When the frightening and always festive Halloween season rolls around, you want to make sure that your family always has a good time. Instead of simply waiting to go out and trick or treat, you can think of putting together a great Halloween party that everyone will enjoy. However, what are you supposed to do if you do not have a ton of money that you can throw into decorations and all sorts of food for your Halloween shindig?

No fear! There are plenty of great ways that you can put together a killer Halloween party without completely breaking the bank. From the costumes all the way down to decorations and food, you can put together a memorable fright fest that all of your guests are sure to love. You simply have to kick your imagination into high gear and set aside the time to implement all of the ideas that you come up with.

Do you happen to have a couple of children who love to do arts and crafts? Gather up your kids and even some of their friends and sit them down with all of the craft supplies that they need to make great Halloween decorations. There are a variety of websites with terrific craft ideas as well as magazines out there that you can use for inspiration. Before you know it, you will have a complete collection of low cost decorations that you can put all over your house for the party.

If you have a dollar store nearby, you may want to think of going there for odds and ends decorations, favor bag goodies or even your paper goods for the party. You would be amazed at some of the affordable, fun items that you can get for a scream of a deal for your party. By saving money in all of these areas, you can put the rest of your budget into some of the food and beverages that you would like to serve up at your Halloween party!

For the food at your party, you might even want to ask some of your guests to bring some ghoulish treats as sort of a potluck style event. This can add both variety and a festive twist to your food table! You can always fill in with a variety of dips and goodies to dip with such as veggies and chips. If you would like, you can even get creative and make food items that are shaped like body parts or eyeballs to remain within the Halloween theme!

So you want to get in on the scare craze this Halloween do you? That could mean having a haunted house or a yard haunt for friends and neighbors. Before you begin here are some safety tips to protect you as well as your guests.

1. Contact your insurance company. Hosting such a venture on your property involves liability. Be sure that any incidents during the night are protected under the policy. If this is your first time dealing with this issue, contact them at least two weeks ahead of time.

2. Light the path. We’re not talking flood lights all around the house. Lighting the path ensures that all guests go the proper way and no one ventures off of the track. Also, people can see where they are going without ruining the suspense.

3. Post warnings or have a release for guests to sign. This informs others that what they may see could be too frightening for the elderly and the very young. A signed waver and clearly posted signs protects you from prosecution should something happen.

4. Inform the fire department of your activities. They can go through your setup and identify points of danger. Also, they can be on alert to deal with calls from your home that night.

5. Check with your neighbors. The noise from so many people coming to your home could make you the least favorite person around. Inform neighbors about the upcoming event. One way to deal with this is to of course make sure all your neighbors are invited! Neighborhood associations may have rules and regulations regarding such activities so consult the association president.

6. Keep the gathering small. If this is a yard haunt, the fewer people the better as far as safety. With too many kids running around, someone is bound to have an accident.

7. Use battery operated candles in pumpkins instead of real candles. In the fun of the evening, pumpkins can be turned over or costumes can catch fire. No one wants the evening to turn tragic. Take all precautions.

8. Have enough guides along the way. To ensure safety in the haunted house or yard haunt, have other adult parents to guide small groups of guests through the haunt. This way, the guide always goes first and can comfort any scared kids.

A haunted house is great fun on Halloween. People love to be scared out of their wits. As they scream with fear and delight, you’ll need to be sure nothing goes wrong.

No one says that you have to go out to have a good time on Halloween. Parties are one way to spend the evening at home and still have fun. Guests have fun and also find safety. Maybe this year you will host a Halloween party of your very own.

Send out invitations well in advance of the event. We know the date of the party so that is not a problem. Most people will either be attending another party, going trick or treating with the kids or attending your party. Let’s hope they attend your party.

Come up with a menu for the event. Ghoulish treats such as witch’s fingers or Jell-O eyeballs floating in the punch may be great for kids but a bit too macabre for some adults. In that case, stick with spooky decorations and normal looking food.

The best thing about Halloween parties is that they can be planned for both adults and children. Careful planning will give the adults time to unwind while the children are otherwise occupied. Tend to the children first.

