A Safe and Artsy Halloween

So I don't know when it all started, but trick-or-treating seems to have migrated to the closest weekend before halloween, and now takes place in shops, rather than homes. The exclamation point put on the consumer culture that this is the best way of celebrating the holiday makes me sad. Thusly, I propose the following creative solution to a fun halloween for you of many fears, subject to field or park availability:

Arrange for some farmland or a large swath of park to be put aside for the event, and reserved for the week leading up to Halloween. Divide the space into small plots and hold a little house-building contest, open to builders, architects, artists, whoever wants to enter. The deal is that each contestant has to have their house finished and open on halloween night for trick-or-treating, and then voting takes place. Maybe the kids vote based on the best candy offered, so the variables can be a fun factor. The contest winners are announced after the trick/treating is finished, followed by a proper party for the adults. Let the kids run around - it's a park or a field, for gosh sake.

I think this could get a whole community involved in the halloween thing, getting to know one another and the talent that exists amongst their cohorts. Plus, you'll know who's giving your kids those treats, and the little houses and nature aspect will be magical for them.

So there you go.