If you’re planning to host a Halloween party for your kids and their friends, you’ve got your work cut out for you.

One of the first things you should decide is whether the party is going to have a specific theme. For example, if the theme was going to be a haunted house, all the guests would have to dress up as something related.

You could set up a haunted house and all the kids would have to go through it to get to the party. Your decorations would tie into the theme, and you could even have some helpers dress up as mummies and ghosts.

Whatever theme you choose, one of the things you’ll need to plan is some party games. Kids love it when they get to act crazy and win prizes!

There are always the traditional games like bobbing for apples. You can always put a new spin on things though. For example, instead of pin the tail on the donkey, you could make it pin the grin on the pumpkin.

Another great game for a Halloween party is gross taste test contest. Take some common foods and come up with gross sounding names for them. For example, gummy worms in pudding could become “mummy guts”.

Blindfold the kids and have them try the food. They have to guess what it is and whoever gets the most guesses right wins a prize. Most kids love things that sound gross (but really aren’t) but make sure you check for any food allergies first.

There are also lots of games you can play with balloons. You could have a relay where the kids run a race with a balloon stuck between their legs. Make sure you get orange & black balloons, or something that fits in with your theme.

You could also plan a costume contest with prizes for the best costumes. This will give the guests an inventive to come up with some really creative costume ideas. Have a bunch of different categories to make sure all the kids win a prize.

Whatever you plan for your party, keep in mind that kids get a ton of candy at Halloween. You might want to make your prizes something a little different.

Halloween’s not just for the kids, you say?!? That’s for sure, and the perfect way for an adult to celebrate this holiday is to throw an adult Halloween party. You all get to go all out on your own costumes for a change (in fact, the kids will no doubt be very jealous of your costumes!) and get to grab some fun for yourselves! Here are some ideas for you.

Choose a theme, have a costume contest, with perhaps several categories and prizes. Decorate the heck out of your home. Plan the food, themes and contests well ahead of time, and if you’re going to have any audio-visual entertainment of any kind running, make sure you do several run-throughs and that everything goes off as desired.

Consider making your food themed, and perhaps having a witch’s cauldron from which to drink. A further note about alcohol: while not wanting to stifle anyone’s fun, you would do well to see to it that everyone at your party drinks responsibly, as you REALLY don’t want Frankenstein to get in an accident on the way back to the castle, as the cruel finger of liability could point back to your castle! Just a word of caution!

What are some of your ideas for an adult Halloween party? Leave a comment and share in the fun!

If you, like many parents, are concerned about the safety of your children on holidays like Halloween, know that there are many different ideas you can implement to provide a safe, viable, fun alternative to traditional Halloween trick or treating. All you need to do is use a little imagination and effort, and your Halloween celebration will be even more memorable than traipsing around the neighborhood trolling for candy. Let’s look at some creative ideas to come with an alternate Halloween activity.

Host Your Own Halloween Party – While not entirely original, this one has the advantage of keeping you completely in control. You control the guest list, the treats, the games, you-name-it! Ideas for Halloween themed parties abound, and a great deal of fun can be had by making it a specific theme. Take care not to make it a too-expensive proposition for the parents to get their kids into the chosen theme, but for instance a Superhero party could be a lot of fun, with appropriate Superhero activities!

Go To The Mall – Many shopping malls make a big deal out of Halloween, for obvious reasons. You don’t have to make this a shopping excursion, but it can be a fun easy alternative to traditional trick or treating. It’s a fairly safe venue, and the treats will most likely be safe. Be sure to accompany your children and watch out for the traffic!

Your Church – Many churches now sponsor kid-safe Halloween alternatives, many times eschewing Halloween altogether with a Harvest Festival. Games, rides, candy, costumes and fun are the hallmarks of these Halloween night activities at your place of worship.

Alternative Celebration – If you’re a family that would rather not celebrate Halloween at all, either in its present form or with an alternative, then create your own traditions! Make this night a special night that your family chooses to do something special together on its own. This can be a great way to create memories and new family traditions.

