Some people are talented enough to create their own Halloween costumes while others stick to store-bought. Have fun with your costume this year and go over the top! Make your costume the best at the party!

If you’re dressing up for a Halloween party, you’re naturally going to want to look at some sexy Halloween costumes before choosing the right costume for you. That’s kind of the whole point of dressing up for Halloween. You have the perfect excuse to go over the top and surprise everyone with your sexy alter ego.

You will easily find sexy versions of traditional Halloween costumes. If you’re thinking of being a witch or a devil, you can easily make them sexy Halloween costumes. Some of these costumes feature very short tops or bustiers and mini skirts combined with more traditional costume elements. They also often feature sexy materials like vinyl and lace. Add heels or, even better, patent leather or vinyl tall boots with high heels, and you’ve made the costume.

Don’t forget to add fishnets, which come in white, black, and red. Just know that white are a little harder to see. Consider wearing regular nylons underneath the fishnets for more contrast and to give your legs a more toned look. Black fishnets work with basically everything. They’re like the nude of fishnets. Otherwise, another kind of stockings is necessary. Thigh highs are a lot of fun, and extremely sexy.

Accessories and props will make sexy Halloween costumes. If you’re a devil, make sure you have horns. If you’re a cat, mouse, or bunny, get your ears and tail. The ears actually make a great headband and they also are great for hiding a wig line. Halloween is a fun time to try long wigs (or short if you have long hair).

Using Halloween decorations such as candles, jack o lanters, table cloth and settings, Halloween props and Dracula teeth along with a costume makes it possible to tell a whole story. What character is truly complete without his or her props? No matter who or what your costume is seeking to portray, there is most likely a way to play the part more fully with the help of Halloween

decorations.

One way to come up with a prop idea is to establish a character and think of something that he or she might want with him or her more often than not. Think of a cowboy. He may want a gun, a campfire nearby or a horse (this last prop might have to actually be played by a friend). An angel could do well to carry a harp in her hands, or a fairy would likely need a wand.

On a more creative note, a way to make a costume that seems serious more amusing is by incorporating the right Halloween props. This will be easier for some people than others, for there are just those who tend to get really inspired about some small detail and it takes them far.

Perhaps, in the case of using props to hint at something, act as an insight or to make a sarcastic statement, decide to dress as a friend, a celebrity or a politician. This person might be well known for an association with something in particular. Carrying around an item that suggests that well-known personality trait (an alarm clock for the guy who is never on time, a mirror for someone

vain, etc.) can end up being a big hit as you hear people exclaiming, “Oh, I get it,” followed by laughter.

Halloween began thousands of years ago Celtic people inhabiting the area that is now England, Ireland and Scotland celebrated their new year on November 1st. The Celtic religious order known as the Druids held a great festival each year on the evening before the their new year. This festival was celebrated in honor of the god, Samhain, the Druid god of death and was known as All Hallowtide. The Druids believed in the supernatural and tried to placate the Lord of Death with offerings. This is the action that “Trick-or-Treat” emulates today. The community also sacrificed animals and offered fruits and vegetables so the spirits would keep their distance. The cold and darkness of winter and the presence of spirits are reasons why Halloween is connected with images of death and evil.

Halloween is spooky, but taking Halloween pictures shouldn’t be. From a jack-o’-lantern’s scary stare to frighteningly fun costumes, this holiday offers unique picture-taking opportunities. The tips below will ease your mind about the unusual challenges that Halloween presents for a photographer. And we’ll also show you a few tricks to capture bewitching jack-o’-lantern pictures.

