Halloween

Halloween’s popularity has surged in Australia over recent times. Initially I was perplexed by the rapid adoption of trick or treating. I also found the tiny monsters running around the neighbourhood quite disturbing. My sentiment changed when we moved to Murwillumbah, Australia and lived on a cul-de-sac with wonderful neighbours. Halloween was one of the ways we came to know the people in our street. And come to think about it, it is the only time of the year where it is acceptable to knock on strangers’ doors and say hi. I think in a society where we constantly fear strangers, our sense of community is being eroded. Halloween pulls families away from the multiple screens and devices in their homes for an evening. It is a chance to laugh and enjoy a shared experience with other ghouls.

However, two words of advice: be prepared. The first time Halloween was an all-community event my husband and I didn’t have anything in the house to give the children except for half a block of 70% dark chocolate. We couldn’t give the whole block to one family, so we broke it up into little pieces and wrapped each little piece in foil and gave it away. Once the families realised we weren’t dealing drugs to the kids in little foil packets, they were super nice to us.

To help you be prepared this Halloween, I have put together a scary collection available from Amazon. Happy shopping!

Costumes

Even your pets can participate. Please note, this is the only item in this blog that will ship to Australia before Halloween, but you will need to order ASAP! The remaining items can be purchased in time for Halloween by our US friends, or you could always get in early for next year.