Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year.    It always has been.   Even as a young child, I would always look forward to this time of year.  I would spend a great deal of time collaborating with my friends about costumes and where we were going to trick or treat.   I am sure I drove my parents crazy bringing me to the local costume store as I would spend many hours over several trips searching for the perfect costume only to end up making my own.   I know this to be true because my kids do the same thing to me these days.   Every year when we see the costume store signs go up, I cringe while they rejoice.  

While costumes and trick or treating are a highlight on October 31, the best part for me as a child and as an adult, are the days leading up to Halloween.     Those days involved visiting local pumpkin patches and buying way to many pumpkins, eating way to many donuts (if that is possible), and drinking cider and hot chocolate.   Bringing my children to see the animals, going for a hayride, painting or carving a pumpkin, or getting lost in a cornstalk maze was always a blast.  While haunted houses are not part of my October, I know it is a favorite for many.

We’ve had beautiful fall days in Michigan this autumn so far and I hope you are spending time making as many memories as time allows with family and friends.  Here are a few tips from MSU Extension for a safe and happy Halloween! 

Tracy Trautner​, Extension Educator
Michigan State University Extension