Halloween is just a day away and you must decide whether to turn your little witches loose on their broomsticks in the neighbourhood or to keep them on a shorter rein. If you are going to allow them to trick or treat in the neighbourhood there are some things you can do to make their adventure fun and safe.

• Feed them before they venture out. This way they will be less tempted to sample their booty before returning home.
• Plan to have an adult accompany very young children and have the older ones travel in groups.
• Establish rules about gathering candy and treats. 1. Only go to well lit houses. 2.Never go inside a house. 3. Never eat anything at someone's house. 4.Never drink anything at someone's house. 5.Don't eat candy that another kid has gathered.
• Decide on a time for the older children to be home. They'll need to wear a watch and carry a flashlight.
• Make sure that costumes don't present a tripping hazard and that masks don't obstruct vision, makeup is a better option.
• Go over rules for crossing the streets safely with the older children.
• Take a spare bag in case the first one breaks.
• If big kids demand your loot bag, give it to them. Don't fight.

Many towns and cities now offer Halloween night activities that are free or low cost and allow the ogres and ghosts a chance to haunt in safety and warmth. Shopping centres seem particularly good at offering free or low cost trick or treating. You have the added assurance that the edibles are safe for kiddies. Some centres have parades, crafts, face painting and costume contest. For specifics, log onto you local shopping centre and look for the "events" category. In the Vancouver area, the Aberdeen Centre looked like a sure be for family fun. In Nanaimo, Woodgrove Centre provides a warm, dry venue for little demons to collect treats from merchants.

While many charitable organizations offer spooky haunted houses, many are too scary for the little haunts. In Vancouver, the Stanley Park Miniature Railway at $9 and 5.50 offers spooky pirates and more from the Ghost Train until November 1st. If you are in Toronto, the Cadbury Gladstone Chocolate Factory 08 is offering a tour of the chocolate factory and it's free. Donations are requested for the charity it's supporting this year.

Today would be a good time to think about how you are going to handle confiscating the treats that your little devils collected that aren't suitable for them. You might want to lay in a supply of nickels for bribe money.