Having got your Halloween costumes all sorted, are you & the kids getting ready to go out trick or treating?  Traditionally, Halloween itself, October 31^st (next Monday) is the correct day for knocking on the neighbours’ doors. However, because this is a school night, we know several families who are starting Halloween early and will be trick or treating tonight or over the weekend. We would like to know that all our customers and their families will be enjoying themselves, so we thought we should take the opportunity to focus on everybody having a safe Halloween.  Here are our top ten tips for a safe Halloween.

Top Ten Trick or Trick Safety Tips

If you’re going to trick or treat, at least make an effort. Throwing on a cheap cape and a mask just to do some door-to-door begging doesn’t always get brownie points or treats.

Make sure your costume is warm and easy to wear (i.e. not so long you, or others, can trip over it), wear sensible shoes (you’re walking a lot) and if you must carry a weapon prop (not always a good idea these days), make sure it’s harmless and ‘bendy’.

Make sure that if you are wearing a mask you can actually see out of it. You may need to make the eye holes a bit bigger.

Never trick or treat on your own – even ghouls and little monsters are allowed to have friends.

Trick or treating children should always take an adult with them – it gets them out of the house and gives them something to do besides watch television (It’s only ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Spooks’ or ‘Doc Martin’ anyway)

Respect the fact that not everyone (especially the elderly) likes the concept of Trick or Treat – avoid any household which displays a ‘No Trick or Treat’ notice in their window. Look for houses with a pumpkin or other Halloween decorations on show as a sign of ‘Trick or Treat’ friendly territory.

Define your route and make sure you stick to it – try to keep to well-lit streets and avoid having to cross major roads – driving at night can be scary enough without having to deal with unexpected Undead and the like – and it’s not a good idea to try trick or treating motorists anyway.

Always carry a working torch with you. Not only is it useful for making sure you can see where you’re going in dark areas, it also creates a great spooky effect if you hold it under your chin to light your face.

Have a good meal before you go out to trick or treat. Despite the fact that you’re picking up ‘goodies’ on your travels, it’s safest not to eat what you get in the dark: You can’t always read the contents and ingredients labels, and it’s best to wait until you get home to check out it’s all safe to eat.

Never talk to strangers or accept invitations into their houses. Admittedly Halloween is the night to see strange people wandering the streets but not the time for home visits.

Despite the name, always thank people for treats and don’t play tricks – angry people can have a way of turning nasty.

If you still do not have your Halloween costumes sorted out, remember Props & Frocks is open all over the weekend for your last minute Halloween costumes & accessories