Trick-Or-Treat Time

The traditions of Halloween and trick-or-treating actually date back to more than 2,000 years ago when the Celtics would gather together for a huge bonfire wearing costumes and making sacrifices to mark the end of the summer and harvest seasons and prepare for the coming of the cold winter. Over the years the traditions evolved and were influenced by Rome and Christianity and eventually made their way to the United States where Halloween has become more of a children’s-focused holiday.

Halloween is truly paradise to young children.   Think back to your own childhood.  The costume was everything - you spent eternity thinking about it, making sure to consult your friends so you didn’t wear the same thing.  There were parties in school and at your friend’s homes, but the final event that everyone looked forward to was the trick-or-treating. You plotted your route to get to the most houses in the allotted time period and made sure that your bag was big enough to carry all the candy you were sure to bring home. 

Today I’m a grandpa and things haven’t changed much.  My grandchildren (ages 4 and 2) have been talking about trick-or-treating all month!  They began their Halloween celebration deciding what costumes they would wear.  They chose Buz Lightyear and Cinderella - perfect choices!

As adults we love watching our children and grandchildren follow the same routines and show the same excitement we did as kids.  At the same time we now have a new understanding why our parents insisted on taking flashlights, going with us when trick-or-treating and going through the candy at the end of the night before letting us eat any of it.

Here are a few simple steps that I've learned over the years to help make your Halloween fun and safe:

• Make sure the kids have something to eat before going out trick-or-treating, so they won’t try and snack on their goodies before they get home and you get a chance to inspect their bag.
• Make sure to take a flashlight to see where you’re going and put reflective tape on the kids’ costumes so others can see them.
•  If you use any makeup, make sure to test the makeup beforehand to make sure that there won’t be any allergic reactions. Also make sure to remove makeup before bedtime to prevent breakouts.
• Tell the kids not to take unwrapped or homemade treats, or if they do take them, make sure to discard these things when you get home.
• Candles are used a lot for decorations on Halloween night, just remind the kids not to walk too closely to anything with an open flame, especially if the kids have flowing costumes.  It also helps to look for flame resistant costumes when shopping, just to be on the safe side.
• Make sure to walk with the kids and once they insist they are old enough, make sure you know the group they are going with, remind them to always stay together, use cross-walks when crossing streets, and also ask for them to tell you the route the group plans on walking.
• When inspecting the goodies at the end of the night, throw away anything that isn’t commercially wrapped or where the packaging is damaged.  Also if the children are very young look for things that could be a choking hazard like peanuts, gumballs, or small hard candies and discard them as well.

Following these simple steps can help you and your family enjoy a safe holiday.

From all of us here at Tropical Financial Credit Union: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

^Steve