Halloween is a very popular celebration in the United States. It takes place on October 31st when the time has already changed back to standard time and the darkness comes early. When it gets dark early and you have a lot of older children roaming around in neighborhoods, chances are someone will come up with the thought of doing some mischief. Generations of children have participated in the Halloween tricks and if you won’t be home, you are an easy target.
How you handle being away for Halloween depends on how long you are planning to be away. If you are going to be away for just that evening then you may want to leave a bowl filled with candy on your front porch and trust in the honesty of the children who will be visiting. This happens in neighborhoods all over the country. You do of course want to make sure that it is well lit and that it is quite obvious where the goodies are located.
If however, you are going to be away for the week and no one will be around to put out a bowl of candy for the trick or treaters it is a totally different issue. Vandalism can be a big problem on Halloween whether you are home or not. It is after all “trick” or treats and sometimes that is misinterpreted as “trick and treat”.
Halloween is a night when pumpkins to get smashed, cars and houses get egged and general mischief is common. If this happens in your neighborhood, and it happens even in the best neighborhoods, then you will want to let the local police department know that you will not be at home on Halloween. Even if you think it doesn’t happen in your neighborhood, it is a good idea to let the police know you will be away.
Remove anything from your yard that may tempt any mischief makers. If you are leaving a vehicle at home, put it in the garage if you have one. Don’t leave any pumpkins unattended on your stoop or steps. Take in any decorations that could be vandalized. You can’t take away all the temptation but make sure there is nothing obviously easy to damage left out.
Your home should be locked and the alarm set. Notify the alarm company that you will away. Don’t leave any pets outside or in the house. It is always a good idea to have lights set in the house to go on at odd times so that it is less obvious that you are not at home. Make sure the newspaper is canceled and the mail is being held at the post office.
Good exterior lights that either stay on all night or are motion sensitive are a good deterrent. If someone is trying to sneak up close to your house, the last thing they want is a spotlight shining directly on them.
It is always a good idea if you have close neighbors to let them know that you will be away so that they can notify the police if they see anything suspicious. More mischief happens on Halloween than at any other time of the year. It is a good night to be at home if at all possible. If you must be away, taking all these precautions will lessen the chance that you will be a victim of some sort of vandalism or even better get a house sitter and your house will not be unattended.
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