Happy Halloween 🦇

BOO! Had to. My kids aren’t really into the jumpscares and pop-outs, meaning our Halloween celebration will be on the quieter side. Don’t worry—they still want to trick-or-treat because “candy isn’t scary.”

As for the East fam’s Halloween plans, they’re keeping it simple: get together with friends who have kids, trick-or-treat, and celebrate Drew’s birthday with pizza and cake. What’s your strategy for the big celebration? No matter what it is, let’s explore how to make it a super fun and super safe Halloween for everyone.

—Lindsay

The Best Halloween Ever?

It starts with two words: safety first. The next two words are probably slow down, but we’ll get to that in a minute. A Halloween for the books starts with a plan—so here are some ideas to get yours in tip top shape before you head out tonight.

Play it safe

Funny how some rules never change. “Only go up to houses with the lights on” is one of those rules. When it comes to which houses want that doorbell to ring and which don’t…when you know, you know. You know?

You surely do, but young kids might not. Which brings us to Shawn’s advice for trick-or-treating: “I don’t think kids should trick-or-treat by themselves,” she said. “It might not be cool to them, but I think it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

And hey—making it a family affair can be really fun. “When I was young, the dads would fill up a wagon with drinks and accompany all the kids while they trick-or-treated,” Shawn remembered. “Everyone had fun and there was always a grown up around.”

Go all Inspector Gadget

We still do it—we inspect each and every piece of candy that our kids bring home on Halloween night. Like Shawn said, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?

In our view, especially knowing the way this world can be sometimes, it never hurts to give anything edible a once-over before releasing it to the family (who will surely scarf it down as if they’ve never seen a fun size KitKat before in their life).

Halloween doesn’t have to be scary

This specific night can be less fun for kids who have big fears or are highly sensitive. Help out by focusing on the less-spooky parts of Halloween: carving pumpkins, making cute crafts, and playing with friends and neighbors.

If your child is dealing with anxiety around certain parts of Halloween (this newsletter’s editor admitted to a real childhood jack-o-lantern phobia), it may help to reach out to your pediatrician or a therapist who can ease them into working through these phobias…but not today. Halloween is a time to keep things light!

And some further reading, if you’re interested: LiveScience on why some kids have deeper fears and phobias around Halloween and how to approach them, plus the Highly Sensitive Child on resources for approaching the holiday with your child’s needs in mind.

Finally? Be in the moment

I’ll just say it: Holidays are a lot of work for parents. The prep, the excitement, and the day itself can be exhausting, both for sugar-coated kids and adults making it happen. Give yourself and your kids permission to take a Halloween break when needed, and most of all, try to be in the moment with them.

Many kids wait all year to pretend to be Spiderman or a cowgirl with all the bells and whistles. Sit back and watch them have the time of their lives—and pat yourself on the back for providing them with a Halloween to remember.

Halloween safety tips. Here’s a great list of safety fundamentals for everyone participating in Halloween—kids, parents, pedestrians, drivers, etc. Only one missing from that list is Frankenstein’s Monster himself.

What to do with all that candy corn? First of all, justice for candy corn. And second of all, you’re going to have some candy left over. So? Here are 25 ways you can make use of the stragglers.

Please do us a favor: Hit reply and send pics of your family’s Halloween celebrations. There’s nothing we love more than seeing your families of all shapes and sizes boogying on a fun night like this one! And who knows…maybe we’ll get a costume contest going in the FamilyMade inbox?

Cheers to a fantastic Halloween! Have fun out there! And please bring all your remaining 3 Musketeers bars to our next meet-up on Friday. (No 3 Musketeers slander will be tolerated today! They’re the best.)