth it for me.

JDD

We've had a chat about this in our house.

We'll probably raise it on the WhatApp group for our estate. The usual way we go trick or treating is that we only call on the houses that have decorated their front door. So I guess we'll put that on an "official" footing through the WA group and say that anyone who doesn't feel comfortable opening the door should just not decorate their house. And for those who do, we might ask them to put a bottle of sanitiser outside the door and don't let the kids rummage in a big bowl - just put the sweets into the loot bags for them.

We would usually make up bags of sweets and then go for the Roses/Celebrations box if we ran out (which happens a lot). So I guess we'll just make more bags this year and when we run out that'll be it.

You could also just put an "honesty" bowl with sweets outside your door. Some houses did that on our estate last year, if there was only one parent and they were shepherding their own kids around the estate. Of course, they tend to go a bit quicker but sure so be it, and then you'll still be in on the fun without taking any risks yourself.

JP Liz V1

I think be mindful of your neighbours, tell kids be respectful as some don't take a hint when the door isn't opened

PTH2009

Waterford playing Cork in Munster that day so I'll be taking no trick or treats that day lol

...Ghost...

We always have pre-packed goody bags for the callers. I plan leave some treats outside in a basket with a big "TAKE 1 BAG EACH" sign. Maybe it will last 5 minutes, but hey, we gotta try for the kids, right? I actually have a spare auto sanitiser I might put out for the dirty little monsters.:D

BeardySi

I'm thinking of trying to arrange something with the other parents in my kid's class - basically let the classmates do the rounds of each others' houses - it helps that most of them are in a reasonably small area geographically. The kids can go round in groups together as they're all together in school anyway. Bags of sweets outside like haribo minis so no fingers in bowls of sweets etc....

mohawk

Any trick or treating will be limited to houses where his classmates live or people we have contact with anyway. Definitely not knocking on every house in the area.

punisher5112

I don't see it going ahead.
London has cancelled new year's celebrations so that gives an answer really for other things.

I can't see it been a good idea going to random houses and then getting handed stuff, you just don't know where it is and numbers going up and up.

Princess Calla

punisher5112 wrote: »

I can't see it been a good idea going to random houses and then getting handed stuff, you just don't know where it is and numbers going up and up.

Yeah I've no problem handing out stuff. However I'm not really gone on the idea of the kids getting sweets from other houses.

Mine are still small so we only ever knock on maybe 7 houses on the road, so on a very personal level I think we'd be OK.

Everyone's standards of hygiene are different and you can see this in the supermarket, so what they do in their own home before handing out sweets, how they prepare the bags etc it is abit of a risk.

I know you can say wipe all the wrappers down etc, but there's still a risk you'd miss a bit, plus if you've more than one child going out how many mini Mars bars will you wipe before saying feck it

screamer

We’re not doing it this year. I’ll have some treats on standby for callers though. I live in the country so it’s dark at night, so planning to do a garden ghost hunt for the kids for treats with torches and lanterns, so they have some activities to look forward to. Might even light a little bonfire for them just out of sticks in a barrel down the garden, we’ll see.....

uiolfg

I plan to do the same. My son study at the high school and he has a plan to dress up in costume and have some fun with his friends. I am thinking about buying a realistic mask <snip>

TheValeyard

Im thinking of family house party for the little ones. Some sweets and games. No trick or treating this year I'd say.

DangerScouse

Not happening in our house this year. Too risky

punisher5112

Its definitely going to be cancelled this year....

Madness to let them out to be honest and many elderly will be keeping doors shut anyway.

Groups is the problem and meeting with others....

Seamai

TheValeyard wrote: »

Im thinking of family house party for the little ones. Some sweets and games. No trick or treating this year I'd say.

I don't ever remember trick or treating when I was young but we had a small family party with sweets and nuts, games and stories. Usually my dad would have a few drinks and took great pleasure in someone getting soaked bobbing for apples or some game that involved tasting different things while blindfolded, including a piece of soap, then he'd split a peanut in two to make vampire fangs and pretend to bite my mother.

I think it's still possible to have fun at home without heading out trick or treating, you just have to be a bit more imaginative.

I remember my mum would bake a fruit brack and put a ring in it.

mirrorwall14

I’m hoping to bring mine on a scavenger hunt in the estate and I’ve them a little prize when they complete something. Like find five pumpkins and when they get them we give them something for their bag. Not really comfortable with taking treats straight from others right now

Neyite

Around our area it's fairly sedate - kids don't go to houses unless they have decorations outdoors, and it's all usually done by 7.30pm.



So we might do a handful of neighbours we know and he's asked for a sleepover with his two friends (restrictions permitting on the day!) so we'll probably introduce the old 80's halloween games of apple ducking and pin the tail on the witch etc to a new generation for the rest of the evening.

funnydoggy

We'll be answering the door I'd imagine. They'll be brief encounters which pose a low risk.

Gods Gift

The little granny killers better not come near my door or they’ll get the garden hose turned on them.
Hopefully they drop there sweets. And I’ll have them too.

whisky_galore

Stay away from my door with yer begging snot nosed offspring.

Mrsmum

In the estate where I live, we get a good amount of trick n treaters and they sort of rush the door when you open it to get at the treats. Will not be opening my door to that this year. But I was thinking of hanging a rope between two trees at opposite sides of my front garden and pegging little bags of sweets on the line for them to take and I would keep restocking after each group left.

WoollyRedHat

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

I remember my mum would bake a fruit brack and put a ring in it.

