Halloween at Your Door: Enjoy the Doorbell
The best seat in the house is right by the front door. A few easy ways to make trick-or-treat night fun and steady.
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Halloween is Saturday, and if you ask me, handing out treats is the best seat in the house. You get the tiny superheroes, the princesses, the dinosaurs who roar on cue, and every year at least one kid wearing his dad’s bathrobe as a "wizard." It’s free entertainment, and you get to be the favorite house on the block.
A little setup makes the evening easy and fun.
1. Light the path and clear the steps
- Turn on the porch light, and add a string of lights or a lantern along the walk.
- Move pumpkins, decorations and leaves off the steps and to the side. Wet leaves can be slippery.
- Make sure the handrail is clear, for the little ones and for you.
- Keep the walk free of hoses, cords and anything a costume could trip on.
2. Set up a front-door station
- Pull a comfortable chair near the door, with a small table for the treat bowl.
- Keep a sweater or blanket handy if you’ll be sitting on the porch.
- Have your phone and a flashlight nearby.
- If you have pets, settle them in a back room. The doorbell can be a lot for a dog.
You won’t be bouncing up and down out of your recliner all evening, and you’ll be ready for every ring.
3. Add a few non-candy treats
Some kids can’t have candy because of food allergies or other reasons. A small bowl of non-food treats makes them feel welcome too.
- Stickers, pencils, bubbles, glow sticks or little toys all work.
- A teal-painted pumpkin on your step lets families know you have non-food treats. It’s part of the Teal Pumpkin Project.
- Keep the non-candy bowl separate so kids can choose.
Try this today
- Clear and light your steps and walkway.
- Set up a chair and a table by the door.
- Pick up a pack of stickers or pencils with the candy.
Have fun with it
Wear a silly hat or a pair of cat ears. Compliment every costume and ask the kids what they are, even when it’s obvious. Their answers are half the fun. If you’re feeling crafty, carve or paint a pumpkin for the step; a painted one is easier on the hands and lasts longer.
Share a memory
If a family stops to chat, tell them what Halloween was like when you were a kid. Homemade costumes cut from bedsheets, pillowcases for candy bags, and popcorn balls from the neighbor down the street. Kids love hearing that their grandparents went trick-or-treating too.
A word about the candy
Pro tip: buy candy you don’t love. That way the leftovers won’t call your name in November. If you do have extras, many dentists and community groups collect them for troops overseas.
Not up for the doorbell this year?
That’s fine too. Leave the porch light off, or join a "trunk-or-treat" at a church or community center, where kids come to you in the parking lot.
What was your favorite costume as a kid? Tell me in the comments.