By Kelly Youngblood
Halloween will be really scary this year.
It’s on a Monday.
Is there anything more terrifying than cramming costumes and trick or treating into a weeknight that’s already exhausting?
Since there is currently no law banning Halloween on a Monday (who wants to start a petition?), we offer our best tips on how to help keep the evening as calm as possible so you’ll have no regrets the next morning. And if you have any ideas to share, please add them to the comments!
Don’t Go Trick or Treating on Halloween
I know. This one sounds like an impossible feat. But there are so many opportunities for your kids to get dressed up in their costumes and get candy over the weekend.
Check out our Halloween events guide and you’ll find Halloween fun galore where they can dress up in costume and at least half a dozen trunk-or-treats happening at various locations in the Champaign-Urbana area. If they get to dress up and fill up their buckets with candy, you’ve held up your end of the Halloween bargain.
And that leaves you and your Monday evening free. You could do a family party at home, pass out candy, watch a (not-so) scary movie, or just relax with some cider or hot cocoa!
Limit Trick or Treat Hours
Just because you can trick or treat for three hours in your town doesn’t mean you have to. Warn your children before you head out there will be a time limit on trick or treating.
More trick-or-treating just means more candy and how many Reeses Peanut Butter Cups do we really want in our house? (If you’re wondering how to manage candy overload, here are a few suggestions.)
Go to a Town With Earlier Trick or Treat Hours
If your town’s trick or treat hours start at 6 p.m. but you’d rather get out get back home sooner, go to a nearby town that has earlier trick or treat hours. Here is a list of trick or treat times throughout the area.
Do an Early Dinner
Do yourself a favor and feed your kids dinner before you head out for “dessert.” You don’t want to have to worry about feeding them when you get home. Plus, it will be good to get some protein in their bellies before the sugar feast commences. Make it an easy dinner night with pizza or sandwiches. Papa Murphy’s has a take and bake pumpkin-shaped pizza that’s always a kid crowd-pleaser.
Stick to a Regular Bedtime
It’s tempting to let them stay up later than usual because it’s a holiday, but you may regret that on Tuesday morning. Despite all that’s going on, keep an eye on the clock and make sure their school night routine isn’t disrupted too much. You don’t want to send off little zombies to school the next day.
Do you have any tips on making Halloween less hectic? We’d love to hear them!