What are you planning for Halloween?

[Lovedtodeath]

My husband, kids and I all have different ideas...

Edited September 9, 2012 by Lovedtodeath

[clarkacademy]

My favorite day of the year!!!!

[freeindeed]

We are planning to trick or treat in our neighborhood. I'm not sure what my kids are going to "be" this year. We're still thinking about that.

[mytwomonkeys]

we have a nearby town that has a halloween festival. it is a community fundraiser put on by the local fire department. my kids will dress up and go there again. we really enjoyed it last year! they have a big cookout, hot cocoa, hay rides, games, costume contest, cake walk, etc. lots of fun!

[Princess Peach]

We love Halloween. We'll go T or T'ing in the neighborhood. The kids are unsure what they will be yet. Then we always come home and eat candy and watch Charlie Brown. :)

[milovany]

I voted "Other." We'll likely have a Paraklesis service to Sts. Cyprian and Justina at church. It's a tradition our parish started last year and we loved it.

[frugalmama]

We're going to a couple of community events, so dd gets plenty of t-or-t time in. There is a festival a few days before for the local access ability group that will be doing candy give aways at the tables, so it's pretty low-key. And Morgan's Wonderland {Special Needs amusement Park} is doing a special event we'll be attending too.

 

She wants to be a princess :D

[athomemom]

We aren't doing a thing! We used to trick or treat with friends, but my guys have out grown it. Not to mention we moved across the country and we don't have those friends to hang out with.:(

[PIE!]

I love Halloween and tend to overdo it. But it's all so much fun!

 

We'll trick or treat in the neighborhood for sure. Baby and I will stay to hand out candy while DH takes the kids around.

 

If the church has a trunk or treat on a separate day we'll likely attend.

 

Boo at the Zoo is a must.

 

Hayrack rides and ghost stories by the campfire at the nature center are likely.

 

We'll visit at least one pumpkin patch.

 

And who knows what else.

 

Halloween is the only holiday I overdo, so I'll just keep on overdoing it :D

[a27mom]

We have Awana since it is on a wednesday. We will probably trick or treat on our street before it. (our street is half a mile long) we'll need easy costumes to be at Awana by 6:20. Almost nobody trick or treats at or house as we are at the out in the country end of the street, dh might pass out some candy if he is home and anyone comes.

[bookfiend]

Putting off thinking about it until 3 days beforehand and then scrabbling for costumes - just like every year!

[Word Nerd]

Halloween is a big community event in our little town. We'll go trick or treating and hand out candy. The PTO also has a harvest festival earlier in October where kids dress up, decorate pumpkins, and play carnival games.

[dangermom]

We always trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. I love the neighborhood aspect of Halloween! My parents will come over and we will answer the door and watch old B-movies. There is a church Halloween party a couple of days beforehand, so we will go to that too. (I don't approve of trunk-or-treats on the actual day, and happily I'm part of the planning committee and everyone agreed it shouldn't be on the 31st.)

[Mommy22alyns]

We always go trick or treating at a mall in the area.

[Joani]

I'm not a big fan of Halloween, so I'm glad that my kids are old enough to go trick-or-treating without me and that my oldest is too old, so he can answer the doorbell. :D

[Onceuponatime]

My dh wants to be Gomez Adams to give out candy. I don't look anything like Morticia, so I think I will just chaperone my younger sons and grandson around the neighborhood. They want to be Star Wars characters.

[Melinda in VT]

We'll go trick-or-treating in our village and donate candy to the families who live there (so it's not a financial burden for them to hand out candy).

 

My older kids wanted to have a party since they are too old for trick-or-treating this year, but we've just found out we need to be out of town the weekend before Halloween. I'd like to do something else for them, but I don't yet know what.

[DianeW88]

We always trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. I love the neighborhood aspect of Halloween! My parents will come over and we will answer the door and watch old B-movies. There is a church Halloween party a couple of days beforehand, so we will go to that too. (I don't approve of trunk-or-treats on the actual day, and happily I'm part of the planning committee and everyone agreed it shouldn't be on the 31st.)

 

:iagree: We're doing all of that, plus a fun themed dinner.

 

I totally agree with the trunk-or-treat thing, too. I detest them. But if it has to be done...just not on the 31st.

[elegantlion]

I am going to give out candy. Our last neighborhood had no trick or treaters. Last year we had a ton of kids, but I was sick in bed. I plan to stay well and dress up. I have a renaissance gown. I'm going to try and talk dh into dressing up.

 

I also saw an idea on pinterst where you put light sticks into paper towel or empty toilet rolls after cutting out "eyes". I've been saving rolls and we're going to string them along our deck.

[lynn]

We have a great neighborhood to trick or treat in. We all look forward to it.

Edited September 10, 2012 by lynn

[justamouse]

I am having one heck of a time! I love decorating for it, and we get upwards of 300 kids, and it's SO much fun!