The OG to Beyonce.

JustAThought

I’m not the mist child friendly zine but I always make n effort to be home and have mountains of quality junk to hand out at the door.

Definately not this year - and will not be impressed by anyone knocking . children are high risk carriers not to mention the virus living on and being transferable on paper/ plastic/wrappers etc.

Tradition or not there are enough Halloween traditions to resurrect for the kids to have a great time. I wouldn’t have any kind of a good opinion of any parent who let their kids out door to door to get infected or infect - despite the vampire season.

Pauliedragon

MM was asked about halloween the other day and he was a bit cagey but I'd say they'll give an guideline on way or the other in the lead up.

JustAThought

Pauliedragon wrote: »

MM was asked about halloween the other day and he was a bit cagey but I'd say they'll give an guideline on way or the other in the lead up.

Pity he didnt man up and repeat the basics - children are high risk carriers, not to go to people who are not in your pid, no unnecessary touching or minus two meter contact and going door to
door to strangers houses touching surfaces and knocking at doors and bells - out of the question. Is he a michéal or a mouse - man up.

JDD

Not to be pernickity here, but how are children high risk carriers? There are conflicting studies so far, some saying that children are as likely to catch coronavirus, but less likely to pass it on. Other studies show they are just as likely as adults to pass it on. I haven't seen any studies to say that children are more likely to infect each other or adults, than adults are, thus making them "high risk" carriers? Perhaps there is something new out there?

charlietheminxx

I live in an area with loads of small children, and I normally go all out for Halloween. I don't like the idea of it this year though. If trick or treating isn't banned, which it probably should be, I'm going to get a Cauldron and leave it outside with some bags of sweets in.

utyh2ikcq9z76b

JDD wrote: »

Not to be pernickity here, but how are children high risk carriers? There are conflicting studies so far, some saying that children are as likely to catch coronavirus, but less likely to pass it on. Other studies show they are just as likely as adults to pass it on. I haven't seen any studies to say that children are more likely to infect each other or adults, than adults are, thus making them "high risk" carriers? Perhaps there is something new out there?

If they are in school they are probably coming into closer contact with more people than your average adult

JDD

Peyton Deafening Backpacker wrote: »

If they are in school they are probably coming into closer contact with more people than your average adult

I suppose you could say they are more high risk because they have more close contacts. That's fair enough.

Even then I can't see how answering the door, with them outside, and popping a couple of bags of treats into their bags before closing the door again would really increase your chances of catching anything.

Of course maybe you are protecting the children from you - in case you have contaminated the treats you are giving out. I do think that's taking it a tad far, especially since NPHET came out and said there's no need to disinfect groceries. If I was really worried about that with my kids, I'd tell them that they can't open and eat anything while trick or treating, have to wash their hands when they get in, and I'd keep a few treats for them to have when they got home. The trick or treat loot can go on a shelf for two days and then any virus on the packaging dies. Job done.

Then again, if oohing over another scary clown outfit before the more...ahem...confident children grab the treats is not your idea of a fun evening at the best of times, maybe this year is a good year to sit it out. We never call at doors that aren't decorated anyway.

SusanC10

Our Kids won't be going Trick or Treating this year. We don't normally get many to our door. Not sure if I am on for it tbh. Won't decorate anyway.
We were meant to be abroad but have cancelled.

Clare_Culchie

Sorry if this is discussed elsewhere - I couldn't find a relevant thread.

The shops are stocking up with big tubs of Haribos and all sorts of other candy for trick-or-treaters at Halloween, but I wonder if we should expect trick-or-treating to go ahead this Halloween?

I suspect sharing sweets with kids coming to the door in costume might be a particularly handy way for the auld virus to get its way around a neighbourhood.

I reckon there might be some encouragement for the schools and creches to do the whole costume thing and maybe even a little party within their pods. I'm kinda hoping for it.

TBH it's not an occasion I particularly care for myself - never really a fan.

Any thoughts yourselves?

TexasTornado

It's usually a knackerfest around this way so I hope it's dialled back this year.

Cakerbaker

I’m hoping to arrange a small trick or treating route among families from crèche. There’s a few within walking distance and they’re all in crèche together anyway so don’t see any added risk. Don’t think I’ll be doing general trick or treating though.

jam_mac_jam

No it shouldn't be happening. Extremely low risk to catch in that way but it is possible. All social things like this should be cancelled at the moment.

I do feel sorry for kids but it's only sweets they will survive. I won't be answering the door this year.

JP Liz V1

All the hotels who has guests booked, Halloween events on, now cancelled?

Beasty

Threads merged

freshpopcorn

Clare_Culchie wrote: »

Sorry if this is discussed elsewhere - I couldn't find a relevant thread.

The shops are stocking up with big tubs of Haribos and all sorts of other candy for trick-or-treaters at Halloween, but I wonder if we should expect trick-or-treating to go ahead this Halloween?

I suspect sharing sweets with kids coming to the door in costume might be a particularly handy way for the auld virus to get its way around a neighbourhood.

I reckon there might be some encouragement for the schools and creches to do the whole costume thing and maybe even a little party within their pods. I'm kinda hoping for it.

TBH it's not an occasion I particularly care for myself - never really a fan.

Any thoughts yourselves?

I don't think Trick-or-Treatering will happen this year.

People will get sweets and do their own thing at home.

Relatives and family friends might drop a few bits off for kids as well. This can be done within your own county and people can wipe down packets, etc.