As a father, I must admit I have warmed to the holiday, but I still have a problem with all the focus on witches and ghouls and such. A holiday that focuses on scary things still bothers me just a little bit. I’ve been pleased that my children have typically chosen more wholesome images to emulate through their costumes.

This year was different though. I’ve actually been looking forward to Halloween since the middle of June. I planned. I prepared. I thought and strategized about it. But, it didn’t go quite the way I expected…

The Garage Sale

Our community has a neighborhood garage sale each June. By planning everyone’s sale on the same day more people attend and the event is more successful for everyone. For several years my son Parker has had a stand selling lemonade, coffee, muffins and cookies, taking advantage of all of the shoppers who came to our cul-de-sac. Last year, my neighbor Jim and I added hot dogs and other grilled food to the menu. People could shop and get a meal too! We had so much fun; we did it again this year.

Only this year, we secretly decided to give the proceeds to our neighbors who have a son with autism. At our annual party, after the sale, we presented them with about $120 (a lot of money when you aren’t selling anything for more than a dollar!) to give to the autism group of their choice.

Trying Again

The mix of the fun we had and the response we received from our neighbors led to another idea – let’s do this at Halloween. Halloween would be perfect we speculated; lots of traffic (since we always have more than 100 trick or treaters), easy to market (through flyers in the neighborhood), and this year Halloween would be on a Friday. It seemed perfect!

Every few weeks the subject came up. We talked about what to serve and how to market it. Jim, who works in the food brokerage business, got sponsors to provide all the meat. As the calendar turned to October we got more serious and the menu was set: hot dogs, bratwurst, hamburgers and homemade chili.

As I worked on the marketing flyer, all the foods became holiday-themed: Halloweenies, Beastie Brats, Haunted Hamburgers and Chilling Chili. We decided to sell soda and chips. We added a place for kids to bob for apples. We would have the candy from five houses for one stop trick-or-treating. We distributed more than 140 flyers. We were raising money for a great cause. In the final week we even realized we were going to have perfect weather – upper 60’s by “game time.” We had the perfect setup for a successful event.

Halloween is Here

Friday morning Lori and I made the chili. After lunch we finished shopping for the final items. I couldn’t wait to set up! We got everything out – ran extension cords to the street, set up lights, tables and chairs, blocked off the cul-de-sac and fired up the grill.

Two other neighbors were manning the candy – to help the trick-or-treaters get it and to tell them which houses were empty. Parker, age 11, decided to help with the event rather than trick or treat. He would take money and answer questions. Jim would take and fill orders, and I was grill man. We fed the families around us, ourselves and our kids to get the grill going, and they took off to collect candy and good wishes. We were ready.

It got dark, and we had very few trick-or-treaters, and even fewer customers. One mother said she and her son would be back after they were done. We rubbed our hands and prepared for the onslaught.

The onslaught never came.

The Results

By the end of the evening we probably had half our typical number of trick-or-treaters. We sold a little water and soda. We sold a few grilled items. We made $32 (before expenses).

It was a tough night for me. In retrospect, I was as discouraged and disappointed as I can remember being in a long time. It was Sunday before I was really back to normal.

The Lessons

I shook myself out of my self-imposed funk by thinking back on what we did – and what we accomplished. $32. I didn’t even count it until Monday. Truth be told, it was more than I expected at that point. My reflection helped me realize that several positive things happened:

• We had fun both planning and doing the event.

• We strengthened neighborhood relationships.

• We taught our children a lesson about caring and doing things for others – through our actions, not our checkbooks.

• We made a memory we will talk about for years.

• We learned what might have to change if we do this again on Halloween!

• I got the subject for this essay.

• A neighborhood shelter got lots of hamburger and hot dog buns.

• And we did add $32 to the Riley Children’s Hospital Autism Unit to help them do their work.

However, the best result for me was the lesson of reflection. All the value created by the event was overshadowed in my mind when we didn’t reach our goal. My personal goal had been $300. So, in reality, we did about 11% of that goal. I lost sight of all the good by focusing only on the desired outcome.

If you had asked me Saturday morning if the event was a success, I would have grimaced and quickly said no. If you ask me now, I will say that we didn’t raise much money, but it was fun, and we learned a lot. Anytime you can have fun while learning is a good experience in my book.