In the early evening take the kids for a little door to door fun. While they are going through their snacks and eating finger foods that you prepared in advance, the rest of the work for the adult part of the party can begin.

If you want to serve drinks, keep it simple. Beer and wine involves less work than an open bar. Anyone drinking can’t drive home. Designate a driver or walk from home to the party. Neighborhood Halloween parties have the convenience of close proximity.

Have a few age appropriate Halloween videos for the kids to watch in the family room or living room when the guests retire to the patio or backyard for fun. Host a costume contest or a pumpkin carving contest. A little Halloween karaoke might break a few noise ordinances, but it will thrill the guests. Who knows all the words to “Monster Mash”?

Since the kids are a consideration, hosts can ask each invited guest to bring a dish to the party. This way, cleanup is faster and the host doesn’t have to do so much hard labor. They will appreciate the help.
Any types of games that are planned should be played before drinks are served. Too many accidents occur when someone’s judgment is impaired by alcohol.

Want to host a Halloween party? Grab the most frightening decorations, some eats, and creepy music, mix with a few friends and you’re sure to have a great time!

Campers seem to love it. Passing on stories while the embers burn bright on a cool fall night is something we look forward to with trembling. Storytelling has been the most popular way to pass on folklore down through the ages. Here are some storytelling techniques to straighten their hair.

Storytelling on Halloween is expected. At least one ghostly story has to be told to an attentive audience. Movies are okay, but when the details are left to the imagination, the story takes on new life. Here are some tips to get everyone scared stiff with your story this Halloween.

1. Choose an appropriate venue. If you own a fire pit, let the storytelling begin outside. Cooler weather may mean you have to provide some blankets but that adds to the atmosphere. Inside the house, choose a quiet location big enough for everyone to sit in a circle. Instead of a fire, use a battery operated lantern or candle.

2. Turn off the lights. You can’t tell a good ghost story with the lights on. Outdoors, wait until the sun is completely down to start your tale.

3. Know the story. It can be read from a book or spoken from memory but get it right. A botched ghost story is like mangling a good joke by revealing the punch line. A good storyteller practices his craft so that his listeners won’t be disappointed.

4. Have an accomplice. Someone has to emphasize your high points with some creative theatrics. The theatrical help doesn’t need to be loud or overstated. A few noises or whispers that could be the wind or the trash can falling over are perfect to make the story more real.

5. Dress the part. No one will be frightened by someone in Bermuda shorts and a polo shirt. A dark cloak, some makeup, and a few well hidden props add to your fierceness. Some storytellers use a flashlight under their chin as the only source of light. This is a classic trick, but more light allows for listeners to catch a glimpse of your tricks as they unfold.

6. Choose a story that mixes fact with fiction. If you want to get people to believe you, adding a bit of fact will get the listeners thinking about the validity of the story. Also, choosing a story situation that could come true will put your story over the top.
Do you have a flare for the dramatic? If you do, consider telling a spooky story at the Halloween party this year.

Going out into the ghoulish night to troll for candy is not as innocent as it seems. It should be but it is not. Parents and children alike want to enjoy their bit of frightful fun without real dangers lurking around every corner. Here are some safety tips to accomplish that task.

1. Begin trick or treating during the daylight. It used to be that everyone waited until dark for greater effect. Unfortunately, there are those who want to cause trouble and can only do so after dark. Now, trick or treating begins at dusk even if the sun is not down.

2. For smaller children, drive instead of walk. The concept is the same as far as kids are concerned. Their friends will still see their costume and they still receive candy. As the night wears on it may get cold and little feet get tired quite quickly. A car means a faster exit when everyone is too tired to go on.

3. Check the candy before letting any be eaten. It is a safety precaution that protects the kids. Not everyone is out to harm children but there have been incidents in the past where blades and pins were found in candy.

4. Stick together. Never let a child go trick or treating alone. If you can’t do it, entrust your child’s care to another adult friend. Let them walk a few feet ahead to feel independent but not so far that they are out of your sight.

5. Choose costumes that fit properly. Wherever possible, use homemade costumes or non-toxic paint to replace store bought masks. Most masks are too hot and don’t provide an adequate visual field. Kids who can’t see where they are going can trip and fall.

