Knock knock, trick or treat
28 October | Zerlinda van der Merwe
When the 31st of October comes around, I think back to my childhood and watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". I'm looking forward to sharing these memories with my daughter, who will be partaking in her 1st trick or treat halloween walk around our Homeowners’ Association (“HOA”) this year - noting that she has not quite mastered the art of walking at the time of writing this blog post!
The jumbo jars of fire balls and eyeballs are sitting undisturbed, despite my husband's attempts at creeping into them on the day that they were bought, and the outfits have been chosen for the event, all black for mom and dad, i.e. normal wear, and a unicorn, or a bunny, or an influencer outfit for Olivia. I am 1 step away from getting outfits for the 3 dogs at this point, but we've decided they can't join us for this walk considering the number of kids and other dogs that will be out.
Whether you live in a free standing house in the suburbs, a unit in a sectional title scheme or a house in a HOA, if you have kids or a sweet tooth, you may also be looking forward to Halloween and trick or treating. Months ago, the active members on our community Whatsapp group asked who will be participating in the event, such that signs could be placed on the homes that will be opening their (pantry) doors for trick or treating, and that a route around the neighbourhood can be mapped out for the occasion. A bunch of us immediately put our hands up, and starting shopping for treats, that have mostly already been eaten, or decorations (man, I wish I lived in the USA at this time of the year), which may or may not be including trash bags and butternuts, I mean they're all part of the squash family, or is that the gourd family, or Cucurbitaceae family?! Did you know that a pumpkin is a fruit?!
Anyways, it's safe to say that everyone's tv watching time will be interupted, bath and bedtime will be delayed, and doorbells will be rung, unless the batteries are removed, and that welcome and unwelcome guests will abound. It's not often that we have an opportunity to do something together as a community, within a community (scheme), so take part, enjoy and buy a few extra Kit Kats and Nik Naks when you are next at the shops. Let's allow our "peaceful and undisturbed" enjoyment of our sections and erven be disrupted for 1 night in the year, maybe 2 if you count the AGM!
Let's set some (ground) rules, that may be useful to implement all year round, such as:
Obey the halloween code - only go to homes (units, erven) that are halloween friendly, and try not to disturb anyone after 8pm or 9pm;
Respect personal property;
Only knock or ring once, and
Use the magic words..."please" and "thank you".
In your community scheme, arrange, by mutual agreement, a suitable date (if not the 31st), time (taking into consideration that families may have routines to follow), route, participating members, sealed treats and that excessive noise and nuisance be avoided so as not to disturb any members or occupiers not participating.
So what are you waiting for? Go on! Dress up, spoil yourself and your neighbours and have fun! Take some photos and share it with us, if you dare.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the matter, please leave them in the comment section below or contact us at TVDM Consultants on info@tvdmconsultants.com or 061 536 3138.
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