I just wanted to wish a Happy and Safe Halloween to everyone that will be trick or treating or partaking in some of the various other festivities this weekend.
If you have kids, you're probably already doing or have done some things to help them enjoy this time of year. We had a pumpkin craving party yesterday, inviting a couple of my daughters friends over along with their parents to carve up pumpkins (Jack O'Lanterns). The kids all used markers to make their design and the grown-ups did the carving. The kids were excited about taking out most of the pumpkin insides. Later on we had baked pumpkin seeds made with some olive oil and a little salt (a nice tasty and easy to make snack). When the kids were off playing, the grown ups watched "Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", a classic Peanuts Halloween special.
We're taking the kids to a local American base later today so that they can "trick or treat" in more American style. We've taken the kids trick or treating (house to house as they refer to it locally) for several years now, but this will be the first time that we've gone to a base to trick or treat, so I'm excited to see how this will turn out. I was really surprised to see how Halloween is growing in popularity in Germany. While not all of the houses or apartments have treats for the kids, many that are decorated do. A lot of the people do give out treats to the kids get a kick out of seeing the kids in all their cute costumes.
I hope that you'll all use a little safety and enjoy yourselves this Halloween by following the follow advise...
- If you have concerns about some candy or other treat that your kid has received, discard it if in doubt
- Maybe you can take the kids to a local party put on by friends or some other publicly organized party or trick or treating, to avoid taking bad or unsafe treats. This can also add a little more fun to the festivities
- If going trick or treating be sure to dress appropriately (I remember that it often rained, sometimes snowed, but more often than not was just plain cold!)
- Do trick or treating in groups, for your kids safety (the parents can also enjoy the company of other parents this way)
- If throwing a party where alcohol is served, make sure that nobody drinks too much and drives home. Designated drivers would be a good thing
- Show some respect for people that don't like Halloween for religious reasons, you can choose costumes that aren't demeaning to other religions
I hope that everyone has a Happy and Safe Halloween.
Photo Credit: The pumpkins that we carved up at our little party last night. Unfortunately, my flash didn't allow me to get the whole effect with the darkness outside.
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