Dear Editor:
Canadians have long debated how old, or how tall a youngster has to be before getting rebuffed at the trick-or-treating door.
But let’s not be too hasty.
North Vancouver School District hosts several hundred international homestay students. These kids come to Canada for five months, 10 months, or maybe longer to live, study and enjoy Canadian culture. And hey … they’ve seen E.T. … and this trick-or-treating “thing” is fabled-legend among them. It’s not a practice in their home countries so when they come here, they are excited to finally be able to participate.
Our family has been hosting such students for nine years now, and the last thing we want to say is: “Sorry, you are too old to go trick-or-treating” – so we don’t! Even if they are 17, we encourage them to do it! So we also ask other families – when you see those older kids coming around – please don’t turn them away. Show them some Canadian hospitality and give them their treat. And if you want to be famous among them, make some Nutella Rice Krispie squares to give out!
In our neighbourhood we used to get 150 kids “back in the day.” These days we are lucky to get 20 … but maybe we’ll get more with all the international students, we hope.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Peter and Anne Teevan
North Vancouver
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