Halloween is my favourite holiday of the year, I love it. The kids are so happy and excited but it comes without all the planning and financial pressure that comes with Christmas.
I know not everyone likes it though, so I thought I’d share 8 tips to have a happy Halloween.
1) Go Where You’re Wanted
So if you’re going trick or treating which is something we love to do, simply go where you’re wanted. The homes with pumpkins outside that are all decorated up, they love Halloween too and they’ll be excited to see you. Go there and leave people who don’t like Halloween in peace. That way the kids aren’t upset when someone grumpy answers the door, it’s their home so respect that. They aren’t being rude, but no likes unwanted guests.
2) Consider Healthy Options
I tend not to worry about all the rubbish the kids eat on Halloween. It’s once a year. That being said I also won’t let them eat it all at once. No one likes a sugar crash! So I let them know that they can eat some (generally too many, but meh, it’s Halloween) but I make sure they know that they can’t eat them all straight away. That way they aren’t feeling like I’m spoiling their fun as they already know that’s how it works.
It’s also worth trying to get some healthy alternatives for Halloween parties, so it’s not all sugar. Last year we made a Halloween spider out of fruit.
3) Get Involved & Be Part Of Your Community
Like anything in life, it’s more fun when you truly get involved and don’t do something half heartily. So have some sweets ready for those trick or treaters, dress up, throw a mini tea party and decorate the house, put on some spooky tunes for the kids and embrace Halloween.
4) Celebrate Indoors
So if going out trick or treating isn’t your thing or you have a newborn so you can’t make it then celebrate indoors. Let the kids dress up and allow them to dish out the sweets to their neighbours who are trick or treating. Or simply watch a Halloween movie together with some popcorn and spooky treats. There are so many great Halloween movies so just find something age-appropriate. Think Caspar, Adams Family, Gremlins, Hocus Pocus, Monster House.
Also, look out for community Halloween events going on in your area. There tend to be lots of events for Halloween happening.
5) Forget About The Negative Press
So you’ve heard stories like it’s begging blah blah blah. It’s not. You’re going to people’s houses who are so excited to greet you. One year I got so excited to see the kids on the streets excited faces and no-one turned up (our pumpkin had gone out and we hadn’t realised) and needless to say, I was a little gutted to not be able to treat (pun intended) others and wish them a happy Halloween.
It’s the one time of the year you get to see your neighbours and be part of the community. We need more of this. In a digital world where people have stopped communicating in person, I think once a year we can all make an effort to be more sociable.
6) Be Safe
Don’t let your kids walk up to people’s houses alone. If they’ll old enough to do so then FYI it might be time for them to stop trick or treating. Instead, let them have friends over for a movie, it’s quite intimidating to get a big group of older kids at your door and can be scary for people.
Choose Halloween costumes wisely. There have been some literal horror stories about flammable costumes so always check on the packet or make your own. It doesn’t have to cost very much. I’ve made many costumes just throwing together bits I already have at home.
Lastly, go to local houses where you trust the people and only let your kids eat out of sealed shop bought packets. Therefore you know nothing has been tampered with.
7) Involve Friends & Family
The last two years we’ve gone trick or treating with friends, it makes the whole experience much more fun.
We also go on a family trip to pumpkin picking and carve our pumpkins together. Some people bake pumpkin pies and make spooky treats and decorations. Do whatever Halloween activities appeal to you most.
Last year Tony and I had a pumpkin Halloween contest, which the kids found hilarious. So let the whole family enjoy some Halloween fun, it’s not all about the trick or treating although it’s my personal favourite bit.
8) Dress For the Weather
It’s all fun and games wearing fancy dress, but it is October so if you’re cold it’s really hard to enjoy yourself. If you do go out on Halloween and it’s chilly then wrap up. I know it’s nice to show off a costume, but don’t do it at the expense of not enjoying yourself because of the colder temperature. Dress for the weather.
Have a happy Halloween! x
This post is part of my Wellness Wednesday weekly feature, for more Wellness Wednesday posts click here. Every Wednesday there is a new wellness post at 7 pm. Update: this feature no longer runs but there are still loads of blog posts here.
