The Halloween Freaks want you to stay safe on Halloween!
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| Before you leave your house: |
Don’t go out on an empty stomach! Make sure you have a nice snack or light supper before you go out trick-or-treating. This is so you have the energy for your Halloween activities! Also, so you won’t feel hungry and munch on your treats while you are still out trick-or-treating. It’s not a good idea to eat your treats before an adult checks them to make sure they are safe.
It can be annoying because it might not fit with your costume, but if you live in an area where it’s cold on Halloween, make sure to dress warmly, even if it means having to cover up your costume a bit. You can always wear long-johns or warm underwear to keep you warm without ruining your costume.
Your treat bag can get very heavy, especially when you’re carrying it for hours. Carry an extra empty bag, or better yet, a backpack, so you can transfer your treats into it. This will help to make your treat bag lighter, and your Mom/Dad/Guardian can carry your extra bag for you.
Hey, it’s Halloween—it’s dark outside! Even if you say, “Well, I’m only trick-or-treating in a neighbourhood with lots of lights and stuff”, it’s still a good idea to carry a flashlight. You’ll be surprised what uses you can find for it on Halloween. And make sure it works first! Have fresh batteries in it, and carry some extra batteries.
Very Bad Idea. Even though it’s Halloween, there are still mean people, predators, bullies, and stray animals about. Always go with a group of friends, and have at least one adult go with you.
| About Costumes: |
It’s a good idea to wear fire-resistant costumes. Remember, there are a lot of pumpkins on Halloween with candles in them. When you are buying costumes, look for descriptions that say “flame-resistant”.
If you are wearing a costume that might have a cape, a long skirt, or loose clothing such as baggy trousers or baggy sleeves, remember to stay away from candles and fire! Long and loose costumes can be dangerous because lots of jack-o-lanterns are on the ground with candles in them, and your costume could catch fire. You can also trip and stumble over long costumes. Make your costume short enough so that it does not scrape the ground.
Though we shudder to think of such a thing happening, please remember, if you do catch fire to STOP, DROP and ROLL.
Masks are a lot of fun, but make sure that they have large eyeholes so you can see clearly and see all around you. Also, make sure it is easy to breathe inside the mask, because you’ll have it on all night! To be honest, face paint is a better way to go. You can make all kinds of scary faces and effects with face paint. Make sure it is non-toxic!
Brightly coloured costumes are great fun to wear, and you can be better seen in the dark night. If your costume has dark colors, put some pieces of reflective tape on it so drivers and other people can still see you.
| About Decorations: |
Although it is tradition to place candles inside jack-o-lanterns, perhaps using a battery-operated electric light is a better idea. You can easily find those at dollar stores, and they still can give off a spooky glow inside a jack-o-lantern. Pets, little children, and people who don’t watch where they are going, can easily stumble over a jack-o-lantern sitting on your doorstep. This can spell trouble if you have a lit candle inside that jack-o-lantern! The wind can blow the flame too. The jack-o-lantern could tumble over with the lit candle inside.
Keep lit candles, lit jack-o-lanterns and similar decorations, away from flammable things. For example, if you have bales of hay or a scarecrow stuffed with straw, please keep fire faaaar away!
| About Trick Or Treating: |
These are some of those good reasons to trick-or-treat with a group of friends and an adult, so you have other people watching out for you:
It’s so exciting to try and get as many treats as possible, that you may want to run from house to house, or run across the streets. Please do not do this. It’s important to be aware of what is around you. There are still cars, other people and animals around. Take your time and walk from house to house.
You want to invest your time and energy as wisely as possible on Halloween. Zig-zagging and visiting houses randomly wastes your energy and your time. Visit houses on one side of the street first, then cross the street at the sidewalk, remembering to look all ways before crossing, then visit the houses on the other side of the street.
When you’re crossing any street, keep an eye out for cars, motorcycles, skateboarders, etc. Don’t assume that drivers have noticed you, because for one thing, it’s dark outside. Be safe and respect cars and other vehicles. If a driver seems to be driving too fast or unsafely, wait until they have passed. Let’s hope the police catch them!
Like we just mentioned, look all ways before crossing the street. Not just from side to side, but in front of you and behind you. Stay on the sidewalks, and cross at intersections where it is safer to cross, because there are stop signs or traffic lights.
It’s a good idea to trick-or-treat in areas that you know well, and visit the houses of your relatives and friends, and friends of your parents. Don’t go visiting strange neighbourhoods alone.
When people have their house lights off, it usually means they don’t want to be part of Halloween, so please respect them and don’t bother visiting their house. It could also be dangerous to visit a house that has no lights on, because no one can really see you if someone grabs you from inside a darkened house. Stay away, be safe!
If they are strangers and they invite you to come in, don’t do it. If they insist, then just turn around and walk away. Don’t argue with them, don’t have a conversation with them. There’s plenty of other candy available from other people.
No matter how friendly they appear to be, they should know the rules. If they want to hand out candy, they should be doing it from their home, not from a car or walking around on the streets.
Even worse, they may try to get you to get inside their car or go somewhere with them. They might say, “Oh, my house is just around the corner, come with me and I’ll give you candy.”
NEVER, EVER DO THIS!
If a stranger in a car or on the street says, “Hey, come here, I want to talk to you”, or “Hey come here, I have candy”, or something like that, just ignore them and keep walking.
| About Treats: |
Wait until you get home and your parents, or an adult that you trust, have checked the treats.
Just because a treat comes from the store, you should still check it. Throw out any treats that are not wrapped properly, or have torn or loose packaging, or have small holes in their wrappers.
They can be very tempting and look yummy, but better safe than sorry. Just throw it out. Nowadays, people should know the rules. They really shouldn’t be offering such things.
If you get fruit on Halloween, (or even vegetables, like in our song Someone Gave Me Health Food On Halloween ), inspect it thoroughly for suspicious holes or cuts. Wash the fruits thoroughly too. The Halloween Freaks would rather throw out fruit altogether, instead of taking the risk of eating it. You can get your own fruits easily enough at the grocery!
When in doubt, throw it out!
Well, this may seem like quite a long list! But in the end, it’s very simple. You know most of this stuff anyway, because it’s safety rules for everyday, not just Halloween.
| Have a safe and Happy Halloween from The Halloween Freaks, and come listen to our great Halloween music! |