Halloween is a time for both adults and kids alike to delve into their creative sides and dream up inventive Halloween costumes. It is also a time when people want to be something that they cannot be in their everyday lives. Some people choose to use their minds and try something clever, while others stick to the traditional choices of ghost or witch. They also want their costumes to be unique and very different from everyone else’s that they may see on that particular day

Halloween Fun Learn more at [http://www.halloweentopic.com]

The pumpkin flesh is extremely high in carotenoids, it is this plant compound that gives pumpkins their orange color. Carotenoids are really good at neutralizing free-radicals, as they are powerful anti-oxidants that can protect cell membranes from damage. It doesn’t end there pumpkins are also high in other plant compounds lutein and zeaxanthin, which scavenge free-radicals in the lens of the eye. Helping to protect against the formation of cataracts and reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a serious eye problem than usually results in blindness, very important as we get older. Pumpkins are also a rich source of other nutrients, like iron, zinc, and fiber.

Whole pumpkin – when I cook pumpkin, I cook a whole pumpkin stuffed with some of my favorite recipes, and I place the whole thing in to the oven. This saves me cutting peeling and chopping it. I get a smallish to medium pumpkin, cut the top off and scoop out the middle. I put a cooked mixture inside, for instance I cook a mixture of vegetables and beans in a green Thai curry sauce with coconut milk. I place the cooked veggie curry, or chicken and veggie curry, inside the pumpkin and replace the top. I place the whole stuffed pumpkin in a medium heated oven for about two to three hours depending on the size of the pumpkin. Once the pumpkin is cooked remove from the oven and serve with the top off, it looks really good.

Pumpkin pie has been a traditional favorite at Thanksgiving. Pumpkins make great soups or a vegetable to accompany a main meal.

The flesh of the pumpkin has a mild laxative affect, being useful in cases of dyspepsia and constipation. Pumpkin juice has been used to help heal ulcers and reduce high acidity levels in the body, common these days. This juice needs to be drunk three times a day, half an hour before meals. It is also useful in cases of insomnia, as it has mild sedative properties. Pumpkin is also indicated in cases of hormonal imbalances and menopausal discomfort. Big pumpkins might be great at Halloween for caving up, but not that good for eating as they can be a bit tougher.

Traditional external use of pumpkin was recommended for treating burns, inflammatory conditions, abscesses, insect stings, and softening the skin, the crushed pulp was used, and changed daily until healing was complete.

Pumpkins seeds also contain phyto-sterols, essential fatty acids (EFAs). These EFAs have many benefits that protect blood vessels, nerves, protect all tissue, including the skin, and they can help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. The pumpkin seeds are high in protein, one ounce of seeds provides about seven grams of protein. Contain copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. They also contains vitamin A, which helps keep your eyes healthy, your skin, mucus membranes, and stimulates the T cells of the immune system to help fight off infection. The seeds also contain vitamin E, has excellent free-radicals properties, protecting the circulatory system. The seeds are also renowned for helping protect the prostate.

Studies into the health benefits of pumpkin seeds have revealed they contain a plant chemical (phytocompound) called cucurbitacins that can prevent the body from converting testosterone into a much more potent form of the hormone called dihydrotestosterone, this is thought to be the reason the seeds protect the prostate health. Keep the seeds in the refrigerator.

Salad dressing – these three fresh ingredients are very easy to find at the local markets – parsley, garlic, pumpkins seeds, and cilantro – grind these three ingredients together add a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, use as a salad dressing. The herbs and spices that go well with pumpkin in general are parsley, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamoms.

Pumpkin and ginger soup

1 pumpkin small/medium, peeled and chopped

4 tablespoons coconut oil (found in your local health store)

1 or 2, garlic clove depends on your taste

3 small leeks or onions

3 celery stalks, diced

3 quarts vegetable stock, optional

1 piece grated fresh ginger – size depends on how you like ginger

1 (15 ounce) coconut milk can or fresh

Chopped cilantro

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sweat the garlic, onions and/or leeks in the coconut oil, then add the other ingredients and bring to the boil, lower the temperature and simmer until cooked. Then puree in a blender and then and the cilantro and serve with a decorative swirl of natural yogurt. Enjoy.

