With fall on the way, now is the time to start thinking about ideas for a fun Halloween!
Here are 10 ideas to start considering now, so you’ll be ready.

1) Will your family be trick-or-treating?

If you have young people in your family who will be trick-or-treating this Halloween, it’s not too early to start planning their costumes.

You can save the most time by purchasing costumes that are ready out-of-the-box: Amazon is an excellent source for Halloween costumes; not only does Amazon sell offer many of these for sale, directly, but there are also many third-party sellers on Amazon offering unique Halloween-related products.

If you’re feeling more industrious, you can make your family Halloween costumes from scratch. This can take various levels of skill and know-how, depending on what you decide to create, but there are ways for anyone to make costumes completely from scratch. You can split the difference by making part of the costume from scratch, while purchasing Halloween costume accessories or other costume parts ready-made: an example might be using elements of clothing that you already own for part of the costume, while creating accessories like masks, wings, extra body limbs, etc.

2) Handing our Candy: what kinds of candy will make you the popular family on the block?

Handing out chocolate for Halloween has always been a long-term favorite, and will make you stand out. Giving out full-size chocolate bars will really make you stand out.

Although it might be tempting to include homemade items such as Halloween-themed popcorn balls, caramel apples, or cupcakes, this is best avoided for trick-or-treaters, who may not know your family well and may be understandably hesitant to eat your delicious homemade treats; save these from-scratch goodies for you family or close friends.

I’ve also found that kids love mainstream forms of candy more than specialty varieties. Here is a list of various popular brands of candy that you can fill out your candy basket with:

• M&M’s
• Hershey Bar
• Hershey Kisses
• Butterfinger
• Milky Way
• Airheads
• Nestle Candy
• KitKat Candy
• Starburst
• Snickers
• Skittles

3) Will you host a Halloween Party?

When hosting a Halloween party at your home or other location, there are lots of things to consider.

• Whom will you invite?
• What Halloween-themed foods and drinks will you serve? Will they be premade, or made from scratch? Will your refreshments be catered, or will your party be pot-luck style so that all your guests can get involved?
• What Halloween decor and decorations will you use for your party? Will you add spooking lighting and sound effects?
• What fun activities will you plan?
• Will your party be a costume party? Will your family have similarly themed costumes?
• Will you give out fun Halloween-themed favors to kids and adults, alike?

4) Will you attend a Halloween Party?

• What fun treats will you bring?
• Will you bring a small host or hostess gift for the party host to show your respect and appreciation? (This gift does not have to be Halloween-themed.)
• What costumes will you and your family wear? Will they be themed?
• If alcohol will be served to adults, and you plan to partake, do you have a plan for getting home safely?

5) Halloween Goodies for the Office

• Will you bring Halloween treats into the office during the month of October?
• Are you planning to make and bring in homemade Halloween treats during the week for your coworkers to enjoy?
• Is your office planning a fun Halloween potluck lunch? (If not, or you’re not sure, maybe this is an idea you can suggest at the October meeting!)
• Will you wear a Halloween costume and makeup into the office on Halloween? (You might want to ask if this is allowed.) If so, will there be an in-office Halloween costume competition?
• Do you want your desk to be extra spooky?

There are a bunch of really cool supplies you can add to your office space that will really make it stand out and get you in the holiday spirit!

6) Halloween Treats for Family and Friends

Here’s your opportunity to pull out all the stops. Make cool Halloween treats for family and friends throughout the month of October to keep the fun going! Surprise them with fun treats they’re looking forward to, as well as creative treats that may be new to them, but that you’ve been wanting to try. You’ll soon have people looking at you as the “cool friend” or the cool mom, dad, or neighbor on the block!

There are a variety of ways you can create and distribute your treats. These are a few that are festive and creative that I’m personally in love with:

7) Halloween Dress-up for Zoom calls and meetings

If you’re working from home, you can still join in the holiday festivities by dressing up for Halloween (and leaving your camera ON!)–either with a complete costume or just spooky makeup. Also consider Halloween-themed Zoom backgrounds. Another option: play spooky music or sound-effects quietly in the background during the meeting (when it’s your turn to talk).

If you’re looking for simple costume ideas that will spice up your meetings without too much effort, here are a few items I’ve been known to wear from time to time! 🙂

8) Spooky home Decor Ideas — Halloween decorations galore!

You can probably start decorating your home as soon as the end of September without catching too much flack from family and friends. 🙂 I have also included a few of my favorite Halloween decor items!

• Colorful mood lighting
• Spooky patio lights
• Tablecloths and table coverings
• Halloween dishes
• Halloween glassware
• Halloween mugs
• Themed table-decorations
• Halloween sheets, blankets, and pillows
• General fun Halloween decorations adorning the outside and inside of your home–the options are practically endless.

9) Saving Money at Halloween

You don’t have to spend a fortune to celebrate Halloween. Here are a few ways to save money will not giving up any of the fun:

• Trade costumes with a family member or friend; each person will now have a costume to wear that’s new-to-them.
• Re-wear a costume from a previous year (Is anyone really going to notice?)
• Build on elements or costume accessories from a previous year, rather than purchasing everything new.
• To save money or trick-or-treat candy, shop candy sales in the months leading up to Halloween rather than waiting until the last minute. (Candy prices tend to go up shortly before the holiday as merchants try to maximize their profits.) Just be sure to store the pre-purchased candy in a cool location so that it will last–and so you won’t be (too) tempted to eat it early! 🙂
• Reuse or repurpose Halloween decor and spooky decorations saved from a previous year. (Everything doesn’t always need to be brand-new.)
• Make more of your Halloween treats for family from scratch, rather than purchasing them from the store; homemade items save you money over store-bought, in most cases.

10) Alternate Celebrations for Halloween — when you don’t want to be one of the crowd

If you’re not comfortable giving out treats on Halloween, for whatever the reason, keep your porch light off on Halloween evening during the common trick-or-treat hours. (This is the commonly accepted unspoken message for “We’re not giving out candy this year.”) Check with your local neighborhood ordinances for that the “official” trick-or-treat hours are: this is often 7 pm – 10 pm, or somewhere in that range.)

Final thoughts

Whether or not you’re family is trick-or-treating, and whether or not you decide to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, you can always opt to “celebrate” in your own way–make your own memories–in a way that’s fun for you. Going out to eat, going to the movies, or just meeting up with a friend for a hot cup of tea or other beverage–each of these activities can be fun in its own way, and can be the source of fun memories. Alternatively, set a special goal for yourself for Halloween–such as cleaning our your attic, organizing your kitchen, or steam cleaning your carpets. Accomplishing one of these, or any goal you decide to set for yourself, will make you feel accomplished and make your life more pleasant and less stressed.

Halloween is coming! Enjoy!