31 Days of Ghosts: Misadventures!

There’s always talk of misadventures, especially around Halloween.  None of them are humourous, all are tragic.

Such as the case for the woman in Delaware who committed suicide by hanging herself.  But because she did so around Halloween, her body hung next to a busy roadway with no one thinking that it was anything more than an elaborate Halloween decoration.

Then there’s the cases of those creating haunted mansions for Halloween, and just jokingly slip the homemade noose around their necks.  Many times this has happened in tragedy.

It’s a lesson that we should be careful around this time of year.  I was going to do a full post on several misadventures which included something more fascinating, but decided to split it up to dedicate this post to being more cautionary.  Be careful this Halloween.  Not only when making decorations, but also when going to parties or going trick or treating.

Short and sweet.  Just make sure that you take care this Halloween.  And I promise there’ll be a more entertaining 31 Days of Ghosts later today.  For now, a list of safety tips as provided by Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Trick-or-treaters

• Wear makeup instead of a mask. This will allow you to see and be aware of everything going on around you while walking house to house.
• Wear reflective clothing.
• Wear sure your costume does not drag on the ground so you don’t trip.
• Wear comfortable shoes, even if they don’t go with your costume.
• It is safer to carry flexible props (e.g. magic wands, swords).
• Wear a watch you can read in the dark.
• Carry a flashlight so you can see where you are going.
• Walk, don’t run.
• Stay in familiar neighborhoods.
• Stay on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.
• Do not cut across yards or driveways.
• Obey traffic signals and give traffic the right of way.
• Only approach houses that have the outside lights turned on.
• Stay away from pets you don’t know.
• Trick-or-treat in groups.
• Never enter a stranger’s home or car for a treat.

Parents

• Ensure that your child eats dinner before setting out.
• Discuss with your children what they should do to call home in case of emergency.
• Ideally, young children of any age should be accompanied by an adult.
• If your children go on their own, be sure they wear a watch, preferably one that can be read in the dark.
• If you buy a costume, look for one made of flame retardant material.
• Older children should know where to reach you and when to be home.
• Although tampering is rare, tell children to bring the candy home to be inspected before consuming anything. Look at the wrapping carefully and toss out anything that looks suspect.
• Make sure your yard is clear of such things as ladders, hoses, dog leashes and flower pots that can trip the young ones.
• Pets get frightened on Halloween; put them inside to protect them from cars or inadvertently biting a trick-or-treater.
• Battery powered Jack-O-Lantern candles are preferable to a real flame.
• Place pumpkins and decorations out of reach of children.
• Healthy food alternatives for trick-or-treaters include packages of low-fat crackers with cheese filling, single-serve boxes of cereal, packaged fruit rolls, mini boxes of raisins and single-serve packets of low-fat microwave popcorn.
• Refrain from handing out treats that contain peanuts or peanut butter, as many children are allergic.