Halloween :)

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

My mom used to make ALL the costumes for the kids in the neighborhood. The year Star Wars came out it looked like the movie set on Halloween. We had Princess Liah(sp) Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and a handful or Storm Troopers
My sister and I were Storm Troopers. Cool costumes. Lots of work. (BTW my mom also made my wedding dress when I married my first husband AND my two maid of honor dresses)
I remember all the costumes she made. Kangaroo, lion, bunny
cat and the Star Wars ones. I wonder if she has any pics around.

This year my daughter wants to be a chicken. BJs had some cute chicken costumes but they were all too small for her. So a hunting I will go for the chicken costume. I wonder if they will do anything in her class for Halloween? I know most schools no longer do parties and such. No cupcakes, milk and cookies .. nothing. So sad.
I am thinking of keeping her home from school on her birthday(10/30) and waiting to start decorating til after she is home on Halloween

 

[ams3651]

ive always enjoyed making my kids costumes as my mom did for us. buying a costume makes me feel guilty, but my son at 4 was really cool as elvis

white jumpsuit elvis. Anyway its mostly for church party though because we've always just gone to a few houses of people we know. I dont think my kids should be begging at strangers houses for candy. I love Halloween but thats just how I see it for my kids, and my oldest at 17 now never missed anything. Theyve never received a ton of candy at Easter or Christmas either. Any how, this is what Im making my 6 year old this year..... Man eating shark, although I dont think school would appreciate the man eating part so i might leave that off

this was 2 years ago, a lion. I sat watching the Martha Stewart for countless days sewing each piece of yarn into that kint hat for his mane.

any one else have photos ? Id love ideas for the future.

 

[ole-crone]

GREAT PHOTOS - I'd leave in the man-eating part - it's a hoot.

I decorate our front room, dress up as a witch and pass out witch's warts (a sweet tart type candy from Oriental Trading company which sells great 'not in the store' stuff). I tell the kids that I save the warts I peel off all year just so I can share them. I love to watch the reaction.

I don't consider the small candybars 'good stuff'. To me 'good stuff' is the whole candy bar. When I was a kid the nuns would get only a few children come to the convent - but it was sure worth it. Each one would come giggling to the door with a box of 'full sized' candy bars. That one stop was worth dressing up.

We never know from year to year how many kids we'll get so I try to buy stuff that 'keeps' and something different each year. The kids say that they like to come see what I'm passing out each year.

In addition to the cheap little witch's warts I normally buy some other 'unique' candy - blood squirting gumballs, creepy eyeballs, bug shaped gummies, etc.

One year I passed out stuffed halloween thingees. I used to buy every halloween related stuffed toy I'd find at the local thrift shop. One year, I decided I was tired of them so I passed them out. I threw them all on a couch and let the kids pick one out.

Even if it is just cheap candies. I make sure they are in treat bags. The kids don't seem to mind. Most of them come to just talk to the witch.

Oh yes - for the parents. I sometimes either buy or make nice chocolates. If I'm not feeling too stressed and have the time - I make some dark and light chocolate suckers just for them. I tell the mothers that they deserve it for taking the time to not just trunk or treat with the kids.

Ages??? I believe Halloween is for everyone. We have a couple who make fresh donuts for everyone. After the parents are finished and the kids are at home going through their stash, we drive over to their house and sit and gossip while devouring warm sugar donuts and hot cider.

My favorite Halloween story - My Dh was dressed as a hunchbacked ghoul. We had a swiss door (upper and lower sections can open separately) and if it was a little kid coming, I'd answer and hand out candy but if it was an older kid he'd hide behind the door and then slowly rise up and lean over the door, drooling. Gave quite a few a shock.

Late that night - after most of the kids had died away, and the Swiss door was secured back into a full door, a 13/14 year old Black kid came to the door - not in costume. He was really struttin' his stuff. I'm bad, I'm too cool to dress up for Halloween.

I gave him some candy. As I left the front porch I could hear some rustling outside my bedroom window. It was the same kid - he was putting on a costume.

He came to the door again. I figured - any kid that wanted candy that bad deserved it. He got the candy and left - more rustling. He was changing from that costume into another! Knocked, more candy, left. More rustling. This was too good to be true!

I called Dh so he could watch the fun. He quickly got back on his ghoul costume while I unlocked the swiss door.

