Halloween Party Necessities

Halloween is a simply perfect occasion to plan a get-together with friends: everyone loves a costume party, and with enough fun activities and delicious food, even the grinchiest of Halloween haters will have big smiles on their heavily made-up faces.  Whether you're throwing a mondo monster mash  or just a little haunted happening, it's a fantastic idea to go through a list of everything you'll need for some seriously sinister fun.  Party planning can be a major undertaking, but our guide will aim to help you through the process as painlessly as possible.  On the day of the event, all the gritty details will be dealt with and you'll be all set to relax and enjoy the ghoulish good times.

Four to Six Weeks Before

It might seem early, but trust us--the more prepared you are, the better.  Before you can draft up an invitation,  you will need to iron out the most basic details:

• When and where will it be? Will you need to secure the party location?
• Who will you invite?
• Will there be a theme? (Note that if you choose to go this route, it will help bring focus to your planning: decorations, invitations, refreshments, costumes: all of these components will tie in with the central theme.)

Once you answer these questions, send out the invite no later than two weeks before the party.  You will also need to sort out your budget so you won't have any surprise expenses.  For help with this, check out the planner on About.com.

Two to Four Weeks Before

Select your costume and make sure you have everything you need for it.  If you have chosen a theme, this will be much easier, but if you are in need of some inspiration, you might want to check out our guides on Adult Costumes and Costumes for Kids. Food and Drink Plan a menu.  Will you have a sit-down meal or just hors d'oeuvres?  Sketch out a shopping list and figure out how far in advance you will need to shop or prep.  You can't make everything out of pumpkins or sugar. Take a look at these ideas for other kinds of autumnal treats that are sure to please.

Root Vegetable Stew  Use the bounty of the season to make a delicious, vegetarian stew. 'Tis the season for parsnips, potatoes, carrots, onions, turnips and others.	Tagine  The savory, spicy flavors of this Moroccan dish (made in the cookware of the same name) are great for the autumn.	Cheeses Leave the lightweight chevres with your tropical drinks--those are for the summer. For autumn, bring out rich Cheddars,  smokey goudas  or Brezian,  and a sharp piece of Parmigiano.	Apple Cake  Whether from a mix or from scratch, apple cake is a perfect fall dessert.

... but you can still make plenty of things with pumpkin.

Pumpkin Scones  Top with cinnamon butter!	Pumpkin Soup  Serve in mini pumpkins for a special touch.	Pumpkin Pancakes  Pumpkin flavor for every meal of the day!	Pumpkin Fudge  A decadent seasonal treat.

Decorations

You will absolutely need to set the mood of the party.  If your aim is to terrify your guests and create the most macabre scene you can, you'll want to invest in some of the items below.  You'll also want to check out our Guide to Haunted House Decorations for more ideas.

Severed Heads  and other Body Parts	Cobwebs	Hanging Bats	Tombstones	Witches' Cauldrons

Coffins	The Living Dead	Horror Sounds CDs	Fog Machines	Black Light Bulbs  and Fixtures

If you're hosting a kids' fiesta, you'll obviously want to tone it down quite a bit.  There are a variety of decorations that focus on cute rather than on creepy--your guests should be clamoring for more, not crying to go home.

Lawn Inflatables	Luminaries	Jack O'Lanterns	Scarecrows	Hanging Ghosts

 

Games and Activities

Having a number of activities planned out will help break the ice and get your guests mingling.  You will want to tailor everything around the ages of your guests.  The following games are appropriate for boys and ghouls of all ages.