Floating Halloween Party – Another very cool idea I heard of was to organize a floating Halloween party. The idea behind this is to involve several families, each hosting a segment of the night’s activities. You might limit the number of houses to four or five, depending on the distance between them and number of children involved. If you have many children, you might want to split them up into groups and have them take their turns at each home. You can have a scary haunted house, a Halloween craft house, maybe a contest at another, and of course lots of treats available at each home. This kind of activity creates loads of fun and a sense of community, and also keeps a tight lid on things!

Halloween doesn’t have to be a scary holiday for parents. With a little imagination and ingenuity you can create a safe, fun evening for both your kids and you as well!

There’s a few things to know about choosing that perfect pumpkin for your Halloween Jack O’ Lanterns and other carvings this fall. Let’s look at some of what you’ll want to keep in mind.

Usually, medium-sized pumpkins are best for carving. Try and find prospects that have few nicks or cuts, have no bruises and are robustly orange, indicating ripeness. Try not to carry a pumpkin by its stem, as it can easily snap off, leaving you with no handle! If this does happen, however, consider using the bottom as your opening.

If you’re using a stencil for making your design, make sure your pumpkin is large enough to accommodate it. If you’re going to do this freehand, at least do yourself a favor and sketch out what you intend beforehand, so you don’t end up going through several pumpkins! There are a few items to have on hand: a good paring knife and a good boning knife, a few spoons of varying sizes for gutting the pumpkin and candle holders for the eventual lighting job.

Take your time in choosing the right pumpkins for your Halloween decorations. Then take as much time in planning the carving and you’ll soon find yourself staring at great looking Jack O’ Lanterns this year!

Halloween night, although exciting and fun, can be stressful and traumatic on toddlers who don’t yet understand the concept of the holiday.

Here are a few tips to help you keep Halloween simple and stress-free for the little guys.

Borrow A Costume – These kiddos are so little and chances are they have no idea what they are being dressed as or why.  Save the money and borrow a costume from another family whose toddler has outgrown the costume.

Another idea is to have the costume work double duty.  One mom purchased a winter coat for her one-year-old that was designed like “Blue” from “Blue’s Clue’s.”  The coat was furry and the hood had two ears.  The father who trick-or-treated with the toddler was dressed as Blue’s sidekick, “Steve.”  To make the “Steve” costume, the mom purchased scrap fabric in two shades of green.  She cut the fabric in strips and safety pinned the stripes onto one of her husband’s golf shirts.  He wore a khaki jacket over it and the only thing that shows were the “Steve” stripes.  The toddlers coat doubled as a warm winter coat AND a Halloween costume.

No Masks – They don’t stay on.  They are not safe as they block the child’s peripheral vision, which is, of course, unsafe when walking from house to house, and they are uncomfortable.  Consider light face painting instead.

Consider The Weather – If you live in a climate where on Halloween night the temperature could range from 40-degress F on up to 80-degrees F, take that into consideration when selecting your child’s costume.

Don’t use the Blue’s Clue’s idea above if you live in a year-round warm weather climate and don’t make your child a belly dancer if there’s a chance that the weather will be cold and rainy. Consider the weather in advance to avoid disappointment.

Don’t Force Them To Tell Jokes – In some areas, telling a joke or riddle before being given a treat is customary.  Don’t force a two or three year old to tell a joke.  A simple “Trick Or Treat” will do.  And if they won’t talk, simply ask them to smile. Do encourage them to say “Thank you” at every house, but don’t stress out a shy toddler over this.

Don’t Take A Toddler To Houses Where They Are Unfamiliar With Those Who Live There – A toddler doesn’t need a bucket full of treats.  It can be confusing to tell your toddler “Don’t talk to Strangers” but then to send him door to door asking him to do just that.

Take the child to a handful of houses where he/she is familiar with the residents.  Or better yet, take the child to relative’s houses like grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.  They will love to see the child dressed up and the child will experience no fear.

Find A Local Mall Or Community Center – In many cities, malls or community centers will hold ‘in house’ trick-or-treating activities.  These are great places for the little ones to get their feet wet to learning what Halloween is all about.

