Use Halloween As An Opportunity To Get To Know Your Neighbors
At Ninja Movers, we love Halloween, however, today’s Halloween isn’t much like when we were growing up. Trick-or-treating is less and less common and people know fewer of their neighbors. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Even if you live in a neighborhood where trick-or-treating is a rarity, you can still make your home festive enough that maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to dole those fun-sized Snickers out to someone else instead of to your own waistline. Here are a few things you can do:
Make your house inviting – Turn on the porch light and have some decorations – the more, the better. A few pumpkins and some dollar store decorations should be enough. If you are artistic, carve some great faces on the pumpkins. If you’re not, no one will complain if they’re plain.
Talk to the parents beforehand – Take this as an excuse to introduce yourself to the new neighbors. Let them know that your house will be open to trick-or-treaters, but don’t be too pushy. That will come off as creepy. Just tell them something like, “Obviously, I don’t know much about Halloween around here. Just in case, I bought a lot of candy. You and your kids are free to come by.”
Give the good stuff – You might have been that kid that liked candy corn and those weird peanut shaped candies (what were those things?) but most kids don’t. Most kids do like chocolate, though and spring for the name-brand stuff. No one wants chocolately coated generic candy. Don’t give out dental floss or even pennies. Homemade treats, while well intentioned, will likely end up in the trash. The best idea is to have an assortment of name-brand candy and let the kids choose for themselves.
Be wary of allergies – Most parents will inspect Halloween loot bags before letting their kids dive in, but it’s not unheard of for a kid to grab a piece or two while on the streets. The most common food allergy is to nuts. Offer some candy that doesn’t include common food allergens. Dark chocolates without nuts are often safe, but you should check the labels. If that’s a little too risky for you, offer some non-food items like stickers and fun pencils. Kids with food allergies might understand receiving raisins or dried cranberries instead of candy.
Have a party – A kid friendly Halloween party is a great way to get to know the neighbors. Set up a small haunted house. Serve some Halloween themed treats and you are set to be the most popular Halloween house on the block.