[Whereneverever]

Our church does a huge Reformation festival, with costumes and games and candy. Although I'm due exactly then, so we will see how that goes this year!

[Delirium]

Pumpkin carving party, murder mystery dinner, trick or treating in the nieghborhood, and volunteering with an alternative trick or treat the Sunday before.

[Jenny in Florida]

My kids never went trick or treating, because of the vegan thing. (It's just not as much fun knowing you're not going to be able to eat what you collect. And what we would do with a bunch of candy afterward?)

 

Our church has a big Halloween party on the Saturday before the 31st, and we've always attended that. I ran the party for several years, and my son is part of the youth group, which puts on the haunted house. I'm no longer involved in planning events there, but my son and his youth group buddies are already brainstorming for their part of the evening.

 

He also just joined the volunteer group associated with a youth theatre program, and they are planning a costume party the Saturday after Halloween (because everyone was busy the weekend before). So, he'll help with that and go to the event, and I suspect I may get roped into assisting in some way.

 

 

Last year, the youth groupers came over to our house for a sleepover after the church event, and they are already asking to do that again. I don't mind, since I love these kids. And, also, our neighborhood is completely empty of trick or treaters, meaning that if we don't have some kind of party, I don't have an excuse to decorate the house.

 

My daughter has an invitation to a party with some theatre friends. And, depending on how her schedule works out, she may end up helping her brother and his friends with the haunted house.

 

Halloween is always a busy season at our house, and a favorite holiday here.

[BigMamaBird]

My Dh takes the kids out Trick or Treating with a friend and his wife and I and the babies stay at the house and hand out candy. It's fun!

[PollyOR]

The kids at the Trunk-or-Treat are so greedy :glare:. My kids want to go...of course.

 

I LOVE giving out Halloween candy. It is my favorite part of Halloween. It is a real bonding event for the neighborhood.

 

I'll take a turn walking with the girls around the neighborhood. :)

[Trilliums]

I have been planning a short spooky walk in our side yard for Halloween. Last year we made a spiderweb tunnel leading up to the doorway and it was such fun. I am looking forward to making it even more exciting this year. I don't go for gore though. We do lots of spiders and bats and I have a potions table. I am considering a cauldron over our fire pit, but then kids would have to come pretty far back into the yard so I might forgo that option.

[Luckymama]

I'm making a big effort for Halloween this year as the past years haven't been very festive. My mother died right after Halloween 2009 and my father died a few weeks before Halloween last year.

 

Dd12 will go trick or treating around our great neighborhood probably with a friend or two. Dh walks near them to make sure they are all right. I will hand out the candy with dd17's help.

 

The Saturday before Halloween dd12 will be hosting a party at our house :001_smile: This will be her first "worlds colliding" event with friends from the homeschooling group, ballet, Lego League, and her old school all invited. I think it's just going be girls though she has four boys on the FLL team (one is her cousin).

 

She made the invites already and has started planning the food. Dh always has good ideas for Halloween decorating. I suppose we should come up with a few activities in case we need to get kids interacting. Some strong personalities will be invited :tongue_smilie:

[Remudamom]

Our kids never trick or treated but our great nieces and nephews do. I get a costume for my pony and she pulls the wagon into town. We pick up the kids and take them around trick or treating and hand out candy from the wagon.

 

This year the pony is going to be a skeleton. Last year she was a zebra.

[CathyEJ]

My boys have informed me that they're old enough to go trick or treating without Mom, so I'll be home giving out candy.

 

My parents always have a Halloween party the weekend before, so unfortunately I do have to find a costume.

[PinkInTheBlue]

We'll be trick or treating in the neighborhood, handing out candy, and helping host a Halloween party. Can't wait!

[PeacefulChaos]

The plans are to trick or treat in the neighborhood. We actually live next to (like literally, RIGHT NEXT TO :lol: ) a retirement community and last year all the residents who have apartments/cars did a trunk or treat! It was awesome. :D Then we went into the nursing home sections and they had a couple of the dining rooms set up and residents were handing out candy.

It was excellent. Seriously, best halloween we've had. :)

 

If I didn't have kids trick or treating, I would hand out candy. Where we lived when I grew up we would get like 200. It was so much fun! Where we live now we don't get any anyway. :(

We have friends who have a halloween party usually (I think?) but we've never been invited. That sounds pathetic lol, but it probably wouldn't be our scene anyway. :tongue_smilie: (We were the first to have kids - many of our friends that are 'our age' and therefore in that group of friends either don't have kids yet or just have ages 3 and under. Back when we were the only ones with kids, I got secretly upset a few times about being left out of things. Now I just know that it's different for them to think about including those with kids, and it's different for us, too. :) )

Edited September 10, 2012 by PeacefulChaos

[MrsBasil]

We're taking the kids trick or treating and handing out candy later. DD will probably only make it to a few houses, but the neighbors like to see the kids.

