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#Post#: 77498--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: NFPwife Date: October 24, 2022, 8:28 am
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I carved elaborate pumpkins one year and then spent a ton of
time soaking them in cold water, Vaseline-ing them, and
refrigerating them daily that I didn't carve them the next year.
I've always meant to get artificial ones to carve, I think I'll
watch for an after Halloween sale and do those for next year.
Has anyone done those? Any tips or tricks?
For treats, we'll get each "kid" house on our street a dozen
donuts and call it done.
#Post#: 77499--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: BeagleMommy Date: October 24, 2022, 10:48 am
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I have a Halloween wreath on my front door and we have a
miniature Halloween village of all the classic movie monsters in
our front window.
BeagleDaddy will carve some pumpkins for the front stoop. We
used to do a more elaborate set up but we're both too tired any
more.
BD will watch movies and eat junk food but I have to work the
next day so I'll go to bed.
#Post#: 77528--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: DaDancingPsych Date: October 26, 2022, 3:24 pm
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I am really struggling with deciding if I want to treat the
trick or treaters this year. It hasn't been a lot of fun the
past few years (only a few kids show up; none of them want to
interact... I might get a grunted thank you.) I don't have
children, so I don't feel like I've abused the system by taking
and not giving. Yet, I still feel guilty for not treating.
There's a movie that has sparked my interest at the theater, so
maybe I should spend the two hours doing that??? I guess we'll
see how I'm feeling on Saturday.
#Post#: 77535--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: NFPwife Date: October 26, 2022, 9:31 pm
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[quote author=DaDancingPsych link=topic=2406.msg77528#msg77528
date=1666815860]
I am really struggling with deciding if I want to treat the
trick or treaters this year. It hasn't been a lot of fun the
past few years (only a few kids show up; none of them want to
interact... I might get a grunted thank you.) I don't have
children, so I don't feel like I've abused the system by taking
and not giving. Yet, I still feel guilty for not treating.
There's a movie that has sparked my interest at the theater, so
maybe I should spend the two hours doing that??? I guess we'll
see how I'm feeling on Saturday.
[/quote]
I hear you! That's why I stopped distributing candy and switched
to reverse trick or treating. I made up bags with Halloween
themed pencils, stickers, erasers, etc. along with some candy.
One house had kids who never said thank you and their mother
barely said a word. (Other kids were super appreciative.) I cut
that house's bags to a small pumpkin of candy. (They moved.)
Everyone is now on a dozen donuts plan. It's cheaper than the
bags were and waaaay less hassle. We delivered them last night
and one little one was jumping up and down on the couch yelling
thank you. She was so cute! (The other kids messaged me on FB
messenger to say thanks - they're all teens now.)
#Post#: 77536--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: Aleko Date: October 27, 2022, 12:14 pm
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The front of our house has had a long-needed paint job: finally
the scaffolding has come down and our door, windows and 'area'
railings can now be seen, resplendent with spanking new gloss
paint. This makes us worry that they may be a target for damage
at Halloween. DH suggested that we might lash a plank across the
railings for the evening to make it difficult to get at the door
to kick or scrape it; but I think that's likely to be
interpreted by the local yoof as a challenge. Tricky.
#Post#: 77544--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: NewHomeowner Date: October 28, 2022, 5:22 am
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[quote author=DaDancingPsych link=topic=2406.msg77528#msg77528
date=1666815860]
I am really struggling with deciding if I want to treat the
trick or treaters this year. It hasn't been a lot of fun the
past few years (only a few kids show up; none of them want to
interact... I might get a grunted thank you.) I don't have
children, so I don't feel like I've abused the system by taking
and not giving. Yet, I still feel guilty for not treating.
There's a movie that has sparked my interest at the theater, so
maybe I should spend the two hours doing that??? I guess we'll
see how I'm feeling on Saturday.
[/quote]
Don't feel guilty. I gave up on trick-or-treaters years ago.
It seems that apartments I've lived in bring out the worst
brats. The last apartment I was in, the kids were either
vandals, or they'd try to take advantage and stick their whole
arm in the bowl of candy and scoop the whole thing into their
bag. So I didn't even answer the door anymore.
Now I live in an over-50 condo complex, and no children ever
come by. I'm relieved.
I'm very fond of the Reese's peanut butter cup commercial, that
says, 'Turn off the light and don't answer the door!'. I can
live with that. ;D
#Post#: 77545--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: DaDancingPsych Date: October 28, 2022, 7:07 am
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[quote author=LadyJaneinMD link=topic=2406.msg77544#msg77544
date=1666952537]
[quote author=DaDancingPsych link=topic=2406.msg77528#msg77528
date=1666815860]
I am really struggling with deciding if I want to treat the
trick or treaters this year. It hasn't been a lot of fun the
past few years (only a few kids show up; none of them want to
interact... I might get a grunted thank you.) I don't have
children, so I don't feel like I've abused the system by taking
and not giving. Yet, I still feel guilty for not treating.
There's a movie that has sparked my interest at the theater, so
maybe I should spend the two hours doing that??? I guess we'll
see how I'm feeling on Saturday.
