Hallowe'en is finally here, and all the little ghosts and goblins who have been waiting impatiently for this day to arrive are now counting down to the witching hour, when they will set off on the mother of all candy culls.

To the cries of "trick or treat" they will lean on doorbells and wait behind stifling masks for the portals to open on a Cadbury cornucopia. Thrusting their big bounty bags forward, they will watch the dextrose drop and scoot off to the next benefactor. As they progress, door by door, street by street, and in some cases neighbourhood by neighbourhood, their candy cargoes will grow heavier, their masks and costumes hotter, and their excitement thinner, but no matter - Hallowe'en is their one chance to legitimately lay siege to an obscene harvest of dentist-denounced booty.

In terms of costumes, there is no doubt that Bermuda's children are as much under the spell of the commercial vampires as their counterparts overseas, and in this quick-fix era, more and more frazzled parents are consigning their Hallowe'en creativity to the cash registers. The result is an expendable, expensive parade of plastic, paper, rubber and rouge that says more for Chinese industry than sound economics.

In the Henderson household, however, the approach is strictly `original'. For years, their Somerset home has been a craft centre for all ages and stages of talent. Here, preparation begins well in advance of the big Hallowe'en party for children and adults alike.

Under the artistic guidance of Mrs. Cherie Henderson, her children, their friends, her parents, and just about anybody else who happens to stop by, the big collection of raw materials gets converted into eye-catching bats, spiders, mobiles, witches, caterpillars, and other creatures.

"This has been going on for years. On weekends, the house is full. We may have ten or 11 people working on things," Mrs. Henderson says.

"All my friends love our house," daughter Melanie adds. "Even when I am not home kids will pop by to see my mom. Everybody loves her."

All forms of creativity are encouraged, which leads to colourful, imaginative results created by children and adults alike. Mrs. Liz Charlton for example, likes making themed plastic canvas/needlepoint items, while Mrs. Henderson does everything you can think of, from cookies to crafts. Some of her specialities are big witches created from paper bags, and beautiful baskets covered in Hallowe'en fabric and raffia ribbon.

"I have always loved crafts," Mrs. Henderson says. "I like to look at things and figure out how I can adapt them. The witch idea, for example, came from once seeing Christmas angels made by members of the Bermuda Junior Service League which used paper bags as opposed to twisted paper. I also like to look at craft books and things."

Initially, many of the original items were made in school by son David as a way of helping him to develop his fine motor skills, and then it became a family affair. Last year, daughter Melanie went one step further and decorated the senior school office at Saltus, where she is a student. This year David and his mother made and presented a witch to Riding for the Disabled, where it graces Mrs. Benbow's desk.

Mrs. Henderson and her children have also created stunning Hallowe'en costumes from scratch, one of which was a prize winner at a school fair.

Crafts, however, are only part of the Henderson Hallowe'en story. The family also goes all-out making their annual themed party a success. Special food and drinks, a completely decorated garden, and topical music are all part of the fun their guests will have.

Tonight's menu will include a life-size pumpkin cake, decorated cookies, and tasty dishes with ghoulish names, such as Smurf blood, slugs in mud, monkey' brains and eyeballs, and alien life forms in the pupa stage. The yard will be decorated with all the crafts everyone has made, and the background music will include such old favourites as `Monster Mash', `Purple People Eater' and of course `Ghost Busters'.

"The adults and children all party together, and we have a blast," Mrs. Henderson says.

See Page 30 for A night of Hallowed history