Have you been Boo-ed?

Our family doesn't really do much with Halloween, well, not really anything.
I know, I know...it was one of your best childhood memories. I've heard it before.
We're still creating lots of marvelous memories, but during this season we stick to the fall festival type of activities. Our kids still dress up, have lots of candy and games, and even do a little "Trunk or Treating," in church parking lots which is huge in the South.
But since so many of my readers
look for unique October/Halloween traditions, I thought I would share
a few ideas from my October newsletter.

And did you know, that while she hosts her party this week, she's ditching it and coming to my neck of the woods?
We're going to hang out....in real life....I told you that I wanted to have a bed and breakfast, but brunch will have to do.

A new Halloween tradition is spreading rapidly grass-roots fashion throughout the culture. Called "Getting Booed," it involves a family making a Halloween gift basket and leaving it anonymously on a neighbor's door step with a sign "You Got Booed." The receiving family's job, then, is to make up another gift basket and play the trick on another family in the neighborhood who doesn't have a 'got booed' sign on their door. Here is a poem you can use for your "got booed" sign.

The air is cool, the season is fall, soon Halloween will come to all. The spooks are after things to do; in fact, a spook has brought this to you. "BOO" is a shield, from witching hour, Just hang it up and watch its power. On your front door is where it works, it ward off spooks and scary jerks. The power comes when friends like you will copy this and make it TWO. We'll all have smiles upon our face. No one will know who Booed our place. Just one short day to work your spell or a big ZAP will strike your tail. And don't forget a nifty treat, like something cute or something sweet. Please join the fun, let's really hear it! Spread some Boo's and Halloween spirit!

Halloween is not just for kids! With these tips and ideas you can start your own family Halloween
filled with traditions to cherish year after year.

3 -4 weeks before Halloween: Decorating the House

Make it a family event! Either assign different areas to different people, or give them a certain topic.
Who's in charge of spider webs and spiders? Hanging lights in just the right spot?

1 - 2 weeks before Halloween: Picking the pumpkins

You don't have to go to your local supermarket to find great pumpkins - there are plenty of places around within driving distance to take the family to not only pick out the best pumpkins, but to have a day filled with fun! Watch for the signs on the road, check your local paper. Many people grow pumpkins and then sell them at this wonderful time of year. Most don't just sell pumpkins either! You can get a nice cup of hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick, go for a hayride, check out a corn field maze, or take a walk through a haunted barn. These kinds of places are usually family owned and know what kind of entertainment other families are looking for. Enjoy watching your child rolling a 20 pound pumpkin back to the hay wagon instead of digging through a large wooden crate outside the grocery store.

2- 7 days before Halloween: The Pumpkin Carving Party

Make sure you have enough pumpkins for everyone to carve at least one.
Can't wait for the pumpkin seeds to be ready? Pick some up from the store
so you can have some ready on hand to enjoy while carving! Prepare a spoooooooooooooky meal to
eat along with your party. Try some "ghoulash" or "Spooketti" with a "blood" red drink.
Make "bones" (breadsticks) to go along.
Have plenty of candles on hand so when you are all done carving you can run outside,
place your jack-o-lanterns and end your party with a firey show of evil, happy, and scary faces!

The Main Event

The most important part of a Halloween party is to have fun together. Bob for apples,
play ghost in the graveyard, watch movies, read a story by candelight or flashlight.
If your area allows it, have a campfire and tell stories outside. For dinner, serve something inventive -
give it a crazy name - werewolf burgers, eye ball soup, what ever you can think of.
For dessert and snacking try popcorn balls, taffy apples, and of course, pumpkin pie!

If you would like to be added to my traditions newsletter that I send every month, feel free to email me
and I will add you to my list.