Halloween Party Etiquette: Hosting a Perfect Celebration

What better way to celebrate Fall than by hosting a Halloween party? You’ll surely find yourself in a festive spirit as you get creative with decor and tasty treats.  Before you send out your creepy invites, keep the following halloween party etiquette tips in mind:

Start with the perfect invitation.  From e-vite to hand delivered card, invitations are a great way to let everyone know what type of fun to expect. Make sure and include all of the information guests will need. You don’t want to leave your guests questioning if they should or should not dress up in costume.

Be clear about the kids. When you are making your guest list, do a “kid count”. If you come up with a large number of little goblins, consider having a kid friendly party to make it easier for parents to attend. With interactive games, yummy treats, great party favors, and a fun neighborhood chaperone (a.k.a. responsible high school students supervising the children in order to make some extra cash), the children won’t want to leave.

Good taste and smart judgment. Choose your costume and decorations based on who is on your guest list. Kids may be frightened by the sight of fake blood and spooky ghosts; your boss may not appreciate your choice of French maid costume. While your BFF may find it amusing that you are wearing her old wedding gown, your husband may not. Bottom line, make good choices!

Download music to your iPod – not just scary noise. Limiting the party to spooky background noise will start to drain the energy out of the celebration. Once the mood is in full swing, mix it up with great dance music. Make sure to open up space in your living room for people to move freely without knocking over your lamps and picture frames.

Set lighting carefully. Make sure there is appropriate lighting in the parts of the house with high traffic. The restroom, kitchen or spare bedroom where coats and purses are kept will need to be adequately lit. You don’t want your guests feeling as if they are in a dark, haunted house.

Finger food. When hosting a Halloween party it’s important to offer food more substantial than candy and sugary treats.

Halloween games.  Incorporating games into the evening is a great way to involve guests in conversation and encourage new friendships. Make sure to organize it before hand and have concise directions; nothing kills a party game faster than a confused and bored guest.

Don’t forget the Trick-or-Treaters. If you are doing something at home, you don’t want to ignore the doorbell. Since your house is decorated and the lights are on, people will assume that you are offering candy. Enlist a high school neighbor to help hand out treats, or leave a cute sign by a basket or cauldron full of candy saying, “Excuse our absence, ghoulish party underway: Please help yourself to one handful of candy.” Leave a bag of candy inside close to the front door allowing you to easily replenish the basket throughout the evening.

Party Favors. When it’s time to say goodbye, send your guests home with a cute goodie bag to remember the night.

Relax and have fun. It’s your party and you should enjoy it as much as your ghoulish guests! Happy Halloween!