Sonia Jones ND
Naturopath, nutritional therapist and author of three published books

http://www.nutritionwithsonia.com

http://www.arthritisalternativetreatment.com

Even though millions of Halloween enthusiasts enjoy shopping online, there are still individuals that may not be too sure if the advantages are enough for them to take a bite into the online costume market!

My advice to you is that you will never know unless you sink your fangs into the online shopping experience, and see for yourself what the true difference will be. (Sorry! I was just itching to throw in that pun).

So What Are the True Advantages That Costume Sites Offer? The most obvious advantage I have seen over the years with exclusive online costume stores is their vast online selection available to you! They offer bright graphic pictures to view, and when you click on the picture, you get more detailed information. I like reading the descriptions, and they really help in my decision-making.

I don’t know if you still experience the mall days when you arrive to get some quick Halloween costume ideas, and as you entered the cubicle boxed size store, it had such a skimpy variety, they felt cheaply made, and to make things worse, I had to find my costume idea on the floor that was sitting in a massive pile of clothes that looked like a human tornado hit it three times over!

When you search for your costumes online, they’re easily set-up in a variety of costume categories, and while I’m drinki

Ready to order toddler Halloween costumes are a great choice. Just search for any website that sells ready to order costumes. This eliminates the hassle of making your own costume. They cost a little more, but save a lot of time and effort while giving you a professional looking costume. There are literally hundreds of costumes to choose from. Let your baby become one of his favorite television characters like Elmo from Sesame Street. How about famous cartoon characters such as Batman or Superman? If your child loves chocolate, then dress him up as one of the colors of the M & Ms. If you want to dress up your infant in more classic ways, there are still lots of options to go with. Dress them up in the classic Halloween pumpkin, or perhaps a mischievous monkey. Nothing could be cuter than your little tike in a bear costume. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Looking for more conventional ideas? Maybe you would like to make your child a great toddler Halloween costume at home. It’s a great feeling having your child wear something that you made them with love and care. Go for a classic ghost with some sheets from around the house and white face paint. A lady bug or a butterfly could also be made at home with a little more time and effort. Another great idea is to find an old sweatshirt lying around and glue ears to the hood. From there you can make almost any lovable cartoon character come to life. Looking for a more mystical idea? Add moons and stars to a plain black t-shirt with some stickers. Add a cone shaped hat and your child instantly becomes a wizard or witch. Want your little angel to be, well, a little angel? Take an ordinary white t-shirt and sew on fabric wings to the back. Some gold ribbon and a gold headband for the halo makes your angel complete. Pressed for time and can’t get supplies? It is amazing with what you can do with some simple face paint to transform your child into a lion, tiger, or butterfly. If you want an ultra creative costume for your toddler but are short on time take a look at the cute Tom Arma Costumes.

To ensure your child has the best Halloween possible, remember to choose a costume that your child can move freely in. Try not to make the costume so cumbersome that your toddler cannot run around, play games, or trick-or-treat. Also, for safety, make a costume where the child’s face is completely seen. This can decrease confusion and let you keep a closer eye on your child at all times. A useful tip to make things easier on you is to be sure to make the costumes bathroom accessible to reduce accidents. Now all that’s left is to get your camera and give your child a memorable Halloween that you can look back on together after 10 years.

Find the cutest costumes around at http://www.CutestCostumes.com For the second year CutestCostumes features the adorable Tom Arma Costumes, sure to put a smile on your toddlers face.

Many agreed that the key to a successful party depends on ambience, costumes, food, music and activities. It is not necessary to do all of these but doing so will surely make your party a great hit and will be the talk of the town.

In creating the perfect ambience for the party, imagination is the key. Grab some of the spookiest and scariest decorations and gear up your house or apartment. Set your lights on dim mode and add some fog machine to create a more mysterious effect. You can also add up some tomb stones on your yard using cardboard as well as putting fake spider webs on the ceilings and on your windows.

