5 Top Tips for awesome Trick or Treating in Your Condo Building
Some of my best memories growing up are of trick or treating through my neighbourhood on October 31st each year for Halloween. I grew up in a small town with only 300 residents so by 13 I knew which ones gave the best candy and which ones didn’t give any at all. In hindsight, it truly brought the community together each year. When I first moved to the city, I was sad because I thought kids living in condos will never share my joy of returning home with a bucket full of candy, but I was wrong. We’ve compiled some ideas to help you create a fantastic Halloween for your condo kid.
Why is condo trick or treating such a great idea?
You don’t have to combat the weather
Whether it’s freezing cold or raining cats and dogs, the weather outside your condo won’t limit your time trick or treating. There’s nothing worse than the rain smudged makeup dripping down your cold child’s face. Firefighter, Astronaut, Doctor or Racecar Driver will all be able to freely show off their costumes as they wander excitably from door to door.
You’ll be in bed earlier
The buckets will fill up rather quickly when you can go from door to door in a few feet. An apartment building gives you access to many more opportunities for candy in a much smaller space. No need to spend hours walking around the neighbourhood, watching out for cars, remaining vigilant for boundary-pushing teens, and waiting for it to be over. You can be back in your apartment enjoying a glass of wine in no time.
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Peace of mind
Lots of children running around in the dark outside in huge crowds on one of the “scariest” nights of the year? It sounds more frightening for parents than children. Traffic, strangers, excited little ones, or worse: getting candy you don’t like. There are many things that can ruin Halloween. Safety shouldn’t be one of them. Trick or treating in your building allows you to control the environment and minimizes many threats that exist in the streets. If you’re concerned about dressing your kids in gender-stereotypical costumes, this Global News article has great advice.
For people living in the suburbs here are some useful safety tips for making sure your children are safe this Halloween.
How to execute a great condo trick or treating evening:
1. Check with your building management
Many apartment and condo buildings have rules or bylaws that prevent trick or treating, so it’s important to speak with the Condo Board or Landlord and ensure they are happy for everyone to take part. It’s also likely that some of the residents in your building are less receptive to trick or treaters and so we recommend developing a simple system so that these Halloween grinches can be easily identified (A simple sign on their door works perfectly).
You may also face issues with elevators such as only being able to access your floor. If you get the building management onboard, they may able to reduce floor restrictions for a given period (Conveniently, this will focus the time you are out trick or treating on a short and time window).
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2. Spread the word!
Try to ensure everyone in the building knows that you’re organizing a building-wide trick or treat. Not only will this ensure that everyone participates and buys some candy, but it’ll also motivate residents to decorate their units and themselves. Broad participation is essential. Put up a sign in the building entrance and tell everyone you meet in the lobby and the elevators. Ultimately, it’s no fun if you’re the only unit that is interested.
3. Get the best candy
Even now, I remember the houses that gave the best candy in my town. You don’t want to be that apartment that gives kids a bag of nuts and be remembered as the party-poopers of Halloween. On your grocery run in the week leading up to Halloween make sure to stop in the bulk candy section and pick up some great treats. In my opinion, it’s best to get large multi-packs of little candy bags (think 15g bags of Haribo or Reese’s Pieces). They go down a treat with the kids and it’s guaranteed to be mess-free. If you want the children to eat something a little healthier go for chocolate covered raisins or some nice berries but be warned that the kids may not be as appreciative!
4. Decorate your door and entrance
Get some fake spider webs on your door, carve a pumpkin, and if you’re feeling extra lavish buy a fake skeleton to hang up. It’ll label your door as a definite stop for trick or treaters. I’d also recommend decorating the entrance to your place and on the night of turn off the lights to create an even better stop. Finally, if you have 30 minutes in an evening leading up to Halloween learn a simple card trick or develop some other little game. Surprisingly, nothing surprises a trick or treater more than an actual trick!!! If you decide to do this, make sure you still give the kids some candy because otherwise, they’ll blacklist your home.
5. Get a creative costume
If you’ve decorated your door and entrance but if you don’t have a good costume it’ll really detract from the experience. As an adult, you don’t have to dress up but there’s no denying it’ll help you get into the spirit of the night. Get creative. Go to the thrift store and for $20 you can arrange a great outfit. Who knows it may even come in useful for another themed party further down the line.
Conclusion
Halloween is a memorable time for young children and the fact that you live in a condo shouldn’t prevent your kids from having a great time. It also provides a great opportunity to bring the residents of your building together. I’m always surprised by the number of people that don’t even know their neighbours and this is a real chance to get to know them. If you follow these simple tips and embrace the Halloween spirit you’re bound to have a great time!
