It’s that time of year again! September is already a distant memory. With the leaves turning brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the air getting crisp, it means that Halloween is just around the corner! And of course, that means trick-or-treating!

If your little goblins are getting excited with anticipation, then be sure to bookmark this page (which we update throughout the season and every year) for trick-or-treating hours across McHenry County.

Trick-or-Treating Tips

How to Signal Participation in Trick-or-Treating?

It is okay not to participate in Halloween or trick-or-treating, for whatever reason.

One of the best and oldest ways to signal that you are receptive to trick-or-treaters is by leaving a porch light on. Of course, this isn’t foolproof. Many of us leave porch and garage lights on for safety and security. And with many trick-or-treating times moved up for safety and/or for the youngest ones, it may be hard to tell if there is a light on or not anyway.

So in addition to the light, you may also want to consider putting out a sign, especially if you are not participating, if you don’t want to spend the evening trying to ignore the doorbell.

Inspection is the Best Cure

While COVID took over as the big concern related to trick-or-treating, there is a bigger concern that has been around long before COVID. Tampered treats have always been a concern. While the actual risk and occurrence of such is probably not great, safe is much better than sorry.

While “Rainbow Fentanyl” and marijuana-laced gummies probably aren’t any more likely to show up than apples with razor blades or candy bars with needles, it is still a good idea to inspect wrappers and candy boxes before unleashing the kids on them. Keep an eye out for packages that have holes, or tears, are partially open, or may have been resealed.

And as always, beware of any homemade items, apple cider, or other “opened” treats. This doesn’t have to be related to misdeeds, but just food safety and allergies.

What Do Teal Pumpkins for Halloween Mean?

Like it or not, food allergies are more common and probably here to stay. Growing up, I don’t think I knew of anyone having food allergies. But like all things, times have changed. While you probably aren’t handing out shellfish…though if you are, please leave your address in the comments below…you might be more surprised about how many food allergies might be concerned in what you are handing out.

Anyone with school-aged children now is certainly aware of peanut allergies. And while perhaps one of the most common, not the only one of concern. Common food allergies extend into tree nuts, wheat, soy, eggs, and milk, any of which may be found in common candies. And even if the regular-sized version doesn’t have any of these items, there’s no guarantee that the smaller fun-sized versions won’t. And even if they don’t specifically have any of these items, they could have trace amounts if they were produced on equipment or in processing plants that do use these ingredients.

The easiest way around this challenge is to offer non-edible treats. Small toys, stickers, bookmarks, bubbles, fun clay, bouncy balls, crayons, etc. can all be great alternatives, or at least options in addition to the candy you would like to offer. The other benefit…you can give out any extras again next year!

What Do Blue Pumpkins for Halloween Mean?

Children coming to your door with a blue pumpkin may signify that they may be on the Autism spectrum. But what may that mean for you?

Many with Autism may be non-verbal. This means that they may not say “trick-or-treat,” “thank you,” answer a question about their costume, or verbally respond in any way. Remember that they aren’t trying to be rude, disrespectful, or ungrateful. To help them, you can simply invite them to take a treat, wish them a “happy Halloween,” or compliment them on their costume.

Speaking of treats. Similar to those with food allergies, those with Autism may also have heightened food sensitivities. What you can do to help is to offer a variety of types of candies (i.e. chewy vs hard) or offer non-food treats or options.

These children may especially experience heightened senses. So loud or sudden noises, sudden visuals, flashing lights, sudden movements, etc. may all be overly frightening and even feel threatening. If you are able to modify or control effects for different trick-or-treaters, this could be helpful. If you can’t and still want this type of display, then it would be helpful to provide a warning sign so that those children or families can decide whether to bypass your home.

Of course, someone could be Autistic and not be carrying a blue pumpkin. Some families may not want to call attention to their child in this way, fearing that it can lead to adverse attention. It can help though to keep these challenges in mind in those instances and are also nice things to adopt for all trick-or-treaters.

You can also help signal that you have tried to make a more Autistic-receptive trick-or-treating experience by placing a blue pumpkin or sign out.

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What Are COVID Trick-or-Treating Precautions?

While, hopefully, much of our COVID woes are behind us, Halloween and trick-or-treating do yield heightened potential exposure. Please remember that there are those who may still be at increased risk. Please continue to follow the safety guidelines from public health agencies, including frequent hand washing, social distancing, and wearing masks if you are an at-risk individual. 

Consider the following safety tips and ideas for a socially distant Halloween celebration: 

• Stay home if you are sick…which should be true regardless of COVID!
• If you may have COVID or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID, please do not participate in in-person Halloween festivities.
• If you may have COVID or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID, please do not participate in trick-or-treating.
• Avoid large trick-or-treating groups where it may be harder to socially distance, even outside.
• If you can, provide hand sanitizer accessible for trick-or-treaters and yourself.
• Take hand sanitizer with you when taking your own children out for trick-or-treating.
• Greet trick-or-treaters from your porch or driveway to minimize surface contact.
• Make sure your children wash their hands after trick-or-treating, especially before eating their candy.
• If you cannot or don’t want to participate in traditional trick-or-treating, but still want to engage, consider scheduling a candy swap with close family and friends.