Maybe you’re a master of Jack-O’-Lanterns and creepy costumes or perhaps you’re new to this whole tradition; getting ready for Trick-or-treaters in your new home is made easy with these 5 easy steps:

1. Give them light

We understand you want to keep with the spirit of Halloween and have your home looking spooktacular but make sure the path to your home is bright enough for the little trick-or-treaters to approach safely. If you’re strongly against keeping your exterior lights on, use temporary lighting such as glow sticks or tea lights to light the path.

2. Keep it safe

Make sure the path to your home is clear. Look for any tripping hazards on your lawn or path and make sure to have them repaired or cleared prior to the big day. If you have electrical displays which you’re running cords to, make sure that they do not become a tripping hazard and keep those cords as far away from your walking path as possible.

3. Stock up on the Essentials

This is probably the hardest part about joining a new neighbourhood, how do you make sure you have enough candy and that you’re not “that house” that turns their lights off early? A good resource for this information is to ask your veteran neighbours, join your neighbourhoods Facebook page, or take a gauge of your neighbourhood, are there a lot of kids you see out and about throughout the year? If so, chances are you will have a lot of kids, remember that more candy is always better in this case.

4. Get out the décor

This is a great way to get your kids involved in the celebration, carve pumpkins, put up caution tape, put out a Halloween wreath. If your good at crafts, have your kids do some DIY Halloween decor. You can go as budget-friendly or expensive as you desire.

5. Plan for the evening

If your taking your dressed-up crew around the neighbourhood, check the weather forecast so you can make sure they are dressed appropriately for the weather, even if they end up looking close to the Michelin man, it’s best for them to be warm. Take an extra bag so that you can help carry some of the candy for your little ones.

If you’re staying home to greet the eager masses, it’s important to know when you should be on duty during the evening. There is no set-in stone answer but as a rule, you can expect the youngest of trick-or-treaters to start showing up as early as 5:30 p.m. while the older crowd (tweens) will likely wrap up their door-to-door visits around 8 or 9 p.m.