We all suffer defeats, challenges and disappointments. Sometimes they are large; sometimes they aren’t. Big or small, I believe there is value and learning in every one of them. Our goal has to be to find those lessons. We only find them by reflecting on the experience and expecting to find them.

Maybe you find yourself reeling from a setback as you read this. If so, please take the message to heart. Maybe the message is more theoretical for you at the moment, that’s OK too. Use this as a reminder for the next time you are discouraged. Lift your head up, reflect on what happened, learn from it, smile and go on!

I don’t know what next Halloween holds, but we already are talking about the garage sale. We may expand to breakfast. I’ll let you know how it goes.

About Kevin Eikenberry

Every child wants their Halloween party to be the scariest, thrilling and chilling. They come up with new motives of dreary decorations and exciting games to give horrible shock to their friends so that the party will be remember for a long time. In this article you will find some important tips on how to arrange a perfect Halloween party.

October brings that bright blue weather poets sing about and it also brings that traditional
night of nights when witches, bats, owls, black cats and goblins are on the prowl in step with the moaning wind in ghostly tree tops.

What could be more perfect on such a night than to have the High School gang in for a Halloween party. No other party is such fun to give with all of spook Dom ready to do your bidding to add to the party atmosphere. And if you make your party a ’superstitious’ party you can give your games that different touch that will make your party the talk of the crowd for many a day to come. It will start the social season off with a bang.

Trim your house from top to bottom with black cut-outs of witches riding the broomstick, black cats, owls, and grinning jack-o-lanterns. Add to this usual decoration plenty of superstitious symbols to carry your party theme. Cardboard horseshoes can grace the doorways and huge four-leaf clovers decorate the drapes. In one corner suspend an open black umbrella decorated with bright orange streamers that reach to the floor. This colorful canopy will house your gypsy queen when she tells the fortunes of the willing guests.

Set the pitch for your party with invitations inscribed in white ink on black cut-out skull and cross bones:
BEWARE!
Bring your luck with you
Friday night, October 31
To Bob Wyman’s at
8.00 P.M. YOU’LL NEED IT!
Be a black cat when you greet your guests at the door and hand each one a rabbit’s foot to guard him well as he walks under the tall stepladder arching the doorway. Your black-cat costume need be no more than a black-cat mask and a black rope tail fastened under your belt. If the rest of your clothes are dark it will carry the catty illusion.

Usher the girls into a room so dimly lighted they’ll not loiter long to primp. A long, jagged, black crayon mark drawn diagonally across the mirror will remind them that bad luck is loose in the house tonight.

A huge number 13 over the door of the boys’ room will warn them of the peril of the night as well as huge black-cat cut-outs taped to the walls.

Before the party type a list of Bad Omens or Superstitions, one to a card. Then cut each card into several pieces. Scramble them and place several pieces in each envelope. Hand an envelope to each guest as he enters. By exchanging pieces with the other guests he can get the right pieces to formulate one complete superstition. Here are some familiar superstitions to use:
1. A broken mirror will bring you seven years of bad luck.
2. If you sing before breakfast you will cry before night.
3. If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck.
4. To walk under a ladder is extremely bad luck.
5. You’ll never finish anything started on Friday.
6. If you put on a garment wrong side out it’s bad luck to change.
7. It’s bad luck to sneeze before breakfast.
8. It’s bad luck to rock an empty chair.
This mixer will give the guests something to do immediately upon arrival and avoid any stilted, awkward moments.

Next seat the guests on the floor in two lines facing each other. Appoint the first man of each line captain. Give each captain a double handful of Bad-Luck Corn. Instruct him to lay his Bad Luck (Corn) in a pile in front of his neighbor.

The object of the game is to see which team can first pass the corn down the line and back. Any spilled corn must be gathered up and passed along. It’s quite a trick to pass this much corn fast without dropping kernels.

About Author: Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for http://www.kids-games-n-crafts.com/ , http://www.mycostumeshub.info/ , http://www.mycostumesresource.info/

Article Source: ArticlesAlley.com

Author: Paul Banas

Halloween, though undoubtedly an occasion for fun, is also a time when accidents could occur. When even adults, let alone children, are excited, they tend to be less careful and allow mistakes to happen.

