Halloween Is Coming!
Pumpkins, costumes, decorations and plenty of candy — October is here, and it’s time to start getting ready for Halloween!
There’s something special about October. The temperatures begin to cool, leaves start changing, pumpkins appear on front porches and neighborhoods slowly transform for Halloween.
Whether your family goes all-out with decorations, enjoys traditional trick-or-treating, prefers a neighborhood gathering or celebrates Halloween in your own way, a little preparation can make the month safer and a lot more fun.
As we kick off October, here are some ideas, reminders and helpful tips for enjoying Halloween season at home and throughout your community.
Halloween decorating doesn’t have to be complicated. A few seasonal touches can completely change the look of your home and make the neighborhood feel festive.
Pumpkins and gourds are an easy place to start. Add a fall wreath, mums, decorative lanterns or a few friendly ghosts and you’ve got an instant October transformation.
If you’re feeling ambitious, cobwebs, skeletons, tombstones, inflatables and spooky lighting can take things to another level. Just remember to keep sidewalks, stairs and entrances clear so decorations don’t create a tripping hazard.
🕸️ A Few Decorating Tips
💡 Consider battery-powered or LED lighting instead of open flames.
🚪 Keep entrances, sidewalks and stairs clear for visitors.
🪦 Secure lightweight decorations so a windy October evening doesn’t send them into the neighbor’s yard.
🏡 Be considerate with flashing lights, sound effects and decorations that may affect nearby homes.
Pick out pumpkins together, carve or paint them, decorate the front porch and let everyone contribute an idea. Half the fun of Halloween is getting ready for it!
🍬 Getting Ready for Trick-or-Treaters
If you’re planning to hand out candy this year, a little preparation can make Halloween night much easier.
💡 Make sure your porch and walkway are well lit.
🍭 Consider offering a few non-food treats for children with dietary restrictions or allergies.
🐕 Keep pets somewhere comfortable and secure if repeated doorbells and visitors make them nervous.
🎃 Traditionally, a lit porch or welcoming decorations signal that a home is participating.
Halloween is exciting, especially for children, but darkness, costumes, traffic and busy sidewalks mean everyone should pay a little extra attention.
🔦 Carry flashlights or glow sticks and consider reflective material on costumes or treat bags.
🚶 Use sidewalks whenever available and cross streets at appropriate crossings.
🚗 Drivers should slow down and watch carefully for children entering roadways.
👗 Make sure costumes fit properly and don’t create a tripping hazard.
👀 Masks should allow children to see clearly in all directions.
🍬 Parents should review treats before younger children begin eating them.
🚗 Even If You Don’t Celebrate Halloween…
October 31 is still a night when neighborhoods may have significantly more pedestrians than usual.
If you’re driving during typical trick-or-treating hours, slow down, stay alert and expect children to be excited — and occasionally unpredictable.
A few extra seconds of patience can help everyone enjoy a safer evening.
Halloween fun doesn’t have to mean walking door-to-door. There are plenty of ways families can enjoy the season.
🎃 Hold a pumpkin carving or decorating contest.
🍪 Bake Halloween cookies or make spooky treats together.
🚙 Look for a local trunk-or-treat event.
🌽 Visit a pumpkin patch, corn maze or fall festival.
🏠 Create an indoor candy hunt for younger children.
🎨 Have a Halloween craft night.
🔥 Enjoy a backyard fire pit, warm cider and fall treats where permitted.
🐾 Don’t Forget Our Four-Legged Neighbors
Halloween can be confusing for pets. Costumes, strangers, doorbells and unusual noises can make even normally relaxed animals nervous.
Keep pets safely secured, make sure identification information is current, and keep candy — particularly chocolate and products containing ingredients that may be harmful to animals — safely out of reach.
Halloween is more fun when everyone is considerate of the people around them.
Keep children out of landscaped areas and private yards unless invited.
Dispose of candy wrappers and other trash properly.
Keep music and sound effects at a reasonable level.
Be patient with increased pedestrian activity and neighborhood traffic.
Make the Most of October
Halloween is only one night, but the fun of the season can last all month.
Decorate the house. Visit a pumpkin patch. Take a fall walk. Watch a scary movie. Bake something with too much cinnamon. Carve a pumpkin. Drink some cider. Spend time with your family and neighbors.
However you celebrate, we hope your October is filled with good memories, plenty of laughs and just the right amount of spooky.
