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The first Halloween visitor to darken our doorstep arrived early. It did not stop by to ask for a treat. Rather, it was delivering a ghastly trick.

It was making rounds around town and apparently decided we were next on its list. Our household was invaded this week by H1N1 influenza.

If my child was not quarantined in his room in an effort to contain the virus, he wouldn't need a costume. He is pale and his eyes are sporting some dark circles.

His natural H1N1 complexion is scarier than any spooky makeup he could apply or mask he could buy.

Instead of stringing up the pumpkin lights we normally hang from the eaves of our home, we're soaking his cups, plates and utensils in bleach water, running the dishwasher on the super-hot sanitize setting and spraying everything down regularly with disinfectant.

We are liberally utilizing spray bottles of vinegar water and bleach water all over the house. For good measure, my infected child has a mask and has been assigned his own bathroom.

Everyone is washing their hands into a chapped oblivion. No one is allowed near the quarantined bedroom without a mask or bandanna covering their mouth and nose.

Everyone has been patiently compliant.

Of course, my thus-far healthy teen has been joking about trying to catch the bug so he can take a week off of school like his younger brother.

I was unable to extract any humor from my child's jokingly made comments. But then I'm not an indestructible teenager suffering from early onset senioritis.

Meanwhile, we're missing out on the biggest Halloween night in years. With H1N1 hanging about the house, we dare not sit out on the porch in our costumes and hand out treats. While we are taking every precaution we can think of, I don't think parents in the neighborhood would appreciate snack-sized candy with a side of virus.

We are, admittedly, quite disappointed in the timing of our H1N1 experience. With the change in daylight savings time, there is more time for trick-or-treaters to collect goodies in the safety of sunlight. The clocks don't have to be turned back until after the trick-or-treating and masquerade parties conclude.

Add to the extra daylight the fact that Halloween fell on Saturday this year and we had all the makings of a spooktacular holiday.

No one has to hurry home from work, feed the kids, get them in their costumes, then rush around to all the neighbors before bedtime this year. Rather, everyone can leisurely enjoy all the scary fun throughout the day and all evening long.

Everyone but us, that is. And all those also affected by this year's pandemic.

There is not a carved pumpkin glowing on our porch. We will not have our porch lights burning. Our plastic witch's cauldron remains in the attic, NOT filled with candy for the costumed kiddies.

So even though Halloween occurs just before the time changes, and even though it is a Saturday, I predict that it will not be the big night we thought it could be.

Judging by attendance at school lately, or lack thereof, lots of kids will be home recovering from various strains of the flu, allergies and colds. And those households will most likely have dark porches this year.

Luckily, we never got around to buying a pumpkin. We ended up putting those funds toward my son's doctor visit and prescription costs. We spent the time we would have spent carving an intricate landscape into the rind, and then some, keeping the house disinfected.

We saved lots of money hoarding snack-sized candy that will not be distributed. But I suppose we will be able to use it up in the lunches we pack for the boys from now until January.

My children will actually be quite happy with this situation, because they normally get homemade, healthier versions of sweets in their brown bags.

We will miss seeing all the cute and scary costumes. We will miss hanging out on the porch with the neighbors.

We will miss dressing up and handing out candy, stealing a piece from the cauldron every now and again. But, it is for the best.

The full recovery of my infected child, and the lack of anyone else in our family or neighborhood contracting the bug will be well worth missing out on the big holiday.

In consideration of this year's big Halloween letdown thanks to H1N1, we've decided to begin planning for the next big spooky fall evening. Surely we will all be healthy in 2015, the next time Halloween falls on a Saturday.

Now that you are done reading my column, please go wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water. You can never be too cautious when it comes to the flu bug!

Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com.