How to have a fabulous Halloween UK style

I recently spoke to a group of parents about raising cross-cultural kids in Britain and one thing we discussed was turning what could be seen as negatives into positives. We talked a little bit about Halloween and how it’s very hit or miss here and extremely controversial. So here are my hints and tips, the dos and don’ts of Halloween in Britain. We can do it and it can be fun even though it’s done very differently here. This is from my own experience over the past several years so if anyone has anything to add, please feel free to add your comments!

• Not everyone does Halloween, in fact very few people do it
• 31st of October usually falls within half-term week so a lot of families are away on holiday which could be one of the reasons people don’t do it
• Some people do it one year but not the next
• Some people see it as a form of begging so do not allow their children to go trick-or-treating
• Don’t expect your children’s friends to celebrate it
• Invite friends over for Halloween in advance and feel the parents out first to see if they allow it
• There is an etiquette that you must follow and each neighborhood might differ
• In our neighborhood, only trick-or-treat at houses with lights on and pumpkins out (or if it’s really obvious that they are doing it)
• Do not trick-or-treat at a house you do not know especially if it has no lights on or no pumpkins out
• It’s actually best to pre-arrange which houses to take your children to in order to ensure successful trick-or-treating
• Don’t be surprised to find marketing materials from local businesses in with your children’s candy (sweets)
• Don’t be surprised if people give money instead of candy
• Realistically, expect to trick-or-treat at around 6 to 8 houses max (unless your neighborhood is really good!)
• If you’re receiving trick-or-treaters, put out a pumpkin or Halloween decorations so people will knock on your door
• Just because people are having Halloween parties, it doesn’t mean they are receiving trick-or-treaters
• Trick-or-treating normally happens between 5pm and 7pm, usually not much later than 6:30pm
• Not too many teenagers go out trick-or-treating, which is probably a good thing actually

Our pumpkins are ready! Happy Halloween everyone.

Linked to the My Global Life Link-Up at SmallPlanetStudio.com
******************
Meghan Peterson Fenn is the author of Bringing Up Brits and co-author of Inspiring Global Entrepreneurs with Heidi Mulligan Walker. Meghan is also the Director and Chief Designer at her own design company, White Ochre Design Ltd. And, she is an award winning expat blogger.