Halloween is coming soon! It can be fun for all, especially if you’re having a party.  Here are some ideas for how to make your own Halloween fun:

Take care to accommodate your friends’ needs – is it too spooky? Are there food allergies you need to consider? Or is there flashing lights that would be too uncomfortable because of how quickly they would come on or because of a medical condition? Not everyone is comfortable with talking about what they’re scared about, so if someone asks, assure them of potential risks.   If you’re not sure, tell them your plans and let them decide for themselves.

First off, the famous phrase: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. For example, could you use that bottle of pop, decorate it with some paint and make a truly spooky skeleton? Are there items within your garage or recycling box that with a bit of imagination you could use again? In addition to that, you could consider fabric straps to decorate an item, which are also available in craft stores. Straps are enough of what you need instead of large amounts, if you are also considering a budget.

More so to this point, craft stores have so many ideas as well within their aisles so it’s a good place to start for how to make your own Halloween, especially something you may have seen for a higher price. (They do offer some decorations that are both creative and at a more decent price compared to big-box stores.) I would recommend making your own decorations are often much cheaper, and incredibly more rewarding because you accomplished it yourself.

There are good ideas everywhere: through the Internet, magazines and craft books available in your library as well. Cooking magazines, books and websites even have food options (such as decorations for snacks), which allows you to change things due to allergies or food sensitivities. There’s even multiple creative ways to use a pumpkin other than carving it, such as painting it so it’s no longer the typical orange; decorate it with a mini-costume of its own with glasses, a mini-hat or even a funny nose. You could even still carve the pumpkin, instead of a face, consider making a statement or another design. (This may be more advanced, but there are specialized tools that can help you achieve this.)

For the truly spooky, you could consider a home-made haunted house; restricting to a dark room/area – basement or kitchen, keeping light so guests can still see (but not too much), preparing a banquet of experiments conducted within that room with spaghetti as brains for example.  But nothing is scarier than a campfire (or a flashlight indoors similar to a campfire), discussing spooky stories of your own making, from the horror classics or making it a fun game where everyone says one word or sentence at a time; or even watching horror movies in the dark.

It’s easy to make your own Halloween celebration. The question is, what are you looking to achieve: A day party with your closest friends? A sleepover party? A party with little children? Once you know When and Who, you can plan How for a great time!