 

Prior to Halloween we want to go to a corn maze(our first) and the pumpkin patch. Both Grandfather's want to take the kids, so we'll probably end up with way too many pumpkins. :001_smile:

[Lovedtodeath]

 

Prior to Halloween we want to go to a corn maze(our first) and the pumpkin patch. Both Grandfather's want to take the kids, so we'll probably end up with way too many pumpkins. :001_smile:

I picked up a magazine last year that has a pumpkin snowman family project. Maybe you'll have enough for that.

[MrsBasil]

I picked up a magazine last year that has a pumpkin snowman family project. Maybe you'll have enough for that.

 

 

I just Googled. So cute! Thanks for the idea. :001_smile:

[Chris in VA]

We don't live in a neighborhood, so dd has been invited by a school chum to TorT in her neighborhood.

 

She loves it, because the former owner of NTB lives down the street and hands out 1lb candy bars to any kid old enough and brave enough to go down his very long, very creepy driveway! He really is a kind man. It's like a right of passage for the kids in the neighborhood! :D

 

Other than that, we carve a pumpkin and keep things low-key. No one comes down our very long, rather creepy driveway, so we don't hand anything out. :001_smile:

[Lovedtodeath]

Here's my story: We were at Disney World last year so we were automatically wearing customes and getting candy during their Halloween festivities a couple of weeks before the actual date.

 

While cleaining out closets upstairs we found their candy bags from Disney World and they of course got all excited, so I am trying to figure out what to do this year, since I really wasn't planning to do anything, except maybe go to the zoo or museum when they are expecting the kids to wear customes.

 

I found this website because the kids can't have food dyes: http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/natural-lollipops and plan to order them some candy.

 

I was also going to make the pumpkin family, but I consider that more of a seasonal thing...

 

My neighbor called me and said that the kids were all making plans to go trick or treating and then my DH told my daughter I would make her a costume. I never agreed to any of it and was very surprised.

 

So anyway, that is what got me thinking about it.

 

This is a fun thread!

[Lovedtodeath]

customes. lol

[Jen in PA]

We trick or treat during daylight hours (4 - 6 pm) here, so DH gets home after everything has finished. I'll take the kids around the neighborhood the first hour, then pass out candy the second hour. My great-nephew, who is almost 4, usually comes with us.

[MissShellyA]

We love Halloween. We'll go T or T'ing in the neighborhood. The kids are unsure what they will be yet. Then we always come home and eat candy and watch Charlie Brown. :)

 

Classic. That's the plan for us too. DS is still deciding on a costume. Me and DH are still thinking about what we're going as too :)

[bluemongoose]

We live in the boonies so no trick or treating. We give them a piece of candy, take them to the pumpkin patch before Halloween and carve the pumpkin on Halloween. We are not very into Halloween, so we do not make decorations or anything. It is just an excuse to eat candy and do a craft:lol:

[Lovedtodeath]

 

It is just an excuse to eat candy and do a craft:lol:

Of course!

[applethyme]

We have a family pizza party. The kids dress up and we decorate the yard.

[momto2Cs]

Pumpkin patch/harvest festival beforehand

 

We're making costumes this year. Ds is torn between being an explorer (think Dr Livingstone) and a robot, while dd is pretty set on being Pippi Longstocking. Dh and I might dress up too - we usually do!

 

Jack o'lanterns will be made.

 

Then we trick-or-treat a really great neighborhood after eating some pizza.

 

Finally, we come home, have more pizza if desired, watch The Addams Family and Charlie Brown, and relax. Lots of fun all the way around!

[BakersDozen]

Well, since Halloween is on a Wednesday we'll do Health and Speech co-op in the morning, have a quick lunch, go to Writing and Geography co-op in the afternoon. Late afternoon will be Bible Quiz then home for dinner, devotion and bed. Should be a rip-roaring fun day for us! ;)

 

My dh will probably hit the candy sales as usual on Thursday/Friday.

[Jpoy85]

Dh wants to go around the neighborhood

Kids want to go to Trunk or treat at church AND the neighborhood.

 

I dont want to do Halloween. :(

[bobbeym]

The older two will be helping DIL's older sister, who is hosting a party for her 8yo son and his friends.

 

DS14 and I will go to church, where I'm sure they'll do some sort of tailgate party to mark the date.

 

If it wasn't on a Wednesday night, we'd all stay home with the lights off watching tv. :D

[Lovedtodeath]

Dh wants to go around the neighborhood

Kids want to go to Trunk or treat at church AND the neighborhood.

 

I dont want to do Halloween. :(

Yeah, Dh asked me my thoughts on it and I said I would rather not think about it too much if he is just going to override me anyway.

[Tree House Academy]

We have stopped celebrating Halloween.

[Plucky]

We just trick or treat. Since it's an election year my dh always visits the houses of people with signs depicting his similar political views. Since it's the minority here he and the neighbors always get a kick out of it. I stay home and stay warm.