Simple common sense ideas could prevent your child or even yourself from being hurt or injured and avert a tragedy. Here’s a list of Halloween Safety Tips recommended by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

BEFORE HALLOWEEN:

• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.

• Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.

• Secure emergency identification (name, address, phone number) discreetly within Halloween attire or on a bracelet.

• Because a mask can limit or block eyesight, consider non-toxic and hypoallergenic makeup or a decorative hat as a safe alternative.

• When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories, purchase only those with a label indicating they are flame resistant.

• Think twice before using simulated knives, guns or swords. If such props must be used, be certain they do not appear authentic and are soft and flexible to prevent injury.

• Obtain flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts.

• Plan ahead to use only battery powered lanterns or chemical lightsticks in place of candles in decorations and costumes.

• This is also a great time to buy fresh batteries for your home Smoke Alarms.

• Teach children their home phone number and to how call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they have an emergency or become lost. Remind them that 9-1-1 can be dialed free from any phone.

• Review with your children the principle of “Stop-Drop-Roll,” should their clothes catch fire.

• Openly discuss appropriate and inappropriate behavior at Halloween time.

• Consider purchasing individually packaged healthy food alternatives (or safe non-food treats) for those who visit your home.

• Take extra effort to eliminate tripping hazards on your porch and walkway. Check around your property for flower pots, low tree limbs, support wires or garden hoses that may prove hazardous to young children rushing from house to house.

• Learn or review CPR skills to aid someone who is choking or having a heart attack.

• Consider safe party guidelines when hosting an Adult or Office Party.

FUN ALTERNATIVES:

• Find a special event or start one in your own neighborhood.

• Community Centers, Shopping Malls and Houses of Worship may have organized festivities.

• Share the fun by arranging a visit to a Retirement Home or Senior Center.

• Create an alliance with College Fraternities, Sororities or Service Clubs for children’s face painting or a carnival.

BEFORE NIGHTFALL ON HALLOWEEN:

• A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.

• Consider fire safety when decorating. Do not overload electrical outlets with holiday lighting or special effects, and do not block exit doors.

• While children can help with the fun of designing a Jack O’ Lantern, leave the carving to adults.

• Always keep Jack O’ Lanterns and hot electric lamps far away from drapes, decorations, flammable materials or areas where children and pets will be standing or walking.

• Plan and review with your children the route and behavior which is acceptable to you.

• Do not permit children to bicycle, roller-blade or skateboard.

• Agree on a specific time when revelers must return home.

• Along with flashlights for all, older children and escorts should wear a wristwatch and carry coins for non-emergency phone calls.

• Confine, segregate or otherwise prepare household pets for an evening of frightful sights and sounds. Be sure that all dogs and cats are wearing collars and proper identification tags. Consult your veterinarian for further advice.

• Remind all household drivers to remain cautious and drive slowly throughout the community.

• Adult partygoers should establish and reward a designated driver.

WHEN TRICK-OR-TREATING:

• A Parent or responsible Adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.

• Remind Trick-or-Treaters:

• By using a flashlight, they can see and be seen by others.

• Stay in a group, walk slowly and communicate where you are going.

• Only trick-or-treat in well known neighborhoods at homes that have a porch light on.

• Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.

• If no sidewalk is available, walk at the farthest edge of the roadway facing traffic.

• Never cut across yards or use alleys.

• Never enter a stranger’s home or car for a treat.

• Obey all traffic and pedestrian regulations.

• Always walk. Never run across a street.

• Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom).

• Remove any mask or item that will limit eyesight before crossing a street, driveway or alley.

• Don’t assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn’t mean others will.

• Never consume unwrapped food items or open beverages that may be offered.

• No treats are to be eaten until they are thoroughly checked by an Adult at home.

• Law Enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

AFTER TRICK-OR-TREATING:

• Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible Adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.

• Try to apportion treats for the days following Halloween.

• Although sharing is encouraged, make sure items that can cause choking (such as hard candies), are given only to those of an appropriate age.

Halloween for Kids and Dads

Halloween’s just around the corner. And while your kids are all set to have a blast, they will appreciate your effort and participation in making it a memorable day for them. Of course, some activities are traditionally dad’s domain. A fun excursion for any family is an annual trip to pick out a pumpkin, though sometimes, just picking one up at the grocery store is a good plan if you only have time to do one thing. For a tongue-in-cheek, but accurate primer on carving, go to carving your jack o’ lantern.

