With Halloween just around the cornor there is a safe effective method of really discourageing trick or treaters. If in the instance you do not want them ringimg your bell, say due to illness or loss; simply place the lawn sprinkler(s) where the water falls directly in the pathway to your door...

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), October 21, 2001

Answers

Very good idea, Mitch! Up here in Canada the water would turn to ice, so maybe one sprinkler for water and another for sand?

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), October 21, 2001.

I actually miss the hoards of 'Trick-or-Treaters' we had in days gone by. Here it's now restricted to 5-7 PM Halloween night. As a kid, I remember three nights of four and five hours. We had a great time. I'm not sure I'd want three nights of answering the door now, but sure miss seeing all the little costumed cuties.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), October 21, 2001.

I miss it, too, Gary. We now live so far out in the country that we don't get any trick or treaters. I love to see all the costumes!

This year, we're not taking our kids trick or treating. With everything that's happening, we just don't feel really safe about it. We're having a party at home instead. The kids are excited about it - we don't do a lot of parties around here.

Is anyone else doing anything different this year?

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), October 21, 2001.

Ooops.... just breached some thread etiquette there - sorry! I'll post my question on a new thread.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), October 21, 2001.

Hey, Mitch, Not that we've ever done this or anything, :) but.....put an "empty box" on your porch with a sign that says, Please Take One, with One underlined. Kids just think someone before them took the whole box of candy. ;) If you really want to have some fun, put an empty hershey's bar wrapper wadded up in the box so they think you gave those out!

-- Jennifer (none@none.com), October 21, 2001.

You could always hand out tracks, and little new testiments .

-- jillian (sweetunes483@yahoo.com), October 21, 2001.

I've always loved Halloween even as an adult but the fun really diminished back in '74 when that creep in Texas poisoned his own children's candy so he could collect the insurance money. It's not just the current situation that makes Halloween dangerous.

Having said that, one of my most fun experiences at Halloween was dressing up in my own winter clothes (wool cap, insulated coveralls, heavy boots and gloves) with a fabric mask over my face. I had outlined eye holes with satin stitch on my sewing machine, then cut away the inside, put paper behind it and did a cross hatch of regular stitching. Then I peeled away the remaining paper. I could see out very well but no one could see my eyes. Then I sat somewhat slumped-- hey, a scarecrow doesn't sit up straight--in a lawn chair beside our walk way with the porch light on behind me. I had a basket of candy in my lap. Kids would slip up in the tightest "flocks" you ever saw and tentatively reach into the basket for their treat. Then I would move a little and say Trick or Treat or wait until they had turned away and say "You're welcome" in a gruff deep voice. I'll let you imagine their responses. The other thing that was fun to do was snag cars! I could see lights approaching our house and I would wave one arm stiffly and mechanically. The people would turn to play their lights over me and just watch for the longest time trying to figure out where the motor was, I guess. Sometimes adults got out of the cars and approached to see how I worked. I got them too and their children really hooted when I scared their parents. The kids were disappointed the next year when I didn't repeat the performance but the third year, I was dressed up when they came to the door.

We are way out in the wilds of Callaway Co and I only know 2 little kids now but I have something special for them--no tricks, just treats.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), October 22, 2001.

Turn off all your lights. Kids don't ring the doorbell at a house with no lights on. Several of the people in our town do that. Or simply post a sign on the door saying please do not ring bell -- illness in family. We did that with my grandmother when she got senile and couldn't handle having trick or treaters coming around. We put out saw horses across the porch and a sign saying that they could go next door (our house) and get treats there.

We had no problems with vandalism.

-- Dalarna (barngoddess@home.com), October 25, 2001.