Real Halloween Monsters

By Laura Yates on Nov 1, 08 08:22 PM

I LOVE Halloween. It's great that more and more people get into the Halloween spirit as the years go by. People think that we're becoming too American with regard to our love for the spooky holiday. Good! If we're going to take anything from America I can't think of anything better than a festival that gets people dressing up, getting together, telling spooky stories and basically having a really good time.

Last night was the busiest by far for tribes of trick-or-treaters; little groups of ghouls and ghosts, sweetly knocking the door, complete with shivering parent at the end of the drive. All concerned were more than happy with the toffee and lollies we dished out.

If there is one thing Halloween is not great for, it's the dribs and drabs of teenaged monsters who roam about the streets, knocking on doors basically begging for money.

They go about in groups of two or three, taking it turns to wear the one Frankenstein mask they've got between them (which The Boy believes they got from the pound shop), knocking on doors in the hope of getting money.

When a couple of them appeared at our door last night and asked whether I would like to be tricked or treated I should have loved to immediately fire a waiting bucket of hot soapy water over them (poison to the teenaged lad) and watch them either melt or scamper off into the night. I'd mutter "Trick please." then shut the door. If only it were that easy!

Fortunately they're in the minority, so hopefully it's only little monsters after an honest haul of traditional sweets and chocolates, who will be at the door next time round.

I might give more thought to that bucket of water next year though, just in case.