Halloween Countdown

Halloween 2010 as a traditional activity is just around the corner so fancy plan-ning a party or attending this annual celebration held on the night of the 31st of October, just after sundown.

1. Costume. Halloween has got to be scary so forget the fairies, princesses, super-heroes, bunnies and not-so-Halloween stuff. Think of witches (don't forget your broom), ghosts, vampires, goblins, skeletons, demons, zombies, werewolves or pumpkins. You might want a face-paint, fancy wigs, some fake teeth or illuminate yourself with battery operated LED lights to look more like the real thing. Planning a costume is easy, be typi-cal but creative; that is what the Halloween activity is about.

2. Food. It's the spooky spread! Create your Halloween spread by associating red as blood, green as slime, orange as pumpkins, black as night and darkness or even purple. Use some food coloring if it helps. Some common examples are red drinks (as blood) served in a punch bowl or spaghetti (as worms) in plain tomato sauce, green Jell-O (for slime), carrot sticks (as dead fingers), deviled eggs (add anything edible to symbolize the eyeball) or hotdogs (by slicing it into strips to make it pass off as worms or fingers) served in buns. Note that there are hundreds more of other savoury ideas to choose from! On the sweeter side, how about a pumpkin cobwebbed cake with a spider added to it or one in the shape of a human brain or some cupcakes with Halloween designs for top-pings? Others that many be associated with Halloween are candy apples, popcorn, pump-kin seeds and pumpkin pies. Now that's a graveyard treat!

3. Trick or treat? You can't celebrate Halloween without the custom trick or treat. Why not scare each unsuspecting guest as he or she walks into the room (the trick) and throw flour to create a ghostly effect (the treat)? But there's more to just tricks and treats, it's purely the Halloween humour.

4. Decors. This is probably the easiest bit. Think of messy-ish but using the tradi-tional Halloween colours. This includes pumpkins/bats as centerpieces, fake cobwebs (lots of them) with plastic spiders, R.I.P. tombstones made out of styrofoam, black/orange balloons flooding the room or if you'd really like to go out of your way, a real-life coffin would make an excellent prop! Every detail counts including the Hallow-een themed plates, cutlery, cups and tablecovers. Cautiously add some candles, too.

5. Games. Guessing games (this is a good one) - put slimy food into a bowl and blindfold the contender and have him/her guess what's in those bowls…by touching of-course. How about bobbing for apples, in which apples float in a tub and must be re-moved only by using your teeth, no hands. Others that are suitable for anyone at all ages are the scavenger hunting game, relay races or freeze dance and only the ones in costume are able to participate, make this mandatory.

6. Music/Sound Effects. The ghoulish sounds and screams, this is how it should liven up your party. You may find some of these online or you may choose to tape a friend screaming to the top of his/her lungs! You might want to also include the Addams Family and the cheesy Ghostbusters movie theme song, no doubt you'll get people sing-ing, dancing and clicking!

7. Take-me-home presents. Spooky party favours. Gummy worms. Themed shaped cookies/biscuits/crisps, all in a Halloween treat bag! Then add in another scary surprise with an added BOO!

8. Be an exciting host and scream with delight! But don't forget to send out those Halloween party invites in time! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!