The Essential Guide to Planning Your Halloween Party and Decorations

The Essential Guide to Planning Your Halloween Party and Decorations

As Halloween grows more popular by the year, grownups are now doing much more than passing out candy at the door. From decorating their homes, to becoming crafty with their pumpkins, to hosting parties for adults as well as kids, everyone joins in the spirit of the season. Let this guide help you prepare for one of the most entertaining nights of the year!

Decorate for Halloween and the Entire Autumn Season:

Halloween is indisputably one of those seasons when decorations make the difference in setting the stage for your guests and parties. Whether you’re planning a big Halloween blowout party, or simply want to make the mood festive for trick-or-treaters, begin decorating early and you’ll be ready for fun when the big day arrives.

• Setting the Stage for Halloween - The key to a great Halloween party is the atmosphere. Here are easy decorating tricks for turning your home into a Halloween treat.
• Autumn and Halloween Centerpieces - Advice for anyone who plans to do a little seasonal entertaining without going over the top with witches and goblins.
• Top Halloween Party Supplies - My picks for the tastes, sounds, serving pieces and other decorations that will add up to a fun party for you this year.

Before Halloween Parties: - Sometimes getting ready for the big day is as much fun as the event itself. Plan a few low key gatherings that will help to set the stage for the big bash.

• A Scarecrow Making Party - Let your guests become creative as you prepare a spooky visitor to sit on your front porch throughout the season.
• A Halloween Pumpkin Decorating Party - If the Halloween pumpkin is your favorite part of the season, then this is the perfect party for you to host this month.

Choose Your Halloween Party: Is your party going to be a family event? For kids only? Or maybe it will be too spooky for anyone but the grownups! Here are a variety of ideas to get that party started.

• A Harry Potter Halloween Party - The “Harry Potter” series is a perfect theme on which to base a Halloween party for all ages.
• Ahoy Mateys! Plan a Pirate Theme Party - Pirates are always so popular, and now more than ever.
• A Halloween Monster Party - This one is for the grownups only! Little ones, beware.

Planning a School Party?: As a room mom for many years, I can tell you that the Halloween party is usually the biggest one each school year. The kids are in costume and charged up from all the excitement. There’s no way a teacher will make them concentrate on their schoolwork, so let’s party!

• Halloween Party Games - These games are great for school parties as well as home-based Halloween parties.
• Classroom Parties - Planning a classroom party is not as easy as it seems. Here are tips to guide you along the way.

Let’s Eat Cake!: Do you create special treats for your Halloween parties? Cakes, cupcakes, candies or other ghoulish delights? We’d love to see pictures of them. Send them to me following our simple submission guidelines and I’ll add them to the list.

* Halloween Pumpkin Cake

Planning a Movie Party?: - Perhaps movie parties are more your style. Whether you host an intimate chiller party for two, or a spooky horror fest for a dozen, About’s Guides can help you select the perfect flick to give you bad dreams later on Halloween night!

• Halloween Video and DVD Top Picks - Ivan Redwine, About’s Guide to Home Video and DVDs share her picks for horror flicks perfect for a Halloween party.
• Halloween Horror Movies - Staci Wilson, About’s Guide to Horror & Suspense Movies shares her selections for films whose plots revolve around Halloween