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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
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
- 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
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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 DrinkPlan 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. |
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Use the bounty of the season to make a delicious, vegetarian stew. 'Tis the season for parsnips, potatoes, carrots, onions, turnips and others. |
The savory, spicy flavors of this Moroccan dish (made in the cookware of the same name) are great for the autumn. |
Leave the lightweight chevres with your tropical drinks--those are for the summer. For autumn, bring out rich Cheddars |
Whether from a mix or from scratch, apple cake is a perfect fall dessert. |
... but you can still make plenty of things with pumpkin.
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Top with cinnamon butter |
Serve in mini pumpkins for a special touch. |
Pumpkin flavor for every meal of the day! |
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.
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Severed Heads |
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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.
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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.
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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 |
Skull Hunt Like an Easter egg hunt, but with eye sockets! Fill mini skulls |
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 |
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 |
The activities below are more suited to people in their teen years and older.
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Whodunnit? A murder mystery party |
Host a Séance If your guests are not faint of heart, bring out the old Ouija board |
Fortune Telling Crystal balls |
Pumpkin Carving Contest Break out the carving kits |
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 | ||||
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Create trick or treat stations in your home so kids can fill the bags up themselves. |
Even the boys will like playing with face paint, as long as it makes them look monstrous! |
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. |
These toy voodoo dolls are just way too cute to stick pins into! |
| For "Big Kids" | |||
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Flavored Liqueurs Autumn calls for apples, cinnamon |
Practical Jokes The kid in everyone will appreciate a big bowl of assorted silly joke candies |
Scented Candles Send your guests home with a miniature version of the scented candle |
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 |
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
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External Links
- Blogged.com: Halloween party ideas, decorative pictures, and more.
- MentalFloss.com: A blog offering ideas for Halloween party food!















































