What Do You Do for Halloween?

Ever since I was a kid I have enjoyed Halloween.  We lived in a small community with only 24 houses.  Each year we would dress up and go trick-or-treating around the Village.  One of my neighbors would dress up too and climb the tree in his front yard.  Their house was always set up kind of spooky with a candle inside an animal skull, the front door open and candles everywhere inside.  When we would knock on the screen door we would hear a creak from inside and she would come in from the hall all dressed up as a witch to give us our treats.  When we turned to leave, he would jump out of the tree and chase us off screaming! It was so much fun! There were trees everywhere and for an hour or so, he would climb a different tree and scare us over and over again.  As I got older, my brother and I would decorate our house with tomb stones and strobe lights and anything else we could think of and have fun with the youger kids in the neighborhood.

Now that I have kids of my own, we decorate our house with spider webs, skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, spiders,  etc.  We have a redwood bear on the porch and every year I put a ghoulish costume on it and it looks like a little ghoul standing by the door.  On halloween night, my husband takes the kids trick-or-treating and I dress up and stay home to pass out candy.   The favorite of kids so far is when I dressed up as a witch. I put a dark fabric over a table on the porch, placed three green glow sticks in a triangle on top of the table and placed my large plastic cauldron on top of that.  I used a black ladle to hand out the candy to kids.  The cauldron looked like it was flaoting when seen from the street! 

Another Halloween tradition that I have participated in involves all your neighbors and friends.  Not everyone likes it but it can be kind of fun.  It is called Booing someone.  Here’s how it works.  You make a sign that says “I’ve Been Booed” with a picture of a ghost on it.  Then you make a note that says something like, ” You’ve been booed!  Keep the fun going and boo three more people.  Make three copies of the sign and this letter and place them in a Halloween gift bag.  Buy an inexpensive decoration or treat for each bag.  After dark, sneak up to your “victim’s” house place the bag on the porch and knock or ring the doorbell, then run and hide.  Be sure to put the sign on your front door so you don’t get booed again!  Happy Halloween!”

I have actually gotten some really cute decorations this way!  

How do you spend Halloween Night?  I encourage you to use the comments section to share with me and everyone else, your favorite memory or how you decorate, if at all.  Have fun with it and watch out for those little ghosts and goblins on Halloween!