Halloween
The spookiest time of year
Crispness in the air is usually a sign that Halloween is not far away. Children anxiously await the day, selecting their costume and dreaming of candy. Most children love Halloween, but many adults are intrigued with it, too.
While the children are busy trying on their Halloween costumes and searching for the perfect bag to hold all of their Halloween treasures, you can plan for a happy Halloween with the following Halloween ideas.
Halloween Merchandise
Every year, it seems there is new Halloween stuff just waiting to be explored. There are new decorative ideas and new merchandise at the stores that outdoes the year before. Take advantage of innovations to make your house even scarier this year. You could even have a contest with your neighbors to see who has the scariest haunted house on the block!
Halloween is also the time to visit the local cider mill. You can enjoy a hot cup of cider while the kids frolic and enjoy face paintings and corn mazes. There are also countless games and pumpkin carving contests for the children to enter – it truly is a time to enjoy as a family.
Halloween Parties
Halloween parties have become much more popular for the kids than ever before, and parents are often eager to chip in so that their children can be part of the festivities, too. There are plenty of games that you can have the kids play, and you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great party. Some candy and a scary movie can be enough to create the Halloween feel.
Adult parties are also very entertaining. Adult Halloween costumes are very enticing and always a good excuse to host a party. There are many ideas for Halloween parties that don’t have to cost a fortune, especially if you co-host with a friend or two. People want to have a safe and happy Halloween, and there is no better way to enjoy it than to show off your Halloween costume and share some candy with friends.
History of Halloween
How familiar are most of us with the origins of Halloween? Why not regale your party guests with fascinating and true Halloween stories, or stump them with Halloween trivia? For example, the roots of our modern holiday can be traced back to the ancient Celtic celebration called Samhain, essentially the Celtic New Year's Eve. This day marked the end of summer and the beginning of the long, difficult winter, and it was said that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth to cause mischief for one night.
Following the spread of Christianity to the British Isles, November 1st was declared All Hallows Day, a day commemorating all saints, probably in an attempt to suppress the pagan celebration of Samhain. The night before became known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween.
Today, Halloween is America’s second largest commercial holiday, with nearly $7 billion spent on Halloween props, costumes and candy every year.
