Essentials for Spooky Season

Pumpkin Carving

Did you know that the custom of making jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween began here in Ireland? It wasn’t always lit pumpkins, though. The tradition started with turnips hollowed out to act as lanterns, often carved with weird, grotesque faces. You can always cut a turnip and light it up, but now it is all about the pumpkins. Pick out your favourite pumpkin, or two or three, decide on your design, scoop it, carve it, and then add a tea light to complete it. 

Spooky Movie Nights

Nothing says Halloween season, like curling up in some comfy clothes and watching your favourite scary movie. The movie doesn’t always have to be a scary one, though. There are a lot of family-friendly films that can help you celebrate the season no matter what age you are. Hocus Pocus, Disney’s Haunted Mansion, and Practical Magic, to name a few. If your TV isn’t large enough to take it all in, try a projector and use a blank white wall. Set up your viewing area of choice with comfy cushions, throws, and ambient lighting. You can even throw in the pumpkins you just carved and viola! You are on your way to many spooky movie nights for the entire month of October.

Costumes

Tis the season for dressing up as whatever or whoever you want! There is no lack of options to choose from when it comes to Halloween costumes. Have you always wanted to be a superhero? Now is the time you can run around in a batman costume. Have you dreamed of being a princess your whole life? Now is the time to dress like royalty. You can discover one ready to go or make your own. The choice is up to you. Here are a couple of cleverly easy ideas for DIY costumes;

• A pink dress+silver ribbon+balloons+adhesive felt= A bubblegum costume.
• A pink or white outfit+pom poms+felt ears= Frosted Animal Cookies Costume.
• A white shirt+tan trousers+cardstock+balloon= Ice Cream Costume.
• An umbrella+celeb print outs+string+raincoat+rainboots= It’s Raining Men Costume.

Treats Not Tricks

Treats are always a great idea, no matter what activities you have planned for Halloween. What would the season be without being able to give into our sweet tooth cravings? Of course, any candy or chocolate would do the trick. But, if you want to add your eerily delicious touch to the spooky season, try one of the easy recipes below. 

Chocolate Covered Halloween Pretzels:

1. Line a pan with a parchment sheet.
2. Melt white chocolate chips and chocolate chips in 30-second intervals in a tall bowl/mug, stirring after each, until the chocolate is smooth.
3. Take one pretzel rod and dip it into the chocolate. Use a spoon to add additional chocolate to the pretzel stick to coat it about halfway, or two-thirds to the bottom.
4. Top pretzels with sprinkles, candy eyes, candy corn, or drizzle with orange or green candy melts.
5. Allow to set and enjoy.

Strawberry Ghosts:

1. Wash some strawberries and pat them dry.
2. Melt the white chocolate: add chopped chocolate and coconut oil into a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water into a medium pot, and put the bowl on top of the pot. The bowl shouldn’t touch the surface of the water. Cook over the lowest heat, stirring the chocolate the entire time until it is melted. Take the bowl off the pot.
3. Dip the strawberries in chocolate. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Let the excess chocolate drip off to form a tail. Spoon some extra chocolate with a teaspoon to create a ghost’s tail.
4. Put the tray with strawberries in the fridge until the chocolate is set.
5. Use a chocolate decorating pen to make two eyes and a mouth.
6. Chill until the chocolate is set.
7. Enjoy!

DIY Decor

Whether you are decorating for a Halloween party or making your home a little more haunting for the season, adding a few ghoulish pieces can be a fun activity all on its own. Try making your own Halloween yarn garland with ghosts, pumpkins, and bats. All you need is yarn, markers, and your imagination! You could also make floating candles from the core of toilet paper rolls. Grab the core, use a hot glue gun and add glue to the top to make it look like hot melted wax from a candle, paint it white, add a tea light to the top, and then hang it from the ceiling with a fishing line. Another creative decoration idea is bleeding candles. Take a red candle, light it, and drip the wax onto a white candle. Tada! It is that simple.