Music plays a huge part in creating the perfect ambience. If you’re Halloween Party will involve dancing, make sure to find Halloween tunes and music via online or record stores. I’m sure people will love dancing to infamous “Thriller” by the king of Pop. In addition, if you’re really trying to create a mystifying feel in the venue, you can play some howling and growling music in the background to give your guest a big dose of chills.

Food is the star of the event. Before starting to buy tons of it make sure to check if your guest have allergies or special dietary restrictions. You can also ask your friends to bring at least one dish each, it’s up to you if you prefer them to bring whatever they like or you can request a specific one. There are also fun ideas on how to create and present perfect Halloween foods and treats, one way is to add food colorings on liquids and making foods shape as body parts.

As for the activities, make sure that all of your guest will be entertained. And always keep in mind that you need to prepare a couple of extras. You can prepare some fun indoor games for kids and adults. Indoor games are safe when it comes to unexpected change in the weather. You can do crafts, even cooking and baking. If you think that weather would be fine, you can also play some outdoor games like scavenger hunt or pumpkin hunt, just make sure to take every precaution necessary to ensure safety and you must consider any liability issues.

For the costumes, make sure to indicate in the invitations that they are to come in their scariest and unique outfits. In relation to this, you can set up a mini fashion show for your guest to present their costumes and then in the end, one will be hailed as the winner. Just make sure that you will also prepare good prices or trophies that have something to do with Halloween. Also, make sure to prepare give a ways or loot bags for everyone.

These are just few ways to consider on planning your very own party. I’m sure that there are still plenty of ways you can do to make your party a success. Always do some research on the net or ask those who already organized their own. Remember that how big or small the party was, the most important thing is the fun and memories that you will build from it.

For the next themed Halloween party choose Alice and wonderland costumes that will make your gathering together like stepping into 2010 movie. Ladies, don’t forget your special make up in your Italian designer handbags

I grew up reading comic books and like most boys, dreamed of saving the USA or world from whatever evil was threatening it at any given time. The great thing about this Superhero, especially now that we live in a world inundated with technological marvels, is that it is not too far fetched to making my boyhood dreams a reality. I mean, think about it! We probably have the technology to develop an Iron Man “prototype” as we speak and that is mind blowing!

For the two or three of you that never heard of Iron Man, let me elaborate because who knows…. your kid might have his heart set on wearing the very cool Iron Man Halloween Costume this October and you better be prepared to answer the tough questions. If nothing else than to impress your children!

Anthony Edward “Tony” Stark is an industrialist playboy and genius engineer who while on a business trip is kidnapped and is forced to build a destructive weapon. The powered suit of armor he is forced to build is crude compared to what is to come later in the story however it is still able to save his life and escape captivity. After returning home he decides to use his multinational corporation, Stark Industries, to create a new and improved version of the suit laden with technological devices that enable him to fight crime and save the world from itself……Yea, Iron Man is born!

Tony Stark shrewdly uses his bodyguard and corporate mascot to act as a cover as he goes about fighting corporate threats and an array of bad guys like Black Widow, the Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man as well as the ever favorite, Mandarin. Like all superheroes, no one suspects Stark of being one as he goes about being the rich playboy and industrialist. Stark is aided by his personal chauffeur Harold “Happy” Hogan and secretary Virginia “Pepper” Potts, both of whom he shares the truth of his alternate persona.

This fictional character first appeared in the Marvel Comics books in March 1963 in the “Tales of Suspense” #39 issue. The now very popular superhero was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. Interesting enough, you can see Stan Lee making a cameo appearance in most of the movies featuring his creations including Spiderman and Iron Man.

Tony Stark’s creation has been a member of the superhero team the Avengers for most of the comic’s history and has been featured in several iterations of his own various comic book series. The character is now portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr. in the live action film and features briefly in The Incredible Hulk. GREAT NEWS! Downey will reprise the role in the upcoming sequel, Iron Man 2 which will certainly make the Iron Man Halloween Costume another big seller for Halloween 2009.

