Trick or Treat?
Believe it or not, I actually do quite a bit of research for the Hot Tubs In France blogs. Yes, really! But for this particular post I have been 'inspired' by a few social media Halloween events. It got me thinking about scary costumes, trick-or-treaters and turning the lights off pretending we're not home.
Creepy woodlands
In our sleepy little Limousin hamlet I'm not expecting very many children to be knocking at our door, with their little sweet-filled baskets. First of all, there aren't that many families with young children living nearby. And secondly, they would have to walk close to some very dark and eerie woodlands. On either side of our lane there are trees, and lots of them. Dense woodland, that even in broad daylight emits some very wild and wonderful sounds. Imagine walking past them at night, armed only with a torch and a half-empty bucket of Haribo. If I was that small child (or adult) I'd prefer to be indoors, safe and warm.
Horror films
I've no doubt that the TV listings for Halloween will be absolutely full of horror movies. Personally, I think the old ones are the best, because they're not really that scary. Especially if you've seen them before. The newer films are a bit too gory and blood-thirsty for my liking. They don't leave anything to the imagination. But whether it's an old or new film, werewolves or zombies, the things that frighten me the most are.. clowns. How could anybody think that those awful painted faces could be anything but evil? It sends a shiver down my spine just thinking about them. Give me a cheery little blood-sucking vampire, or a gnarled, warty old witch any day.
"Most witches don’t believe in gods. They know that the gods exist, of course. They even deal with them occasionally. But they don’t believe in them. They know them too well. It would be like believing in the postman.”
― Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad
Outdoor Halloween Party
A few of my friends have said that because of the current situation their kids won't be going out trick-or-treating this year. And that sounds very sensible to me. But how do you calm a small child that had their heart set on dressing up as a skeleton, going out collecting sweets?
Well, you could throw an outdoor Halloween party. Invite just a few of your favourite adults and their kids, have a treasure hunt, make small individual snacks (burgers, kebabs, etc), and space out the tables and chairs. Get disposable cups and plates so there is less handling and washing-up, and have lots of hand sanitisers. Bingo! Kids are happy finding sweets and playing games. And the adults don't have to go around knocking on their neighbours' doors.
What are you afraid of?
Now that's all sorted, tell me what is it that scares you the most? Would you be brave enough to walk through the woods on a wet and windy night, by yourself?
I think this year we'll just be staying in and snuggling down in front of the tv with a glass of cocoa and a bag of Maltesers. I just hope that Tilly the dog doesn't start growling at some strange noise coming from the woods...