Don't be scared of Halloween

So the witching hour is nearly upon us and you just haven't gotten in the spirit yet. Maybe the costumes didn't excite you, or you just feel there isn't enough time in the day to decorate or create.

Never fear! Here are some of my favorite last minute, not hassle ways to get in the spooky spirit.

* First, this is a great idea that we do on our street. All the kids and families meet at one house on the street an hour or two before trick-or-treating. We bring food and drink and have a great time. A few great benefits of this; the kids get food in their bellies instead of just candy, we get to see everyone's outfits and we get a group photo on the front steps of that house. I think we have 8 years of pictures in front of that house with the whole street-full of children and it is an absolute blast to see how they've all grown.

* So, say you need something to bring for the party, or just need a good dish to serve on Halloween? Try chili. If the air is at all crisp, it will be a hit. It will fill up the little ones so they have plenty of fuel to run from door-to-door and, if you're having guests, you can set out all types of toppings, like cheese, jalapenos, sour cream, chives, olives, etc so they can customize their chili to their liking.

* Need a dessert? Make crazy monster cupcakes. Cupcakes are all the rage, and they make eating a snap. No need for forks and spoons! Make cupcakes, whether from scratch from a box. And same goes for the frosting. Frost the cupcakes, but leave a couple of tablespoons for the decorating. Cut large pre-made marshmallows in half and stick them onto the tops of the frosted cupcakes (so they make the "whites" of eyes). Put the set-aside frosting in a small plastic storage bag and snip a corner of the bag. Through that snipped hole, squeeze a dot of frosting onto the marshmallow "eyes" and add an m&m candy. Now you have the monsters eyes. You can make them cross-eyed, looking up, or in different directions. It doesn't matter! Then, put a different colored m&m in-between the "eyes" for the monsters nose. And ta-da! Instant monster cupcakes. Have the kids help you, too.

* And finally, the pumpkins. Use acrylic paint or paint pens to park up those "fake" pumpkins or even the real ones. Draw a design, a word, or maybe even your monogram on it. Group several together to create a word (see a previous blog for more ideas on that). If you feel the need to cut one up, don't buy expensive templates. Just draw (or have your children draw) the faces they want on a piece of paper. Attach the paper to the pumpkin with thumb tacks (maybe mom or dad should do that) and poke with a skewer on the lines of the design. Remove the paper and thumb tacks and get carving!

There are so many great, easy and inexpensive ways to have fun with Halloween. So, don't sweat it! Happy Halloween!