Tricky question

Dentists advise that adults do not hand out sweets this Hallowe’en as it is bad for tiny teeth. Stickers or balloons are recommended as a substitute. This strikes us as naive. Little ghosts and ghouls are hungry for sugar, and if they don’t get it then they’re likely to repay the absence of a treat with a trick.

Hallowe’en seems to have caught on in the UK, and it’s easy to understand why British children enjoy dressing up and blackmailing their neighbours for sweets. Although not every neighbour is a fan of the holiday. Our heart goes out to the vampire at number 22. Every year he opens the door to human children in capes and false fangs and has to feign surprise and horror. Give him a rest. He’s a bit long in the tooth for this sort of thing.