Next year, can we have a Scottish Halloween please? - Susan Morrison

It was good of the storm to wait a day so the guisers could get a good Halloween haul. And fortunate that we’d laid in a heavy supply of fun sized treats, given the number of witches and fairies that came up our path.

Halloween’s popularity seems to be rising. There were years with not a single knock at the door, but this week we had a steady stream of tiny terrors demanding trick or treat.

There could be a few reasons for this. It was a calm, pleasant night. Just the sort of evening for demanding calories with curses, and after two years of lockdown, people are keen to get out and about, even little ones.

And thirdly, there just seem to be more kids kicking about. Has the birth rate risen? I hope so. If I make it beyond ‘elderly’ on the age spectrum, I’m counting on there being sufficient youngsters to look after me as I rattle about.

At least one of the mini covens didn’t speak much English, and I suspect they are here because of that ranting lunatic in the Kremlin.

They sang a song, none of which I understood, but I don’t think that matters. Then they curtsied. Far too polite for a witch, I thought. They also had light up witches hats. I gave them extra sugar for that.

They were the only ones who did sing. At the risk of sounding like I’ve hit ‘Old Crone’ on the ageing scale already, can we launch a mini-campaign for a real Halloween comeback? It was lovely to see the kids dressed up, but it would have been nice to hear one more poem or a party piece. Lets wrestle our Halloween away from the American Trick or Treat. I am prepared to give way on the pumpkin v tumshie debate, mainly on account of health and safety. Few people ever managed to carve a turnip without a sliced finger or two.

But let's get the party piece back. Lets reclaim the night and relaunch a Scottish Halloween.