You only have a few precious hours each Halloween to get in every ounce of trick-or-treating fun before the end of the evening. Do you just go out, haphazardly knocking on doors, hoping someone will be home and willing to treat your kids or do you develop a game plan with A, B, and C backups?
If the latter is your philosophy, kudos to you! You’re a real go-getter and we admire you for it. But if your idea of a great Halloween is walking around for hours and having nothing to show for it save for a pitiful pail of cheap Halloween treats, shame on you! Your kids love Halloween and it’s up to you to make it the best it can be for them. They want candy and lots of it and it’s your responsibility to ensure that your children’s Halloween is as magical and candy lucrative as possible. But don’t worry—we have a game plan established that will help you gain favor with your favorite little ghosts and goblins this year.
The perfect trick-or-treating plan consists of organization and effective time management. You only have three hours to help your kids collect as many sugary, rich, and delectable name-brand goodies as possible, so let’s get going! Follow our handy guideline to establish the perfect trick-or-treating plan:
1. Gather two shopping bags per child to leave in your car. One shopping bag will hold the candy that your kids collect from people they know; the other will be for parental candy inspection.
2. Begin the evening no later than 5 o’clock. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and neighbors won’t mind if you’re little one shows up early for treats. Make each visit short and cut the chitchat! Time is of the essence! You can discuss work, life, and love tomorrow!
3. Hit every trunk-or-treat spot in town. Park your car and prepare to walk fast. Stop briefly at each car, gather the loot, and move on until your kids have collected every ounce of candy possible. Then, head out to the next trunk-or-treat festival. (If the festivals are placed within a few miles of each other, your kids can load up on sugary goodness at three or more trunk-or-treating events within an hour.)
4. Empty your child’s trick-or-treating pail into the appropriate shopping bag each time you get in the car. (Most people will be stingy with the goods when the pail is full, so empty it as often as possible.)
5. After your kids have drained the trunk-or-treating parking lots dry, it’s time to move on to the ritzier areas of town. The more affluent areas of your city are goldmines for yummy, name-brand treats. Choose well-lit streets, stay on the sidewalk, and walk fast.
Trick-or-treating isn’t just about the candy—for most kids, it’s the excitement and exhilaration of the hunt that makes Halloween fun. So, go out there, give them your best, and prepare to wow them with your perfect trick-or-treating plan!