Autumn and the Halloween season offer so many options for families to spend quality time together.  Here are just a few ideas.

Visit A Local Pumpkin Farm.  During the month of October, pumpkin farms usually have attractions like live music, hayrides, and crafts, not to mention the opportunity to hand select your very own pumpkin right off the vine.

Write A Halloween Story Together.  This is a great activity to make an annual family tradition.  The entire family gets to choose the characters, sometimes making inanimate objects like pumpkins and candy corn come alive. Once you create the characters, the setting and the story line, you’ll be surprised how much each family member wants to contribute to the story.

Save each year’s story in a scrapbook and read the stories from past seasons.  It’s a great memory maker.

Watch Halloween Movies Together.   Share an annual movie night together by renting “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “Bednobs & Broomsticks,” “Monsters Inc.,” or “Nightmare Before Christmas.”  Make some popcorn with orange popcorn salt. Serve it with an orange drink. You could even put orange or black light bulbs in the lamps just for the special occasion.

Go On A Nature Walk.  Take a walk together through a hiking trail or park.  As you walk, collect leaves, rocks, pinecones and other bits of nature to bring home and display in a large glass bowl.  It makes a gorgeous and memorable centerpiece.

Have A Monster Mash Dance Party.  There are many Halloween-themed CDs available during this time of year.  Have an all-family Halloween Dance Party and dance to all the popular Halloween songs.  Your kids will watch you dance and think they have crazy parents, but maybe without admitting it, they’ll also have the time of their lives.

Play “Clue”.  Since Halloween is all about mystery, playing the game of Clue will reinforce the season and provide a lot of family fun at the same time.

Paint Pumpkins.  Pumpkin Painting is the newest range in Halloween crafts.  Carving jack-o-lanterns is a Halloween tradition, but the process is messy, dangerous and the jack-o-lanterns only last a few days after Halloween night.  Painting Pumpkins is an activity everyone in the family can enjoy, even the littlest goblins.

By having each family member paint their own pumpkin, you will have a fun and memorable family of pumpkins to proudly display in your home or on your front porch.

You might have bits and pieces, like most of us. Here in a nutshell is the condensed version of the history of Halloween.

Originally conceived as a holiday to honor all Saints in heaven, known or unknown, the holiday was celebrated on November 1.  It was known by several names, including All Hallows Eve, All Hallowmas, All Saints, or All Souls Day.

The American version of Halloween owes its roots to the ancient Druid folk festival called “Samhain” (pronounced sow-in) which was celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. This was a feast of the dead which signified the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Magic and faerie activity were a big part of all this, and the Celts even had a God of the dead named Gwynn ap Nudd, and Arawn for the Welsh peoples. The Irish didn’t have their own death god.  Many of the customs we now associate with modern day Halloween are actually remnants of Druid traditions as well as their Roman conquerors.

Samhain was a three day festival in which the dead were to be celebrated and revered, and in fact communicated with during their journey to the other side. It was not so much an occasion of dread and death as it was about communing with one’s lost loved ones. Of course, the ghostly connections with Halloween make perfect sense when viewed in this light.

It’s only been in modern times that fear and paranoia has played a role in Halloween activities. What’s your take on Halloween? What does it mean to you?

Since launching full-scale into Halloween in 2006, Disneyland has not only brought back Halloween Time, but they have expanded it and added an extra week for all the scary fun one could imagine.

New things include Candy Corn Acres, located in the Sunshine Plaza in California Adventure, where Goofy will do his best to try and grow the biggest and least seen versions of candy corn; candy corn coconuts, candy corn carrots and candy corn pumpkins, among other delicacies. Also getting much more play this year will be Mickey’s Halloween Treat, a separately ticketed event in which kids get to dress in their own costumes and trick-or-treat throughout California Adventure.

The entrance to the park and every main “land” in Disneyland will be decorated for Halloween, and there will be many meet and greet opportunities with the Disney family of characters throughout the park. For those wanting a less-scary visit to the Magic Kingdom this time of year, it would be advisable to make it during the day. Did any of you make it to Disneyland’s Halloween season last year? Add a comment telling us what you thought of it all!