[/quote]
Don't feel guilty. I gave up on trick-or-treaters years ago.
It seems that apartments I've lived in bring out the worst
brats. The last apartment I was in, the kids were either
vandals, or they'd try to take advantage and stick their whole
arm in the bowl of candy and scoop the whole thing into their
bag. So I didn't even answer the door anymore.
Now I live in an over-50 condo complex, and no children ever
come by. I'm relieved.
I'm very fond of the Reese's peanut butter cup commercial, that
says, 'Turn off the light and don't answer the door!'. I can
live with that. ;D
[/quote]
Thank you for sharing; it helps to know I'm not the only one.
It's sad that a few bad people can ruin the whole thing
(although I guess that's sort of theme here!) And I love that
commercial. Trust me, I've already purchased the treats... I
just haven't decided who will be eating them!!! ;D
#Post#: 77546--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: Isisnin Date: October 28, 2022, 9:09 am
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[quote author=Aleko link=topic=2406.msg77536#msg77536
date=1666890869]
The front of our house has had a long-needed paint job: finally
the scaffolding has come down and our door, windows and 'area'
railings can now be seen, resplendent with spanking new gloss
paint. This makes us worry that they may be a target for damage
at Halloween. DH suggested that we might lash a plank across the
railings for the evening to make it difficult to get at the door
to kick or scrape it; but I think that's likely to be
interpreted by the local yoof as a challenge. Tricky.
[/quote]
Is property damage common in your neighborhood at Halloween? If
it doesn't usually happen there, doubtful your new look
(congratulations!) would attract damage, but you know your
neighborhood. Probably the best deterrent would be to make it
clear you are home and awake. Like leave the lights on in the
house and maybe the shades/curtains open so it'll be clear that
anyone damaging the house may be seen by you.
(edited to add: Love the word "yoof"!)
#Post#: 77579--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: Aleko Date: October 31, 2022, 8:31 am
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[quote]Is property damage common in your neighborhood at
Halloween? [/quote]
Not in general, but we had a problem for more than a year: some
quite young kids below the age of criminal responsibility, but
egged on by a sightly older boy, repeatedly kicking that door.
To set the scene: our street is a P-shaped cul-de-sac. At the
end it curves into a one-way loop which comes back and rejoins
the street halfway along; the loop is full of shrubs and trees.
A footpath also leads off downhill from that junction, toward
some more houses. Our house directly faces that path.
We started to be disturbed in the early evening by a single loud
abrupt thud to the front door: it's a heavy 18th-century oak
door but it really shook. When we got to the door or a window
there was never anything to be seen. Often it was repeated more
than once at intervals. For quite a long time we weren't clear
what was happening - was someone firing some kind of missile at
it, or what? Finally they got brazen enough to hang around in
daylight to watch us react, and we realised that no, they were
sneaking up and either kicking the door with all their might or
whacking it with a plastic mallet, the kind you knock tent-pegs
in with, and running off fast.
So we called the police of course, and from descriptions and
photos we'd managed to take they could easily identify this
group who were at the local primary school. But these little
sods were young enough that there really wasn't anything the
police could do but let their school know and give them a solemn
talking to; which didn't intimidate them in the least. And we
couldn't make out if they had anything against us in particular,
or if they just tormented us because our house was the one that
offered most escape routes and best sight-lines (down the
street, into the shrubbery in the loop, or down the path). And
at that we were better off than a lady down the hill whose
windows they were in the habit of egging: the poor soul was a
refugee from the war in Kosovo, and naturally assumed that she
was being targeted on ethnic grounds.
It went on, as I say, for well over a year. It might not sound
like much, but it was a real siege of sorts. We couldn't sit
down to a quiet supper without mentally bracing ourselves for a
wallop (or several). The paint started to crack around the locks
due to the repeated impacts. Every time the weather changed or
the nights drew in or the school term started or ended, we'd
hope that that would put an end to it for a while and that
perhaps during the school holidays/the dark nights/the wet
weather they'd lose interest in the game. For quite long periods
it would stop. And just when we had begun to think they'd really
stopped - THUD!
It's so humiliating to be helpless when harassed by little kids.
And it's really exhausting and lowering to hate them. Because I
did hate them, utterly. If any of them in the act had tripped or
slipped on our worn stone steps and broken a leg or gashed their
head, God help me, I would have been so HAPPY to see that.
Well, finally it did stop. Perhaps they tired of it; perhaps
they went on to more serious criminality. Perhaps, now that they
will all have reached the age of criminal responsibility, they -
or at least the ringleaders - are enjoying the hospitality of
His Majesty's young offender institutions. But as we look at our
newly-gleaming door, we can't help but wonder if the sight might
not provoke them once again? Certainly our being at home and
awake would be no deterrent; indeed, for them it was the whole
point. Oh well, in a few hours we'll know . . .
#Post#: 77583--------------------------------------------------
Re: Halloween planning
By: TootsNYC Date: October 31, 2022, 11:07 am
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motion-activated garden hose or sprinklers?
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