6. Refrain from taking homemade candy and treats. Even schools don’t accept homemade food items anymore. It is too easy to get sick and the liability is high. Homemade candy apples look scrumptious, but there is no list of ingredients to tell you what was used to create them. Stick to prepackaged candy for children to eat.

7. Use a cloth shopping bag to hold the candy. Plastic bags can buckle under the weight of the haul and your child could lose their loot on the front step or in the street. Plastic pumpkins don’t hold as much candy and the strap can break with the same results as a plastic bag.
Trick or treat is a fun Halloween night tradition designed to scare us silly. In the process, don’t forget to take precautions so everyone is safe.

Many of us have uttered those words or ones like them since we were old enough to wear a costume. Some say cute little rhymes at each house they visit. But, what is the origin of our current candy grabbing tradition on Halloween?

Trick or treating goes back to the celebration of Samhain by the Celts on the British Isles. This pagan festival was one that celebrated nature and its gifts. The practitioners also believed that on that night the boundaries between the living and the dead were compromised and spirits could once again walk the earth.
In an effort to appease the spirits, people would leave offerings of food and drink on their doorsteps. These rituals were thought to protect their harvests for another year. This was also the time for a practice called “souling.”

Souling involved food in exchange for prayers. During the celebration, poor people would take to begging for food from neighbors. This food was granted in exchange for prayers by the receivers for the souls of dead family members.

As the tradition was passed down, the begging became food left for these poor individuals who would continue to pray for the dead. Eventually, children were sent from house to house to receive food or bits of money for the family.

In some countries, the wearing of masks and receiving of gifts is still called “souling.” Small food items or money are still received by children. Trick or treating is a thoroughly modern and American tradition.
When it first started, trick or treating was just that. If a homeowner didn’t provide treats, the costumed person would perform some trick. This could be playing a prank on them or egging the house. In some countries, this is a part of the mischief of the spirits. Any spirit that didn’t receive food was also likely to do something to the person of the house.

Now, kids go from house to house, saying this phrase and receiving a ton of sweet treats. People travel from neighborhood to neighborhood for sweet fare. Tricks are more a part of the fun of the night than a slight against any one person. If a neighbor is not participating, they turn out their porch light so children will know not to approach.

Of course there are those mischief makers that egg houses and cars, but most neighborhoods celebrate Halloween without incident. Even the adults get involved in the celebration with fog machines and costume parties.

So what is the big deal between Halloween and religion? Will one night of candy fun corrupt the soul? This is unlikely, but let us take a look at this ongoing topic of debate.

For many, many years, Halloween has been synonymous with witchcraft and evil. Satan’s one night of the year to claim souls for Hell has been the belief of the church and pious individuals. Those who practice dark arts would have us buy into that belief to keep the Christian world dazed and confused.

Let’s set the record straight. Knowledge is power, especially in this instance. Halloween began as a pagan festival of nature where people tried to appease the dead to prevent their intrusion into the world of the living.

But, we all know about superstitions. There was no distinction between the spirits so folks assumed precautions in case the spirits were bad. Unfortunately, it is the stories about bad spirits that have survived and given the celebration of Halloween a bad name.

In an effort to scare people, tales of the undead have been immortalized in books like Frankenstein and Dracula. Movies brought us Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and the Scream guy. People love to be scared, but so much of the fiction has been confused with fact that Christians have been led to believe that the practice of Halloween is evil for their children.

Basically, children know what we tell them. The truth is always best. There are people who practice earth religions like Wicca and those who profess to be Satanists. They derive their greatest influence and media coverage on this night. Even those groups have been made gorier than they actually are through film and books.

Our children will learn that the practice of dressing up and receiving candy is not evil from the knowledge that we obtain. Spirits are not roaming the streets looking to take over their bodies or mess with their minds. In fact, for little ones, it is essential that we not expose them to the scarier side because they could be traumatized by it and fear the fun side of Halloween.

Christians have nothing to fear from Halloween as long as the truth is told. While there are groups who practice magic (the jury is still out) and contact with the dead, they don’t have exclusive rights on Halloween. They practice their crafts all year round and not just this one night of the year.