The Iron Man story including the Iron Man Halloween Costume, seems to be perfectly suited to the 21st century because the technology that made it possible for Tony Stark’s creation of Iron Man now exists and is not as far fetched as it was when the comic book was first released.

Think about it, Tony Stark is an inventive genius whose expertise in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, computers, and engineering enable him to develop a powered suit of armor that gives him superhuman strength as well as a very cool array of sophisticated weapons.

The weapons systems of the suit include:

• repulsor rays that are fired from the palms of his gauntlets
• a uni-beam projector in its chest
• an electromagnetic pulse generator and a defensive energy
• ultra-freon generator
• sonic blast emitter
• and the ability to project 3-dimensional holograms (to create decoys)
• specialized suits designed for space travel, deep-sea diving and stealth
• and much, much more!

As I stated earlier. the interesting thing about Iron Man is that most of the technology that originally came from the imagination of Stan Lee is now a reality in the 21st century!

If you are like me and have a boy or girl who has become Iron Man fanatics than you definitely need to check out the 2009 Iron Man Muscle Child Halloween costume which is dollar for dollar the best buy available. There is little doubt that the Iron Man costume is going to be a common site in most neighborhoods which can be attributed to the overall success of the Iron Man franchise of comic books, movies and Halloween costumes. So don’t disappoint your little one this Halloween….OK?

You can’t get to this level of Halloween fun if you are messing with or worried about your costume all night. You sure as heck don’t want show up at a party dressed as a pirate and be the worst looking pirate there. If you look bad or embarrass yourself then the pictures can haunt you for a lifetime. Keeping three things in mind will help motivate you into putting in the time needed to ensure you have an awesome Halloween. Remembering that pictures last forever, people love people in great costumes and you can always do things in your Halloween costume you could never do any other time of year will ensure you motivate yourself to plan accordingly.

Pictures last forever - I don’t have any stats to back this up but I am pretty sure we can all agree Halloween is one the most photographed days of the year. Everyone dresses up and everyone wants to remember it forever. People now post these pictures on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and a million other websites. Even if you don’t want pictures of yourself on the web, chances are you are going to end up there anyways for all to see thanks to your friends. All your ex’s, all your old friends, and even your future employers now have the opportunity to see what you were for Halloween the minute you show up to where ever you may go to spend the festive evening.

Make sure you look good! Don’t buy a busted up cheap costume that will be ripped and worn by the end of the night. Don’t buy anything offensive. Ask Prince Harry what happens when you show up at a party and you get pictures taken of yourself wearing something inappropriate. There is a fine line between funny and offensive. (Yes you know where the line is.)

Either way you look at it, everyone is going to see you so do you want to look good?

People love people in great costumes - Everyone talks to the person wearing the great costume. When you have a great costume you instantly become “fun” and “fun” generally means approachable. A great costume gives you the chance to talk to people you normally wouldn’t interact with. If you can’t find something to talk to someone who is dressed up in costume on Halloween then you need to be reading different articles.

Everyone who has ever handed out candy to trick-or-treaters knows they give more candy to the cutest Halloween costumes, the funniest Halloween costumes and the overall best Halloween costumes.

Having a great costume also gets you involved and up on stage in the form of costume contests. One of the easiest ways to get a crowd screaming is playing it up on stage at a Halloween costume contest. You might even win some money or great prizes. If you have a great Halloween costume there is no reason you can’t plan out costume contests of different days to make your Halloween season a profitable one.

Get away with doing things you couldn’t normally do - The power of a Halloween mask is amazing. You can for one of two nights assume the persona of someone else and do things that maybe you couldn’t otherwise do any other day of the year. Don’t believe me? Check out all those sexy nurse and other costumes some of the ladies wear these days. They wouldn’t be caught dead dressing that way on in public except on Halloween!

Get some cool accessories that go with your costume. You have no idea when they will come in handy or become something that might put your costume over the top of all the others to make your Halloween costume, the best Halloween costume.

