Spooky season is officially here. As the days get shorter and the weather starts to change, now is the time to start thinking about how you will be spending Halloween. No matter if you are spending the night on your own, with some friends, hosting a big party or taking your children trick or treating, there are many ways you can embrace this creepy time of year.
Get dressed up
Even if you are not planning on going out on Halloween, it doesn’t mean you can't have some fun and dress up. You could decide on a theme with your family or host a fancy dress party with a prize for the winning outfit. There are very few times when you can go crazy with outfit choices, so make the most of the time of year no one will judge you for your outfit choice. Remember to take lots of pictures. They are great to look back on in years to come. You can even get Halloween costumes for your pets! Just make sure you don’t force them to wear them.
Stock up on sweets
Ensure you plan ahead and purchase enough sweets for your trick or treaters. You may not end up getting many, however you definitely don’t want to run out. It will end up with a lot of disappointed trick or treaters who have spent time getting ready in their costumes. The bonus is that if there are any sweets left over at the end of the night, you can finish them off!
Take your Halloween efforts to the next level by giving your trick or treaters a surprise. Answer the door dressed up will help embrace the Halloween spirit and will catch them off guard. Also remember that you don’t necessarily have to hand out sweets. Small toys could be a great alternative that don’t have the sugar content. Other parents may be grateful!
Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins
One of the most iconic parts of Halloween has to be the pumpkin. Not only do they look great, they are tasty and make a great craft project.
Try having a pumpkin carving competition with friends or family to determine who comes up with the best design. If you are not very artistic, you can get designs on line which you can use as a stencil and buy pumpkin carving kits.
If you don’t fancy carving a pumpkin or you don’t like the idea of your children being around and handling sharp knives, you could paint your pumpkin instead. It is now a trend to paint pumpkins white or other colours and paint different designs on them instead.
Remember if you do opt for pumpkins you could try and pick your own from a local farm which is a great day out. You can also avoid waste by keeping the pumpkin seeds and toasting them for a yummy snack.
However, pumpkins don’t have to only be for Halloween, they can be used throughout the entire season and make an amazing centerpiece of your home decorations. Create an autumn display with faux leaves, pumpkins and candles (use LED candles to avoid a fire hazard)
Decorate your home
Pumpkins are not the only way you can decorate your home for Halloween, especially if you are having a party. Just remember that you can still decorate your house on a budget. Whilst you could go all out with fake gravestones, piles of pumpkins, cauldrons and skeletons, you can also keep it simple. Fake spiderwebs and dim lighting and candles can create a creepy but understanded decoration which is low key but still extremely effective.
Halloween film marathon
A perfect way to spend Halloween is having a Halloween film marathon. Grab yourself your comfiest blankets, light some candles, make a hot chocolate and your favourite snacks and start watching. If you cant decide what to watch, get people to vote for their favourite and if you have time watch them back to back. If you are limited to time, pull a film out of the hat for the most fair option. Whilst there are loads of horror films to choose from, a lot of them are not suitable for some ages. If you are looking for family friendly options, Casper, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare before Christmas and The Addams Family are all perfect!
Share scary ghost stories
Sharing spooky ghost stories is a fun way to spend part of the evening, especially if its at a sleepover. Take it in turns to read a ghost story or making one up. Add to the spooky atmosphere by telling the stories by candlelight or torchlight.
Just remember to take into consideration the age group you are speaking with. Whilst you want to stories to be a bit spooky, you don’t want them so terrifying you risk people having nightmares for months to come!
No matter what your age , there are great ways to celebrate Halloween at home. Here are just some of ways to get into the spooky spirit and embrace Halloween.