Cookie Decorating There's no end to the number of ways kids will decorate cookies. Give them plain round cookies and a lot of colorful gummy spiders,  or use special Halloween cookie cutters  to make pumpkin, ghost and witch cookies. Just make sure you have plenty of orange,  white  and black frosting!	Skull Hunt Like an Easter egg hunt, but with eye sockets! Fill mini skulls  with candy and hide them around the yard, or mark certain skulls as "prize" skulls and reward the discoverer at the end of the hunt. For younger children, you might want to paint the skulls with glow-in-the-dark paint  before the hunt begins.	Pumpkin Relay What's a fast way to tire kids out? Make 'em run holding a pumpkin! The best part is that they'll have a good time, too. Use small pumpkins for small children, medium pumpkins for older children. First team to complete the relay wins an extra treat.	Bobbing for Apples If the evening isn't too chilly (or you're staying indoors the whole night), try the old classic. Get an apple out of the water in a barrel  or tub  without using your hands. The prize is a healthy snack!	Feel Box There is nothing quite like your imagination to scare the dickens out of you. Assemble a "feel box" and have kids guess what's inside. Try peeled tomatoes  for hearts, peeled grapes for eyeballs, overcooked rice  in oil for maggots, etc.

The activities below are more suited to people in their teen years and older.

Whodunnit? A murder mystery party  offers a rather sophisticated air to your party.  How to Host a Murder  has several different themes and also comes in a teen version.	Host a Séance If your guests are not faint of heart, bring out the old Ouija board  and attempt to make contact with any lingering spirits.	Fortune Telling Crystal balls,  tarot cards,  ancient runes,  tea leaves,  palm reading : there are myriad options available to give the night a clairvoyant twist!	Pumpkin Carving Contest Break out the carving kits  (or paints ) and let your guests' imaginations run wild.  Make sure to offer prizes for the best pumpkins.

The Week of the Party

You're almost there!  Now is the time to tie up all the loose ends: for example, if you have guests who have not yet RSVP'd, you will want to track them down and get a definite yes or no.  Do you have everything you need for your costume?  How about decorations: are they all good to go?  If so, you will want to get the outdoor and out-of-the-way ones taken care of (save the indoor decorations until the night before and the day of--you don't want any fake cobwebs tripping you up at inopportune moments).

Make sure that all of your groceries are purchased, save the ones you will buy just before.  If there are any dishes you can cook ahead of time, go ahead and do that.  The less work you have to do on the day of the party, the easier your life will be.  If you have people willing to help you out on any of these tasks, put them to work and make sure they understand what they need to do.  Will you have a clean-up crew as well?  Scout for volunteers: remember the old adage, "many hands make light work!"

Party Favors

For Children
Trick or Treat Bag  Create trick or treat stations in your home so kids can fill the bags up themselves.	Mini Face Paint Kit  Even the boys will like playing with face paint, as long as it makes them look monstrous!	Magic 8 Ball  Children will love having all of their burning yes-or-no questions answered.	Batman Flashlights and Batarangs   These are a bit pricier than the normal favor, but your guests are sure to love them.	Fun Voodoo Dolls  These toy voodoo dolls are just way too cute to stick pins into!

For "Big Kids"
Flavored Liqueurs Autumn calls for apples, cinnamon,  and spices. Send your guests home with tiny bottles of flavored schnapps  and a recipe card. Or, try a packet of mulling spices  and a mini-bottle of spiced rum.	Practical Jokes The kid in everyone will appreciate a big bowl of assorted silly joke candies  on the way out. Just watch out if anyone offers you a sweet!	Scented Candles Send your guests home with a miniature version of the scented candle  that you burn at the party, and they'll remember the good times for a long time afterward! Try pumpkin spice,  cranberry  or cinnamon  fragrances.	Premium Confections Why take the candy out of Halloween? Treat your guests to something more mature than candy corn -- how about party-favor sizes of chocolate truffles  or gourmet biscotti  wrapped to go?

The Day Of

You did it!  Now you'll want to keep the food and beverages stocked, the supplies for activities available, and make sure your guests are having a fantastic time.

Related Guides

Haunted House Decorations	Halloween Costumes for Kids	Halloween Crafts	Halloween Gifts	Costumes for Adults

 

External Links

• Blogged.com:  Halloween party ideas, decorative pictures, and more.
• MentalFloss.com:  A blog offering ideas for Halloween party food!