Halloween can be one of the best holidays of the year if you plan accordingly. Remember, don’t wait to buy your costume until the last minute b/c all the good stuff might be gone. Don’t settle for something cheap or inappropriate because whether you like it or not everyone will see you and pictures last forever. Remember Halloween is about having good safe fun so most of all pick a costume you will enjoy being dressed as seeing for the rest of your life.

Visit a collection of the best Halloween Costume Shops. I write many article for many websites but Halloween has ALWAYS been a favorite of mine. I have been over celebrating Halloween for years and I decided to share some of my experiences and thoughts. My personal website that I made for fun is http://kutaone.com/.

Memories to remember

There are such a lot of exciting events that occur in October, all leading up to Halloween. Have your camera prepared so you don’t miss a single Kodak moment!

To start, there’s the costume selection. Odds are, your youngster will need to try on 3 or 4 or more before settling on their ideal choice. There’s also the trip to the pumpkin patch to choose the perfect pumpkin, the one that you will turn into the “just right” jack-o-lantern. You may even want to capture memories of raking the yard, hanging up the decorations, or baking Halloween cookies and goodies.

Getting supplies together

Obviously, the first step to building a scrapbook, is getting a scrapbook to start with. While craft stores can offering a wide range of sizes and styles from which to choose, you can also download many excellent digital layouts online for your perfect scrapbook. Halloween themed kits are plentiful and popular.

While you are shopping around, you may want to have a look at the different colored papers, stickers, and other wide and varied assortment of embellishments that are available to add zip to your scrapbook pages. If you’re in need of stencils, scissors, or glue, don’t forget to add those to your shopping cart as well.

Memories to incorporate

What you choose to include in your scrapbook of Halloween is entirely up to you – be as imaginative as you want! If you like, have your child take part by picking out photographs or other items to incorporate. If your “idea tank” is running low, here’s some fuel to get get you moving forward:

Go for a walk and gather some colorful fall leaves that are always dropping from the October trees.

Halloween cards or invitations you’ve received can be used as an embellishment. You may use the whole card so you can still read the messages, or just cut off the colorful picture on the front.

Any Halloween work-of-art that your youngster has created is an excellent addition to your scrapbook. Halloween designs your child has made in school are an obvious choice. If the project is too chunky or oversized to fit comfortably in the scrapbook itself, take some photos of it to incorporate instead. Any fun art project that you and your child worked on together at home would be a great addition too.

Suggest to your child that s/he create a Top Ten list of the current crop of “favs” this year – favorite costumes, candy, books or television shows, for example. Goodies from any parties that you attended are also fun to include. The present bag, name tag, or invitation make a sweet addition to the scrapbook.

Halloween costumes are an obvious memory to include, so be sure to take a photograph of your child all dressed up for their big evening out. Keep the camera ready to snap the action as the day unfolds.

Pix, pix and more pix! A really good photograph will capture the fun of the day in a way that a written description just can’t – pictures are worth a thousand words, as they say. Hand your child the camera and allow him or her to take some shots also, to get another unique perspective on the events.

Nab any decorations, souvenirs, or other things you think may help spark memories when you look through the scrapbook after it’s all over. You want to preserve memories forever, so if you would like to recollect that perfect costume or those special moments from your child’s first Halloween party, consider making your own scrapbook. Halloween, with all its color and clutter and wide-eyed excitement, is the kind of childhood memory that deserves to be remembered in style.

The holidays are coming toward us like a train. Don’t let them slip past without grabbing the memorable bits and preserving them in a scrapbook! Scrapbook books are your secret weapon to killer pages. Don’t like reading? Don’t worry! They’re chock full of big, colorful pictures! Learn how to take your scrapbooking from good to great. Then learn what takes it from great to glorious. Kerry Hurst knows that knowledge is power. Her Scrapbook Bookstore will help you become a scrapbook genius.

Of course, it goes without saying that a Halloween party is a costume party. Anything less wouldn’t be Halloween.

