Happy Halloween Weekend everyone! Halloween has always been a favorite holiday of mine. Spooky treats, creative costumes, scary movies to snuggle by and ghoulish-fun parties on every corner. And over the years I've made a few observations about Halloween. Some modern. Some silly. Some fun. Check them out! Here are a few of my Halloween Tricks and Treats - my Halloween words of wisdom...
My Halloween Trick and Treat Lessons..
1. Trick: Do not over-do the Halloween Punch. There is nothing sadder (or funnier?) than seeing drunk nuns, fairies, ghosts, vampires, pirates, cartoon or Disney characters at your Halloween party.
2. Treat: Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish are all vegan. Yes!
3. Trick: Remember that those bags and bags of candy is for the Trick-or-Treaters - not you! So, when buying Halloween candy to distribute - it is best to buy brands that you hate. Otherwise you may find yourself nibbling all night. Even safer - try handing out stickers instead of candy! Kids will love this, and so will their parents!
4. Treat: Find a black cat this Halloween. Hug it. Kiss it. Give it a few rubs under the chin. Maybe a little fuzzy ball filled with catnip. Why? Black cats really take a lot of superstition-smack on Halloween.
5. Trick: Bobbing for apples is not a good idea when wearing a wig. Or non-waterproof face-paint. C'mon kids, lets not ruin it for everyone else now.
6. Treat: Dressing up in groups is fun! My fun group idea this year was to dress up as characters from the movie/game Clue. I'd make a great Ms.Scarlett.
7. Trick: Do not go to a Halloween Party if you are not wearing a costume. (and no, those silly "this is my costume" tees do not count. In fact, you should be fined for wearing one on Halloween.
8. Treat: When dressing up as "a couple" always, always let the girl choose the costumes. Always. And boys, really, can't you wear the Jack Dawson or Prince Charming costume for just one night a year??
9. Trick: Single boys: no matter how dumb you feel (that's the trick part) - If you want to get a lot of attention on Halloween night, dress as Edward Cullen. No, seriously. The girls will flock. Team Edward. Rah...
10. Treat: Ladies, you are never, ever too old to dress as a fairy, ballerina, genie, princess or angel. Pink, sparkles, glitter, lipstick and fluff are always gonna be in style on Halloween.
11. Trick: New York restaurant and shop owners: those plastic cockroaches that come with the fake spider webs are never a good idea to display. Throw those suckers out and replace with some big scary (fake-looking) spiders.
12. Treat: Watch a few favorite TV specials and movies. My faves Garfield's Halloween Special. Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Hocus Pocus. The Shining. Poltergeist. Blair Witch Project. Scream. And maybe even a Halloween episode of The Simpsons.
13. Trick: No matter how much beet juice you pour into your cake batter or frosting - you will not easily achieve a blood-red color. It will be more of a blood pink color.. Maybe save the beet juice cake for Valentine's Day..
14. Trick: Some Halloween-themed party foods are actually too gross to eat. Think, really bloody finger bread sticks, slimy eyeball grapes, bug-covered baked goods. Make your scary treats edible, not nauseating.
Beet-Red "Bloody" Hands are not cute..
15. Treat: Scare-junkies, be sure to check out those massive Haunted Houses that have become so trendy.
16. Trick: Guess what vegetarians, if your candy contains gelatin or the red coloring substance Carmine, it's not veg. Read labels. Non-vegan marshmallow ghosts are out. Sorry Peeps-lovers.
17. Treat: It may seem old-fashioned, but a glowing, candlelit jack-o-lantern is always the coolest decoration on the block. Those "face-painted, uncut pumpkins" just won't cut it.
18. Trick: Kids, do not eat any candy that has been partially opened. Yes, this even applies to the King Size version of your favorite candy you found in your bag. No exceptions - if it's not sealed, trash it.
19. Treat: When choosing a costume, go with something personal and possibly homemade - don't be afraid of the phrase "what are you??" That just means you're doing a good job at being unique. If you are going to go as a cat/devil/witch etc. Add your own little twist to it. Go as a black cat in a purple wig. Go as a witch with Dorothy's ruby red slippers on. Go as a vampire from the 1950's. Have fun. Be you. And enjoy the one night of the year you can dress up and act like a kid again - and go waltzing down the street without a care.
20. Trick: No more tricks here! I hope you have a very very Happy Halloween. Have fun. Stay safe. Take costume pics. Go all out. (you won't regret it.)