Knock. I watched from a window to watch the look on his face as ...

Creeeeeeeeeeeeek - the upper part of the door slowly opened.

His eyes widened - I don't think he'd ever seen a Swiss door before.

You could see him, trying to look cool but also wondering how the door opened on its' own. Where's the dumb woman who didn't know that she was giving the same kid candy?????

He slowly leaned forward to peer over the lower part of the door and Dh stood up, groaning and drooling.

The kid let out a scream and started running.

Later I noticed him peeking from behind our hedge to see if the 'thing' was still there. The door was still 1/2 opened so he didn't want to come back. He never did come for his sack of costumes.

He probably thought that he'd pulled one over on us but in reality he MADE that Halloween. We loved his ingenuity. If he had gotten the nerve to come back and get his stuff, I would have gladly handed him the left-over candy. He deserved it!

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

I dont give candy to the kids that keep coming back in dif costumes.
I had a group of kids walk right into my house in NC one Halloween. Walked in and "demanded" candy. Luckily my husband was home(1st husband/Marine) That was the last Halloween I celebrated down there by giving out candy. The next year I stayed on base at a friend house and took his kids out with his wife. Year after that I hosted a Halloween party.


One of these years I am going to have "extra" money and throw a costume party at a VFW hall.

 

[Rosalind]

I think the best one I ever saw was a bunch of teenagers dressed up as the monks from Monty Python Search for the Holy Grail. They kept tripping over each other's robes, getting mad and then bonking each other over the head with their cardboard Bibles.

I get the best candy I can afford. Last year a neighbor told us our decorations were scaring their kids, so hardly anyone came to our house. We had a giant spiderweb with a mannequin wrapped in clothesline stuck in the middle of it hanging in the corner of the barn, with two big spiders on the roof.

Lucky me, the doors emit scary creaking noises all by themselves...

 

[alyssa558]

Halloween is my favorite holiday! Last year we had a Harry Potter Halloween Party-I decorated the entire house as Hogwarts. It was so awesome I don't know what to do for our annual party this year! Nothing can top that. Maybe I'll do Hogsmeade...

Also, Trick o' Treating is the best. It was so much fun when I was a kid! Unfortunately, we live in a rural neighborhood with lots of older people and no kids. I still buy candy every year, just in case, though!

 

[Chicken Boo]

We throw a huge Halloween Party every year with up to 100 people and their kids every year. Here are the pictures from some of our parties:

http://beckerhowe.com/halloween2003.htm
http://beckerhowe.com/halloween2004.htm
http://beckerhowe.com/halloween2005.htm

We have prizes for several categories with different themes. This year the theme will be ZOMBIES since it is the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller. We are trying to figure out how to project it onto the garage door and have everyone out in the driveway to do the Zombie Dance.

Prizes will be for:
Best Zombie
Most Gruesome Zombie
Sexiest Zombie
Funniest Zombie
Best Group Zombie
And, because it is election year, Best Representation of a Political or Current Event as a Zombie.

We also have a Maniacal Laugh and Blood-Curdling Scream Contest (the pre-pubescent boys keep winning this one since Tim's opera-trained sister was disqualified for winning too much).

Anyone in the DC area is welcome to come.

 

[ole-crone]

Traditionally, we only get ready for Halloween - on Halloween. With the exception of costumes. My kids always grumbled that I didn't start decorating in September. I enjoy decorating throughout the day and having it all gone by 1 November.

I can't imagine having kids walk into the house demanding candy. The story I shared about my favorite kid happened in the 'bad part of town' but we never had problems like that. I'm 55 and have only had the one kid change costumes for candy.
By the way, I found a pic of Dh as the ghoul.

 

[Jolyn]

Quote:
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh I might steal your idea!!!!!!! I was having a difficult time thinking of a theme. Last year my theme was "Fear Factor"......I had my guests drink a disgusting concoction, Put on a skit and do a race. They won some great prizes. Everyone seemed to have a great time.
I love the laugh and scream contest. Oh i'm getting excited now!!

 

[cmcgoun]

Sounds fun! I wish I could set up on Halloween but since I have a walk through and over $5000 worth of props I would have trouble! I hate setting up before Halloween because my stuff gets stolen! Last year I had a grave digger get stolen I made him for $200 but I caught the kid it was fun! Ohh I can't wait until Halloween!