Fun Halloween Party Games

Fun Halloween Party Games

Fun Halloween Party Games - So you want to have a Halloween party, but are unsure how to keep the kids entertained while they are there. After all, there is only so much pizza and candy that a kid can take! If you are tired of the traditional games, like costume contests and bobbing for apples, here are a couple of alternatives that can help keep everyone entertained.

Spooky Storytelling

On a creepy night like Halloween, telling spooky stories can help set the mood. Before the party, you will want to take a small deck of index cards and write story-starting phrases. You will want at least one per party goer, and more if you want the game to continue longer. Keep them appropriate to your party's age group, but you can include things like:

It was a dark and stormy night...
The door creaked open and we saw...
The witch cackled over her cauldron, stirring what looked like...
I peaked under the bed and saw...
There was a knocking at the window and...
I heard a horrible scream and I knew...

To play the game, sit everyone in a circle and dim the lights. Consider having a flashlight to pass to the person whose turn it is to tell the tale. Have everyone pick a card, and then someone starts the story. Set a timer for one or two minutes, and that person has to start the story with the phrase on their card. When the timer goes off, the flashlight gets passed to the next person, who then continues the tale with the phrase on their card. This continues at least until everyone has a turn, or longer if you have the time.

Mummy Memory

Get a large serving tray and fill it with small Halloween goodies. Toy spiders and bugs, stickers, pumpkins, and other Halloween party favors can be a good way to go (plus, you can recycle these items into the goodie bags to go home when you are done). Cover the tray with a cloth, and give everyone a piece of paper and a pencil. Remove the cloth, giving everyone a minute or two to study the tray, and then recover. Everyone should then try to write down everything that they remembered, with the person remembering the most winning a prize.

Terror Tag

You need a larger, empty room for this game. Before the game starts, secretly assign each person to be a ghost or a mortal. An easy way to do this is to give each person a slip of paper with their designation on it – but make sure they know it is to be a secret! You should always have a much higher ratio of mortals to ghosts, so most of the time one or two ghosts will be plenty. Then, turn down the lights so that it is dark in the room (or you could blindfold players). Have them go about the room, shaking hands with other players, and whispering to them if they are ghost or mortal. If you shake hands with a ghost, you must freeze in terror. This continues until there are only ghosts left.

Halloween party games can be fun to play and help pass the time. If you need more ideas, consider giving any of your regular party favors a Halloween twist and using them.
Halloween Party Games

Creating the Perfect Halloween Party

Creating the Perfect Halloween Party

Creating the Perfect Halloween Party - Halloween can be a day of fun for both young and old. It is also one holiday that is designed for parties. Spooky themes, fun costumes, and plenty of treats make it a good time for all ages.

It has been said that in the past Halloween was reserved mainly for children. There would be costume parties at school, and then an evening of trick-or-treating and other fun. However, more and more adults are starting to take part in the spirit of the holiday as well. After all, who doesn't enjoy getting dressed up in a fabulous costume and eating candy? Plus, this also makes Halloween a family holiday, since both parents and kids alike can dress up, decorate the house or yard, and participate in the holiday fun.

The history of Halloween parties

Halloween started out as a Celtic holiday known as “Samhain” which celebrated the end of summer. The Celts believed that on the night of Samhain, the souls of the dead would come back to visit the living. Along with them, dark spirits like goblins and witches would also come out. Fires would be lit to keep these dark spirits away, and the Celts would dress in masks and costumes as part of the festivities. Food and lanterns were often left out as gifts for the dead. Over time, these customs turned into the holiday festivities that we know today.

Kids parties

Themes for kids Halloween parties can generally be kept pretty simple. Most kids get excited over dressing up and eating sweets, and there is plenty of room for creativity. Consider having games like bobbing for apples, decorating treat bags, and costume contests for all of the little ones. Of course, food is usually a required part of the fun, and you can get very creative that way. Caramel apples and popcorn balls are fun fall treats, and you can often use a little imagination and food coloring to turn everyday treats into something festive.

Adult parties

While adult parties can still involve costumes and food, you may have to up the ante a little bit when it comes to expectations. Costume contests can still be a great way to encourage guests to get creative and come dressed up. For more mature themes, you can create a Day of the Dead celebration, and celebrate the holiday Mexican-style with authentic foods and treats. Or, you can do a costume ball and play music all night long and serve fine desserts.

