You Totally Have Time to Plan a Halloween Party

You Totally Have Time to Plan a Halloween Party!

10 tips for a successful soiree:

1. Find some invitations & get them in the mail ASAP (preferably by the 10th to 13th-ish).

I love tiny*prints; their quality is amazing, and the selection is enormous. Many of their choices are eco-friendly, and they recently began selling a "studio" line which is less expensive. Whereas they used to make you order a minimum of 25, you can now get just a few if need be.

2. Determine a budget and stick to it. Party expenses, like hamsters, tend to multiply when left unchecked. Don't go to the party store with vague ideas; you'll end up getting a bunch of crap you won't end up using and that's just a big fat waste of time and money.

3. Make a list (and check it three times every day until the day after the event) of food and activities, then figure out how many and which serving pieces you'll need. Please see my previous posts regarding biodegradable/sustainable plates, cups and flatware.

4. Unless small children are going to be present, consider serving drinks in actual glassware. Brown bottled root beers are soooo autumnal! Rather than offering multitudinous beverage choices, consider one or two types of communal witches brews, served in creepy cauldrons or a spooky punch bowl. You'll save yourself the work of sorting and hauling all the recyclables afterwards!

5. One trick I use when entertaining at home is to actually lay the table the night before, as well as the serving area. I note which food will go into which dishes, so I'm not faced with any unpleasant surprises. I put candlesticks in the freezer overnight; this stops them from dripping all over the place.

6. Designate recycling tubs and put the trash nearby. Make it easy for guests to party sustainably.

7. Leave a few rolls of recycled paper towels on the counter in your kitchen. That way, guests can clean up their own minor disasters without bothering you and feeling embarrassed.

You might include a liter of club soda nearby for spills.

8. Heap some old costumes, props and masks somewhere in case guests arrive without festive attire. They can help themselves to the pile.

9. Polaroids or instant digital photos always, especially on Halloween!

10. The day before is also a great day to round up ice. I prefer to make my own, since my freezer water is filtered. If I start bagging it a day or two in advance, I have plenty.

Have You Thought About Halloween Yet?!?

Finally: something to wear with last season's gladiator shoes:

Just kidding!

Of course, this is my kitten outfit that I wear whilst writing up these posts:

Our Halloween parties are family friendly, but I might be able to get away with this without fishnets plus tights and a black wig ... maybe.

Alright, enough with the costumes. Now, I have mentioned my loathing for party games; I absolutely abhor them. Children, however, aren't too keen on conversation so they have to be kept busy at a party. You'll want to give them plenty of active choices unless you want them running amok. Bobbing for apples? Are you kidding me? Hellz no. That's just an invitation for all kinds of germy grossness! Not interested in Swine Flu or Meningitis or cold sores.

Instead, how about a treasure hunt? Little pumpkin containers can be stuffed with pennies, stickers, spider rings and fangs. Hide them like you would Easter Eggs, or perhaps allow all of the children to hunt for their own labelled favor bags. This will kill plenty of time. Then you can have a little costume parade.

Although I have my niece and nephews over to carve pumpkins, it's a hot mess (see our creations at the top). Instead of carving when we have a Halloween party, we paint and glitter small pumpkins and gourds at the beginning of the event, and they are dry by the end of the party.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I will be posting little bits for the next 6 weeks or so to get you ready. Meanwhile, I have to find matching Star Trek costumes for myself and my son; we've been everything from ninjas, to Star Wars characters to Peter Pan & Tinkerbell. What are you going to be this year?