Ghoulish gatherings

I was a witch every Oct. 31 throughout elementary school. My costumes got increasingly elaborate, and by the fifth grade, I was sculpting my own witch noses. I was fascinated with anything macabre, so Halloween night was something I started looking forward to months ahead of time. In high school, I would dress up to take my little sister from door to door. Sometimes I would talk a friend into creating a haunted house for the neighborhood kids.

Halloween never “got out of my blood.” It takes several days to decorate our typical abode into a haunted mansion that would rival the spook-o-meter of Dracula’s castle. Trick-or-treaters are never surprised when a vampire or other specter opens the door to greet them.

My family wanted to share our passion for all things Halloween with more friends and family. Our annual celebration began as a simple gathering of like-minded Halloween fanatics who would always stop at Haskell’s Haunted Mansion after a night of trick-or-treating to take photos together, grab a cookie, and regale each other about the excitement of the evening.

However, the party began to morph into something much more elaborate, with themes, costume contests, and engaging party games. Soon, we were hosting parties for 50 to 60 friends and neighbors. Once the kids were too old to trick-or-treat, the haunted bash still provided some much-needed fun for our teenagers — not to mention their parents!

Halloween parties are a great way for the generations to bond and enjoy some spooky fun together. There is something about becoming someone — or something — else or that allows folks to let loose and find their inner child. So, get into the spirit of the season and ask your kids to assist with the preparations.

Themes

In the beginning, our party was a general celebration, but we quickly started to introduce themes, which increased the enthusiasm tenfold.

Incorporate your theme into all aspects of the party planning, including the food, decorations, and invitations. For instance, framed portraits of our kids were turned into evil clowns or dancing werewolves, and activities were also modified to match the theme. We never required guests to dress in theme, but folks usually embraced the idea. So, plan to have a costume prize for “Best in Theme.”

Think outside of the box. Here are some themes we used over the years:

• Scary circus (dressing up as a circus character with a creepy twist).

• Couple and family costumes (Adams Family, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Thing 1 & 2, etc.).

• Dead rock stars.

• “Walking Dead” decades (creatures of the night from ’20s, ’80s, etc.).

Food and table settings

It’s all about the food, and a Halloween party encourages exceptional creativity. Label typical foods with creepy descriptions, such as werewolf eyeballs (meatballs) or barbecued bat wings (chicken wings). Print custom labels for soda and juice bottles (i.e. witches brew or skeleton juice). You can find these online or ask your kids to create some.

Of course, for the creative baker or cook, transforming your treats and snacks into ghoulish concoctions is always fun. We’ve had eyeball cupcakes, a graveyard cake, chilling punch with a floating frozen hand, pretzel candy bones, and worm-infested Jell-O, to name a few.

Convert table settings and sideboards into spine-tingling displays that capture the spirit and theme of the party. Rather than a store-bought Halloween tablecloth, stretch and tear fabric gauze over a plain, black linen or plastic tablecloth for a natural effect. If more gore is desired, splatter red food coloring (or fake blood) on the gauze. Place plastic spider rings on your candlesticks and cobwebs on the backs of chairs. Carve out miniature pumpkins to use as dip bowls and create freaky faces by pinning cut veggies for the facial features. There is no limit to what you can do with the goodies and table settings to enhance your Halloween vibe.

For more Halloween table setting ideas visit: http://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/entertaining/spooky-halloween-table-settings-and-decorations-pictures

Games and contests

Halloween Majority Rules became one of our most popular games, enjoyed by all age groups. Divide guests into teams of three to four. To make things more interesting, create teams of teens vs. adults or boys vs. girls. The hostess reads a question, such as, “What is the most common facial or head accessory worn on Halloween?” Each team has one minute to come up with an answer together. Answers and team names are written on slips of paper and collected by the hostess to be read to the entire group. All teams who guessed the “most common” answer receive one point. We’ve also played Halloween charades, Halloween trivia, Halloween bingo, and guess the famous scary movie line or movie score.

We’ve found that holding costume contests inspires folks to find their creative gene. Surprisingly, many of the parents gave the younger crowd a run for their money in the “most creative costume” category. Our contests inspired mini parades. Contestants in the various categories would parade through the house and gather at a location so guests could vote for their favorites. Ties are broken by the host family.

Prize ideas:

• Craft store frame labeled “Best in Theme.”

• Halloween dish towels for “Best Adult Female.”

• Movie coupons and a tin of popcorn for “Best Teen Costume.”

• Ghoulish back scratcher for “Best Adult Male.”

Music

There are numerous Halloween mixes available with favorite soundtracks from scary movies or typical Halloween song titles, such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Another option: Eerie classical tunes, such as Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor.”

However, it’s more fun to make your own soundtrack. Your kids will love this! Record ghostly sounds and simulate deadly storms, or ask your children to narrate spooky stories.

Favors

Guests love to have something to take home. If you choose to hand out favors, think of something interesting and affordable (preferably handmade by you and your kids). Here are some options:

• Individually wrapped iced sugar cookies with the year or theme.

• Bookmarks with party date or theme and adorned with dangling broom or ghost.

• Chocolate lollipops (gravestone, pumpkin, skull, etc.).

• Glow bracelets and rings.

• Popcorn or trail mix hands (stuffed in transparent, plastic gloves with a candy corn for nails).

• Travel-size hand sanitizers with handmade Halloween labels.