How To Prepare For Trick-Or-Treaters
There is plenty of commotion on Halloween, so you must be prepared. Depending on where you live, you may get hordes of trick-or-treaters ready to visit your house, and they all expect candy. Many homeowners understandably struggle with how to prepare for trick-or-treaters.
The best way to prepare for trick-or-treaters is to buy at least 200 pieces of candy and decorate your yard. Turn on your porch light and lamp posts if you have them, so trick-or-treaters can easily see the path to the candy. Clean the walkway to your door, remove leaves and Sweetgum balls from your yard, and keep your pets inside on Halloween.
If you’d rather not have trick-or-treaters knock on your door, you can leave a bowl of candy out for them to grab. Follow along as we explore how to prepare for trick-or-treaters, so you have an easy-going Halloween.
What Should You Do To Prepare For Trick-Or-Treaters?
1. Decorate Your House
The most important part of preparing for trick-or-treaters is decorating your house. Hopefully, you will have already decorated your house for Halloween before the big day, but if not, it’s never too late! Many homeowners decorate their houses for Halloween by mid-September, but some people wait until October.
You don’t need to spend a fortune or put up any elaborate decorations, but it’s fun to celebrate the holiday and give trick-or-treaters something to look at. Simple decorations like Jack-o-lanterns and orange lights can do the trick if you don’t want to spend too much time decorating.
Even simple window decorations like spider webs and fake slime can add some character to your house around Halloween. Places like Spirit Halloween, Home Depot, and Party City offer some of the best Halloween decorations.
2. Clear The Path
It’s important to consider the fact that dozens or even hundreds of trick-or-treaters will visit your house on Halloween. You must provide a clear path for them to get to the candy, or else you will see people struggle to reach your porch. Sweep your walkways and cut back any overgrown plants that could obstruct anyone’s movement.
Not only will this help trick-or-treaters, but it will also make a clear path for mail carriers and deliveries. If you have a rough walkway, you may simply want to put the candy at the start of the path. This is also a good option if you want to maintain privacy and keep trick-or-treaters away from your door.
3. Keep Your Pets Inside
Do you have pets? If so, you must keep them inside on Halloween. No matter how sweet your pets are, they can easily become overwhelmed by trick-or-treaters and may even act aggressively.
Keep your pets inside and give them plenty of treats and attention if they get overwhelmed by all your visitors. Keep your dogs on a leash if you must take them outside to keep them away from trick-or-treaters.
4. Light Up Some Jack-'O-Lanterns
Illuminate the path to the candy with some Jack-o-lanterns. Trick-or-treaters will likely visit your house over several hours, so it’s important to keep up with the Jack-o-lanterns, so they stay lit. While candles are the classic option for Jack-o-lanterns, you may want to consider using electric lights.
Electric lights will stay on until you turn them off and you don’t have to worry about any flame extinguishing. They are also much safer than candles, especially if you use something like petroleum jelly to make your Jack-o-lantern last longer.
5. Buy Enough Candy
Make sure you have enough candy for trick-or-treaters on Halloween. How much candy you need varies based on where you live and how many trick-or-treaters typically visit your house. Think about how many visitors you got in previous years.
Many homeowners give each trick-or-treater 2-3 pieces of candy. If you get 50-100 trick-or-treaters most years, you may want to get at least 200-300 pieces of candy. I recommend buying a few variety packs of candy that have 100 or more pieces. The average homeowner spends $30 on candy for trick-or-treaters, so you don’t have to spend a fortune.
6. Yard Cleanup
Depending on where you live, your yard may become quite cluttered at Halloween time. Go through your fall yard cleanup checklist and get rid of fallen leaves with a rake. Gather any Sweetgum balls in your yard and get rid of them in the same yard waste bag or bin that you put the leaves in.
While you’d probably prefer trick-or-treaters to use your walkway, many of them may simply walk across your yard. It’s important to provide a clear path and remove plant waste, fallen, leaves, and Sweetgum balls that may be a tripping hazard. This will also make your yard look much nicer and complement your Halloween decorations.
7. Put A Bowl Out
It can be overwhelming when dozens or more trick-or-treaters come to your door on Halloween. Many homeowners simply leave bowls of candy out for trick-or-treaters to grab freely. Of course, you must rely on the honesty of trick-or-treaters to not take all your candy at once!
This is still a great option if you want to maintain privacy, especially if you have skittish pets that don’t like visitors. Put a sign or piece of paper beside the bowl to wish the trick-or-treaters a happy Halloween. You can also specify how many pieces of candy each trick-or-treater should take, but there is no guarantee they won’t take more.
8. Lock Your Doors
Feeling safe at home is essential, and you must prioritize that on Halloween. You will get many visitors, and while most of them are likely honest, you cannot forget about home security. Lock your doors and close your blinds if you want to maintain as much safety and privacy as possible.
9. Turn On Some Lights
Much like how it’s important to sweep your walkway and remove dead leaves, it’s critical to turn on some lights for trick-or-treaters. The last thing you want is a child falling and getting hurt in your yard because it’s too dark. Jack-o-lanterns don’t provide enough light to illuminate your yard.
Turn on outdoor lamp posts and your porch light to make the path as safe as possible for trick-or-treaters.
10. Keep Back-Up Candy Inside
The last thing you want is to run out of candy early in the evening on Halloween. Keep some back-up candy in your house so you have something to fall back on, and you don’t run out. Otherwise, you can simply put a sign on your door that says you are out of candy, so trick-or-treaters won’t knock on your door.
What Time Should I Be Ready For Trick-Or-Treaters?
You should be ready for trick-or-treaters by 6 p.m. In some cases, you may find some trick-or-treaters even earlier, but most of them will visit once it’s dark. Trick-or-treaters will be in full swing from 7 to 8 p.m., so you can expect plenty of foot traffic by then.
Summing It Up
Make sure you have enough candy and turn on outdoor lights to prepare for trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Ideally, you should clear the walkway to your door and rake your yard for leaves and Sweetgum balls, so it’s safe to walk. Lock your doors and keep some backup candy indoors so you don’t run out before the night is over.
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Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.
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