You’ll get your best results if you pick a Halloween costume theme and then ask guests to come in the appropriate type of costume. You can choose famous Grade B movie ghouls, or characters from any of the teenage death movies that are always popular. Or, you can go back to the more traditional Halloween roots and have a Celtic theme. It’s your party so you get do decide.

Be sure to put the word out that that anyone arriving without a costume has to parade around in their underwear all night wearing a dunce cap. THAT ought to get everyone thinking about what they’re going to wear. Be sure to send your invitations out by the first week of October because Halloween is a major party season and you don’t want someone else’s party competing with yours.

Decorating Tips

If you want to go all out, follow the tips in our How to Create Your Own Haunted House article, or just build upon these great ideas:

o Decorate the main party room with artificial spider webs, or let the real ones build up all year long.

o Replace your normal light bulbs with colored ones. You can usually find orange bulbs in the home centers but you’ll almost surely find them in the party stores as Halloween approaches.

o Drape the traditional black and orange crêpe paper from the ceilings and door frames and hang up some of those fake spiders and bats for added effect.

o Cover the tables with black shower curtains or pick up some Halloween tablecloths while you’re out getting the light bulbs. Don’t forget to sprinkle the tables with Halloween party confetti and plastic cockroaches.

o If you can find some of those life-like fake rats, grab a few and put them in wonderful places like inside the refrigerator. Put one in your bathroom medicine cabinet and when you hear screams you’ll know that you’ve caught a snooper.

o Carve a big jack-o-lantern as a centerpiece. Black flowers (real or artificial) look great in black cat vases.

o Follow our tips in the our How to Create Your Own Scary Sound Effects

and Halloween Sound Track article, or cheat and just go buy one. Either way, make sure that you’re spinnin’ some gruesome tunes when your guests arrive.

Food Tips

Snack foods go well with Halloween parties. People aren’t expecting a sit-down meal, but you should have more available than chips and dips. Buffalo wings are always a hit and, if you want to be dull and boring, you can always order pizza. But why not make some scary looking Halloween specialties that have the look that screams Halloween? I’m no cook, so I’m going to leave this part to the experts.

Entertainment Ideas

Scary soundtracks will only get you so far, so make sure that you have a good mix of party and dancing music available. Get copies of some of the Halloween classics like Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, which is the classic Halloween organ music. You’ll recognize it as soon as you hear it. Monster Mash, Pumpkin Head Harvey, Somethin’ in the Swamp, In Salem Town, and, of course, Ghostbusters are fun to mix in during the evening.

Have a costume judging event with plenty of prizes. Winning categories can include: Best Costume, Worst Costume, Scariest, Sexiest, and Nicest Underwear (male and female) for those who arrived sans costume.

Remember this one rule when throwing a Halloween Party: There are No Rules, so enjoy!

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As a father, I must admit I have warmed to the holiday, but I still have a problem with all the focus on witches and ghouls and such. A holiday that focuses on scary things still bothers me just a little bit. I’ve been pleased that my children have typically chosen more wholesome images to emulate through their costumes.

This year was different though. I’ve actually been looking forward to Halloween since the middle of June. I planned. I prepared. I thought and strategized about it. But, it didn’t go quite the way I expected. . .

The Garage Sale

Our community has a neighborhood garage sale each June. By planning everyone’s sale on the same day more people attend and the event is more successful for everyone. For several years my son Parker has had a stand selling lemonade, coffee, muffins and cookies, taking advantage of all of the shoppers who came to our cul-de-sac. Last year, my neighbor Jim and I added hot dogs and other grilled food to the menu. People could shop and get a meal too! We had so much fun; we did it again this year.

Only this year, we secretly decided to give the proceeds to our neighbors who have a son with autism. At our annual party, after the sale, we presented them with about $120 (a lot of money when you aren’t selling anything for more than a dollar!) to give to the autism group of their choice.

