Patch Picks: 10 Ingredients to Host a Spooky Halloween Party

1. The Essentials
When the word Halloween comes to mind, it immediately conjures up (for me at least) images of pumpkins, hay bales, mums and the like. A great way to decorate your yard is to buy some cornstalks, hay, mums, gourds etc. and arrange them in a nice little picturesque “seating area.” An area where, not only does the arrangement look good, but can also be used as a cute spot for Halloween pictures.

2. Where there’s Smoke, there’s Fear
There is no better way to create a spooky look than through “smoke.” This can be completed by renting a fog machine or by purchasing dry ice. Both give off an eerie ambiance and really complete that “Halloweeny” feel.

3. Monstrous Music
Another ingredient to Halloween success is music. Be it actual songs like the “Monster Mash” or simple scary sounds and screams, music is a must have for an all-out party.

4. Crazy with Candles
This is probably the simplest way to get a great effect going for your party; tons of candles. On tables. In windows. Scattered around counters. You can buy a bag of 100 votives for less than $5.  It is especially festive to hollow out gourds and mini pumpkins and stick candles in those as well. Another idea is to use long white taper candles with melted red wax dripping down their sides to resemble blood.

5. Scary Stuffings
It is so fun to make your own scarecrow or stuffed man with a scary mask. All you need to do is grab an old pair of jeans, some shoes, a shirt of your choosing (I prefer flannel) and a bunch of hay. Stuff the hay into the clothes and then set them up in a chair on the porch or in the yard. You can use a pumpkin for the head or a Halloween mask. This is a wonderful activity for families to do together. If you have access to a baby monitor, stick it inside or next to the figure and watch the kids squeal away when you “talk” to them.

6. Awesome Accessories
Don’t forget to pick up themed plates, cups and napkins for your party. These items will tie everything together; even if you only get simple solids in orange or black, it will look great and festive. Add a spooky plastic tablecloth or splatter red paint on an old sheet for a gruesome look.

7. Demonic Décor
Besides costumes, the most important ingredients to a successful Halloween party are the decorations. The Dollar Store has a ton of great, cheap novelties and such. Grab some cobwebs, plastic spiders and bats. Skeletons and witches are good to put up as well. Buy some balloons and draw faces on them with a black sharpie for an even better look.

8. Light’s Out
Make your party dwelling as dark as you can, within reason. Besides candles, other great ways to illuminate are with colored light bulbs, Halloween-themed lights, or black lights. There are many accessories that coincide with these types of lights and will glow in the dark. Add some “glow” spray to your windows or mirrors for finishing touches.

9. Possessed Punch
Pick up a punch bowl set or a black cauldron at the local Halloween store and fill it with a spooky punch. You can even place a bowl inside an actual pumpkin if you’d like. Obviously punches can be made alcoholic or not, depending your intended audience. A yummy recipe I’ve tried includes pineapple juice, orange gelatin, orange juice, ginger ale, and orange sherbert. For a fun touch, fill a non-powdered non-latex glove with water and freeze it, then remove from the glove and voila-a, creepy hand to cool your punch!

10. Chilling Candies
Along with the food, candy can be spread over tables for a Halloween snack. I’ve also taken an apple dicer and diced caramel apples into individual servings and stuck toothpicks in them for easy eating.