My daughter Kathy is an artist, so she turned her talents loose on Halloween decorating this year. As you can see, the results are quite spectacular!

She made the headstones out of the polystyrene packaging that comes with large boxed appliances, like fridges. She used acrylic paints to paint them.

Here's a close up.

  We had a great family night out last night, all thanks to the generosity and Halloween good spirits of the shopkeepers at one of our local shopping centres at Booval, near Ipswich in Queensland. The shopping centre and its retailers invited parents to bring their kids for a Trick or Treat tour of the centre, with retailers happy to hand out treats from their stash under the counter. It was a great idea, and a very comforting for parents to know that kids could enjoy this Halloween tradition in a safe and relaxed atmosphere.

Here's what happened: we saw the night advertised on a shopping trip trip to the centre to stock up on Halloween goodies. The tour would start at 4pm on Thursday October 27, and continue until 7pm. Kids could dress up in Halloween costumes, and there would be free face painting. We got there around 5pm, but there was no trouble joining the tour. Two pretty costumed 'witches' were handing out bags to collect the goodies and a list of shops to find the goodies (it looked like the only businesses that didn't join in were those that were already closed). Our little lot were not only excited to join the tour but also to find out that there were lots of other kids dressed up for Halloween as well.

The retailers really made it special. The beaming counter assistants and their boxes of goodies made everyone feel happy, but especially the kids. They were all so excited to be able to put lollies in their bags, and the counter assistants really joined in the fun, wearing Halloween head gear and smiling all the time. No one looked as if it was a chore - that's the real secret of these occasions, of course, that everyone involved looks as if they are enjoying themselves.

The tour not only took the kids all over the shopping centre in search of goodies, it also took them outside - most notably to the Police shopfront where uniformed police persons were handing out lollies. You can bet my grandson, who wants to be a policeman when he grows up, was happy about that! Mum and Dad and Grandma had a good time too, getting to see round all the shops while the kids were having fun, and getting to know the retailers and shop assistants.

By going home time, everyone had lots of goodies to take home, and there were still new trick or treaters arriving. Luckily, most of the retailers had made sure they were well stocked, so even the real late comers weren't disappointed. The Trick or Treat Tour was a rousing success. As a trick or treat safety issue, it solved a lot of fears that parents have about letting their kids go trick or treating. As a public relations exercise, Booval Shopping Centre really hit on a winner. We and other parents and guardians not only had a great time, we also hit the shops - and there were plenty of good specials to tempt us to do so!

I hope this idea spreads to all shopping centres in the future - for the price of a handful of lollies, they can generate goodwill, good fun and really make their customers feel like someone cares as much about them and their kids as they do about their money - these days, that's invaluable.