Trying Again

The mix of the fun we had and the response we received from our neighbors led to another idea – let’s do this at Halloween. Halloween would be perfect we speculated; lots of traffic (since we always have more than 100 trick or treaters), easy to market (through flyers in the neighborhood), and this year Halloween would be on a Friday. It seemed perfect!

Every few weeks the subject came up. We talked about what to serve and how to market it. Jim, who works in the food brokerage business, got sponsors to provide all the meat. As the calendar turned to October we got more serious and the menu was set: hot dogs, bratwurst, hamburgers and homemade chili.

As I worked on the marketing flyer, all the foods became holiday-themed: Halloweenies, Beastie Brats, Haunted Hamburgers and Chilling Chili. We decided to sell soda and chips. We added a place for kids to bob for apples. We would have the candy from five houses for one stop trick-or-treating. We distributed more than 140 flyers. We were raising money for a great cause.

In the final week we even realized we were going to have perfect weather – upper 60′s by “game time.” We had the perfect setup for a successful event.

Halloween is Here

Friday morning Lori and I made the chili. After lunch we finished shopping for the final items. I couldn’t wait to set up! We got everything out – ran extension cords to the street, set up lights, tables and chairs, blocked off the cul-de-sac and fired up the grill.

Two other neighbors were manning the candy – to help the trick-or-treaters get it and to tell them which houses were empty. Parker, age 11, decided to help with the event rather than trick or treat. He would take money and answer questions. Jim would take and fill orders, and I was grill man. We fed the families around us, ourselves and our kids to get the grill going, and they took off to collect candy and good wishes. We were ready.

It got dark, and we had very few trick-or-treaters, and even fewer customers. One mother said she and her son would be back after they were done. We rubbed our hands and prepared for the onslaught.

The onslaught never came.

The Results

By the end of the evening we probably had half our typical number of trick-or-treaters. We sold a little water and soda. We sold a few grilled items. We made $32 (before expenses).

It was a tough night for me. In retrospect, I was as discouraged and disappointed as I can remember being in a long time. It was Sunday before I was really back to normal.

The Lessons

I shook myself out of my self-imposed funk by thinking back on what we did – and what we accomplished. $32. I didn’t even count it until Monday. Truth be told, it was more than I expected at that point. My reflection helped me realize that several positive things happened:

o We had fun both planning and doing the event.

o We strengthened neighborhood relationships.

o We taught our children a lesson about caring and doing things for others – through our actions, not our checkbooks.

o We made a memory we will talk about for years.

o We learned what might have to change if we do this again on Halloween!

o I got the subject for this essay.

o A neighborhood shelter got lots of hamburger and hot dog buns.

o And we did add $32 to the Riley Children’s Hospital Autism Unit to help them do their work.

However, the best result for me was the lesson of reflection. All the value created by the event was overshadowed in my mind when we didn’t reach our goal. My personal goal had been $300. So, in reality, we did about 11% of that goal. I lost sight of all the good by focusing only on the desired outcome.

If you had asked me Saturday morning if the event was a success, I would have grimaced and quickly said no. If you ask me now, I will say that we didn’t raise much money, but it was fun, and we learned a lot. Anytime you can have fun while learning is a good experience in my book.

We all suffer defeats, challenges and disappointments. Sometimes they are large; sometimes they aren’t. Big or small, I believe there is value and learning in every one of them. Our goal has to be to find those lessons. We only find them by reflecting on the experience and expecting to find them.

Maybe you find yourself reeling from a setback as you read this. If so, please take the message to heart. Maybe the message is more theoretical for you at the moment, that’s OK too. Use this as a reminder for the next time you are discouraged. Lift your head up, reflect on what happened, learn from it, smile and go on!

I don’t know what next Halloween holds, but we already are talking about the garage sale. We may expand to breakfast. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com) and author of Vantagepoints on Learning and Life. To read more stories like the one above or order your copy of the book visit http://www.vantagepoints.net or contact Kevin at (317) 387-1424 or toll free 888.LEARNER.