Brewing up some Halloween ideas
Halloween is a fantastic holiday to celebrate because, basically, anything goes. Depending on your preference for treats, decor and costumes, you can easily create a cute, kid-friendly celebration or you can opt to focus on frightening festivities that include all things spooky and scary.
When it comes to Halloween, spook-tacular treats are a must. I love the idea of making cookiedecorating kits and sharing them with family, friends, party guests and/or trick-or-treaters. Stick a couple of your favourite homemade cookies in a mason jar, along with a condiment container filled with icing and another container filled with Halloween-themed sprinkles or candies. Then, decorate the jar with some felt, a plastic spider on top, twine and a fun gift tag. Mason jar cookie-decorating kits make super cute Halloween gifts or treats and provide a fun activity for kids to enjoy.
I also love the idea of assembling goodie bags made using disposable gloves. You can buy inexpensive plastic or latex gloves at the dollar store and fill them with a variety of candies, mini chocolate bars and trinkets. Tie the tops of the gloves with ribbons to create adorable and unique Halloween treat bags. If you are displaying them at a party or giving them out to trick-or-treaters, you can also add a sign that says, “Help yourself to a HANDful of treats!” Cute, right?
Having non-food Halloween treat options available is a great idea if you want to prevent a sugar overload or if nutrition policies and/or allergies are a concern. For my boys, I have always tried to send small toys and trinkets for them to share with their classmates on Oct. 31. If you have time for a little DIY, you can package items with pun-filled tags to make them special and fun. Simple options include bubbles with “Enjoy the Halloween Boobles!” tags, toy fangs with “Have a Fangtasic Halloween!” tags and spooky or silly glasses with “Have a Spectacular Halloween!” tags.
Decorating for Halloween with some simple DIY decor is a won- derful way to set the stage for the big day. You can get some great items at the dollar store, but it’s also fun and inexpensive to craft a few homemade creations. For years, my boys and I have been transforming our door into a mummy with gauze and eyeballs made from construction paper. Alternatively, instead of using construction paper, you can create glowing eyes using push lights from the dollar store and Sharpie markers. It’s an easy way to create decor that makes a big impact with just a little effort.
Pumpkin carving is another option for DIY decor and it’s the perfect Halloween activity. Add to the fun by buying multiple pumpkins, picking a theme and making it a contest. A pumpkin-carving contest is a delightful way for a family to spend an afternoon together. It’s also great for a team event or neighbourhood gettogether.
A little DIY and imagination go a long way this time of year. Happy Halloween and enjoy this time with your favourite ghosts and goblins!