Your Guide to a Safe and Spooky Halloween!

In a day and age where parents bend over backwards lest a can of soda be sold at their children's school, it's almost surprising that Halloween, a holiday that more or less stands for nothing, promotes the consumption of inordinate amounts of candy and is often lax when it comes to safety, seems to grow more popular every year. That said, there is something great about this holiday that seems to bring people of all ages together.

From the hot pants and midriff baring ensembles that seem to make up many college students' costumes, to the 50-year-old man dressed as Rudy Giuliani trick-or-treating with his 6-year-old Superman, there is truly something for everyone.

I myself plan on dressing up as Joan Rivers, but I was surprised to find that, at least if you go off of what has been selling on eBay, the hot tickets this year are rather traditional. The most popular costumes selling right now are pirates, with 7,936 costumes sold in the last two weeks alone. Star Wars, Spiderman and Cinderella have been selling in high numbers as well. All these options are, of course, great for kids, though I have to say that there must be something about New York City and Hampton kids that makes them more pop culture savvy, because I remember seeing lots of children last year running around dressed as Flavor Flav, and I personally predict Amy Winehouse will be this year's hit costume.

If your child isn't into dressing up, opting for a great accessory might just be the solution - Pet Edge has quite possibly the cutest doggie Halloween costumes I've ever seen!

Nonetheless, with all the fun and indulgence that comes with Halloween it is easy to forget the potential safety issues and dangers that unfortunately can interfere with the holiday. However, there are some great tips and gadgets that will hopefully keep everything smooth this year.

The 10 best Halloween safety tips, in my opinion, are:

1. Never let your children eat candy before inspecting it.

2. Be visible, wear a bright costume, and choose face paint over masks to avoid impaired vision.

3 Use a flashlight during night hours.

4. Place lighted pumpkins away from curtains and other flammable objects, and do not leave lighted pumpkins unattended.

5. Walk facing oncoming traffic if there is no sidewalk.

6. Children should always carry money for a phone call or have a cell phone.

7. Avoid long, baggy, loose costumes to prevent tripping.

8. If your children are going alone, designate a route and instruct them not to go to houses that aren't on that route. Also give them a curfew.

9. Have your children's name and address attached to their costume.

10. Children should eat a good meal prior to trick-or-treating!

In addition to these tips there are some great gadgets that make Halloween safety all the more effortless. Solar-powered jack-o-lanterns, back lit watches, safety lights that you can attach to your children's costume, as well as digital ID tags and child locator devices can all help ease the minds of worried parents.

On a final note, we are lucky here in the Hamptons, because it doesn't have to be Halloween for us to enjoy amazing delights. We have our very own Dylan's Candy Bar outpost and you can bet that, it's just the place to go if you're looking to go above and beyond your everyday M&M's and Twizzlers. The high-end East Hampton candy shop overflows with Halloween treats from white chocolate skull lollipops to 2 lb. milk chocolate Jack-O-Lanterns filled with candy corn. Eat up, be safe and enjoy the holiday!

- Sharon Feiereisen

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