Planning ahead

You do not want to leave your Halloween party plans for the month of October. If you start planning ahead of time, you can not only come up with a spectacular theme, but you can find everything you need. Watch for sales and stock up on party supplies like paper plates and cups. Look for fun new recipes to try so that you can wow your friends. And of course, don't forget to look for a costume – by shopping early you will be able to find the best selection and the best prices.
Creating the Perfect Halloween Party

How To Send Halloween Party Invitations

How To Send Halloween Party Invitations 

How To Send Halloween Party Invitations - Almost everybody loves holiday parties. If you’re one of those many people, you’ll probably be interested in how to set up a Halloween party. Maybe you’ve started already, but if not, it could be the right time to get going. The sooner you start planning for the party, the faster you’ll be able to start inviting your guests.

If you’re wondering about how to send invitations to your guests, you should know that a whole host of options are available to you. It’s a matter of choosing one of them more than anything. Your invitations themselves reflect what kind of person you are, and what kind of party you’ll be throwing. You should take into account both the advantages and the disadvantages of the different invitation strategies.

Lots of people use official invitations for the parties they hold, Halloween parties included. These can be made at home using your computer or can be purchased at a party or department store. Using formal invitations is a good option if you want to keep a handle on your invite list and remember who they all are. Guests also prefer these kinds of invitations; it’s nice to get an invite by mail. The only real drawback to the formal kind of invitation is the cost involved. However, it’s not hard to find inexpensive types, or of course to create your own.

If you’re thinking of sending out personal invites, but are put off by the cost of doing so and aren’t keen on creating your own, quick notes are a good possibility. Just write down all the important information your guests need: time, place, and location. Formal invitations have their merits, but a brief personal message written by hand is also a nice way to invite people, and is inexpensive.

While the mailed invites are a good way to please your would-be guests, it’s possible that you won’t have the funds or time to send them out. However, you’re in luck, because it’s always possible to simply call all your invites and invite them personally to the party you’re throwing. It’s a great way to do things because it’s personal and warm, even more so than sending a letter. It does have one drawback, though, and that is the time it takes to phone up all your guests.

Another possibility these days is of course sending out e-mails to invite people to your Halloween party. This is especially easy if you happen to know all your guests’ e-mail addresses and can send out a group e-mail notifying all of them at once. Do this in the same way as you would with a more traditional invitation letter. Make sure you’ve told them when and where the party is taking place. You can also find online invitations that you can send at no cost. They’ll add a nice touch to party invitations you send by e-mail.

The method you use to invite guests isn’t the important thing. What’s important is that they get the invites and know everything they need to about your Halloween party. Do this in advance and you’ll have a great holiday bash.

Halloween Party Themes

Halloween Party Themes

Halloween Party Themes - You do not need an excuse to have fun on Halloween. Just throw a party! Plenty of Halloween party themes exist; you just have to pick the right one.

Guest Preferences
The kind of guests that you have invited to your party will influence the kind of theme that you pick out for Halloween. If there are children involved, you need a theme that child-friendly yet still suits the mood of the day.

For example, if you want to have a theme to revolving around the dead or ghosts, make sure that you incorporate child-friendly characters in your decor. Casper the friendly Ghost comes to mind.

If many of your guests have very conservative beliefs, anything that is sexually explicit will not be acceptable to most of them. That however, does not mean that you cannot find a theme that hints at romance yet still keeps everyone else happy. You could decide to go with a Gone with the Wind theme. Select a venue and decor to match. Have everyone dress in costumes which are from that era. Organized for a masked ball if you like. Nobody said that Halloween parties have to be scary.

Your preferences
If the preferences of your guests are flexible, then find a theme that pleases you. If you are a fan of Zombie movies, you could have a zombie theme. Create special effects that send chills down your guests’ spines. Have servers who walk around as zombies would. Create food that resembles dead bodies. Use your local cemetery as a venue for your party. Just make sure that you have the permission to do so!

You could also go with a vampire theme. It never gets old! You can organize a party based on a mystery. Appoint someone to be Count Dracula. Leave clues for your guests so that they can find the vampire who keeps on sucking people’s blood. Offer gifts to the teams that solve the mystery.
Halloween party themes can be anything you choose. Just get creative!