For patterns and carving tips, check out jack-o-lantern.com, which has downloadable PDF pattern for cutting out unique pumpkins.

While commercial costumes are always an option, it’s not difficult to create spooky costumes for your kids when they go ‘Trick or Treating.’ Helping them put together costumes from material readily available at home will be a fun exercise in creativity for them that will also save you a few good dollars. Here are some amazingly simple Halloween costume ideas that you could use or innovate upon.

When it comes to dads and their kids, often the simplest activities give the most joy. Curve a pumpkin together during Halloween is a fun activity that stimulates kids’ creative faculties. Find more about Halloween safety tips on Halloween festival.

About the Author:

Paul Banas

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Halloween Safety Tips

Author: Tracie Johanson

For those of us looking for quick weight loss, Halloween can be a scary experience! While just one night of indulgence in Halloween candy might not be enough to break your belt, dipping into the leftover stockpile for weeks on end will surely derail your diet or weight loss program.

In 1921, in Anoka, MN, the United States enjoyed our first recorded instance of a Halloween celebration. Annual candy consumption has climbed almost unabated since then. According to the Census Bureau, Americans eat nearly a half-pound of candy each week for an average of 25 pounds of candy a year. Candy is big business, with the United States boasting 1,040 manufacturing establishments producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2001. These establishments employed 45,913 people and shipped $12 billion worth of goods that year. Another 616 U.S. establishments manufactured non-chocolate confectionery products in 2001. These establishments employed 26,400 people and shipped $7 billion worth of goods that year (source: census.gov).

The overwhelming popularity of the South Beach Diet, Zone Diet, and Atkins Diet has prompted low-carb weight watchers to eat less candy. Overall consumption has actually declined over the last few years; as recently as 1997 the average annual candy consumption was a sky-high 27 pounds.

The Problem:
Most people on a diet plan or weight control program look at candy as little brightly-colored fat bombs. That assessment isn’t far off the mark, either, with most candy packing little nutritional value and a ton of calories.

Some of the more popular Halloween candy has too many calories to be included in any healthy diet:
Twizzlers 1 treat size pkg.= 45 calories
Almond Joy 1 snack size bar = 90 calories
Milk Duds 1 treat size box = 40 calories
Butterfinger 1 snack size bar = 100 calories
Milky Way 1 snack size bar = 90 calories
SweetTarts 1 treat size pkg. = 50 calories
1 Tootsie Pop 1 pop = 60 calories
1 Tootsie Roll 1 small roll = 13 calories

Note: Calorie content is based on 1 serving of Halloween ’snack’ or ‘fun’ size packages, not full size servings found in the candy aisle.

While just a few pieces of Halloween candy won’t obliterate your diet program or weight loss plan, it’s the temptation to keep having ‘just one more’ that will pack on the pounds. It only takes nine small fun-size candy bars to put on a quarter-pound of fat. Besides candy, Halloween threatens many other high-calorie treats like Caramel apples (243 calories), 8-oz. apple cider and a cake donut (319 calories), or a slice of pumpkin pie (240 calories).

The Solution:
Is it possible to cope with the menace of Halloween candy without taking all the fun out of the holiday? Absolutely! If you’re looking for fast weight loss, and don’t want Halloween to bring your fat loss to a screeching halt, consider these healthy Halloween tips:

1. Walk with your kids while they’re trick-or-treating. A 165-lb. woman strolling along (walking slowly) for one hour will burn approximately 150 calories (source: caloriesperhour.com).
2. Out of sight, out of mind. When the kids have unloaded their stash, store it in an airtight container and put it in the cupboard. A bowl full of candy on the counter is an open invitation to have ‘just one’, but a stockpile you can’t see is less tempting.
3. If you’re going to give out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, don’t buy it until October 31st. Having a candy supply in the house before Halloween only entices you to have some early.
4. If you must buy candy before Halloween, buy a kind you don’t like. Again, this will reduce the temptation for you to dig in.
5. Hosting a Halloween party? Supply vegetables, healthy dips, and low fat snacking alternatives instead of candy.
6. Set a Halloween candy deadline by which all Halloween candy must be either consumed (by the kids) or it will be thrown away. Saving that candy for weeks, or even months, only keeps temptation in the house.
7. Put more emphasis on dressing up in a great costume, and less on candy. This is especially true for the kids, who often view Halloween as a candy free-for-all dream come true.
8. By hosting a party on Halloween night, you can control the menu and have fun with friends at the same time.
9. Focus on Halloween activities other than eating. There are lots of options available, from hayrides to haunted houses to bonfires.
10. Candy has a long shelf life, and there’s no reason why you couldn’t put some of it in airtight bags and store it in the freezer. Allow the kids to take out one bag every two weeks until it’s gone. This tactic will at least space out the temptation and minimize candy binge eating.

Of course, the absolute best way to avoid weight gain, and perhaps even achieve some easy weight loss, during the Halloween season is to bump up the amount of exercise you’re getting. There’s no better way to lose weight fast than a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Make sure the workout you’re doing includes both aerobic and resistance training, as it is critical to get both types of exercise to maximize weight loss. It’s also important to exercise for at least thirty minutes, three times per week, which is the most recent recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (source: cdc.gov).

A fantastic strategy is to find the best weight loss program for you now, before Halloween hits. The reason is that the last three months of the year are packed with holidays, special dinners and seasonal treats. Starting with Halloween candy and ending with Christmas fudge, many people find that they’re packing on more pounds during this period than they do any other time of year.

Joining a gym is an excellent way to combat Halloween and holiday weight gain. Finding a good gym to join now will not only help keep off those holiday pounds, but will even make you slimmer by New Years.

About the Author:
This article brought to you by My Healthy Weight Loss Diet. Are you tired of weight loss pills and diet pills that don’t work? Use our healthy diet programs to finally achieve results! Please visit http://www.myhealthyweightlossdiet.com/ for more information.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Watch Your Weight This Halloween

Author: Krista QQ(www.123giftfactory.com)
On the annual Nov.1 is the traditional Western festival of “Ghost Holiday” – Halloween, and Oct. 31 is the eve of Halloween, it usually known as the night before Halloween. But the atmosphere on this day is far from “horrible” as its name sounds.

The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840’s by Irish immigrants fleeing their country’s potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outbuildings and unhinging fence gates.

The best known and featured custom of Halloween are just the two – fantastic “Jack’s Lantern” and prank “Trick or Treat”.

Every time at the arrival of Halloween, the children are all hurried to put on their colorful make-up costumes, wear various ridiculous masks on and carrying a “Jack Light” walk from house to house and begging for holiday gifts.

Trick or Treat

The custom of trick-or-treat is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village and begging for “soul candies”, made out of square pieces of bread with raisins.

The more soul candies the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could speed up a soul’s path to the heaven.

This is an important part in Halloween days on the dining table, you not only should ready for enough candies and cakes to entertain those naughty “devilkins”, but also to deck out your table with elaborate care in this special day. Never to let your guests look down with you!

Jack’s Lantern

The “Jack’s Lantern” custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree’s trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.

The “Jack’s Lantern” looks very cute and lovely, and its could be bought out very simple: Take a pumpkin and hollowed out it, then engraved smiling eyes and a big mouth on the outside, then put a candle in and lit it, so people could able to see this naive and smiling face faraway, this is just the children’s favorite toy on Halloween.

The Irish used turnips as their “Jack’s lanterns” originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.

Custom Tradition Review

In the most “haunted” night, all kinds of demons, pirates, witches and extraterrestrial visitors will turn out one after another. In the era before Christ, the Celtics have the custom of to hold a ceremony at the end of the summer to express thanks for the benefactions given by God and the Sun, diviners of the time will light up fires and apply witchcrafts to drive away the demons and spirits that wandering around.

Later, the custom of Romans that using nuts and apples to celebrate harvest was fused with the custom of Celtics on October 31, and In the Middle Ages, people were accustomed to put on costumes of animal designs, and worn terrible masks to drive away ghosts and demons in the night before Halloween. Although the Christianism had taken place of the Celtic and Roman’s religious activities later, these early Halloween customs have been kept down finally.

The Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences, Pomona Day’s apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Samhain’s black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day.

So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite “holiday,” the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

Today, children wear on a variety of Halloween costumes and masks jokingly to attend Halloween parties, and people has been familiar with the scene of various witches made of paper, black cats, skeletons and ghost figures hanging on the walls of the parties, also in front of windows and doors there are pumpkin lanterns with bare teeth and open mouths or formidable faces.

About the Author:
I’d like to introduce and display an excellent selection of China fine art products and gifts – www.123giftfactory.com to you, also give you great suggestions about gift ideas and the latest fashion art trends in China.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Happy Halloween II — Halloween Customs

Author: Kate S
Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. It is a fun holiday when children will dress in their favorite costumes and go out trick-or-treating for candies. This article examines the origin of Halloween, and provides some ideas for Halloween gifts.

Halloween has its origin in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The festival of Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season, and could be regarded as the Celtic New Year. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundary between the alive and the dead disappeared, and the dead became dangerous for the living by causing illness, damaged crops, and other problems. Costumes and masks were worn at the festival to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.

The name “Halloween” is shortened from All Hallows’ Eve as it is the eve of “All Hallows’ Day”, which is now known as All Saints’ Day. Although All Saints’s Day now occurs one day after Halloween, the Celts started every day at sunset of the night before. Hence Samhain became “the evening of All Hallows”. Traditional activities for Halloween include costume parties, carving pumpkins to make Jack-o-lanterns (carved pumpkin lit by a candle inside), trick-or-treating, or reading scary stories. Irish immigrants carried versions of these tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Traditional characters of Halloween include ghosts, witches, vampires, bats, black cats, goblins, skeletons, pumpkin-man, scarecrow and fictional figures such as Dracula. Halloween gifts often include one of these characters for the festivities.

The Halloween gift basket is a great gift for your favorite trick-or-treater. Most Halloween gift baskets have a Jack-O-Lantern pail since Jack-O-Lantern is the symbol of Halloween. One popular gift basket includes popcorn, candy corn (popular Halloween candy), other Halloween candies, a plush black cat dressed as a witch, a pumpkin carving kit for recipients to make Jack-O-Lantern, and a pumpkin flash light for safety during trick-or-treating. This gift is truly a must have for Halloween!Another version of Halloween gift basket comes with a Halloween puzzle for the kids, in addition to plenty of treats. For more dramatic effects, you can send a Count Dracula gift basket. This basket consists of a plush black bear dressed as Dracula holding on to his favorite chocolate covered pumpkins. The basket also contains many other treats, including Bat Bits of yogurt pretzels, munchies, bubble gums, shortbread cookies, chocolate toffees and peanut butter pretzel nuggets. This gift basket is sure to bring everyone into the Halloween spirit.

For your college students and loved ones away from home, sending them a Halooween care package or gift box will remind them of the fun of Halloween while they were at home. A popular care package consists of a 14″ black cat in a pumpkin outfit and lots of all-American favorite Halloween treats in a trick-or-treat bag. Inside the bag are candy corn, chocolate ghosts, microwave buttern popcorn, Halloween peanut butter filled pumpkin, and Halloween candies. Sending the care package is a good way to let your recipients know you care about them.

To share the Halloween spirit, You can leave a gift tote on your neighbors door step, put it on a coworker’s desk at work, or send it to your favorite goblin far away. Inside the gift bag is a plush ghost, miniature marshmallow pumpkins, candies, peanut butter cup, miniature candy treats bags, cookies, and 2 creepy crawlers gummy worms.

The Halloween candy cake is another unique gift. The candy cake is a collection of candy pumpkins, chocolate fudge filled ghosts, Twix bars, Halloween pumpkins, miniature chocolates, ghost peeps, candy corn filled coffins, and miniature candy bars.

Halloween is about witches and black cat. Your little trick or treater may dream of creating hexes and potions. A popular Halloween gift bag is filled with Halloween candies, marshmallow Peeps ghosts, Halloween glow stick, miniature candy bars, miniature snickers bars, cookies, candy treats, microwave popcorn, and potions bottle with powdered candy. An adorable Halloween teddy bears is dressed as a witch and ready to fly away in her broomstick to deliver the delicious treats to your special goblin.

The little witch may also dream of her black cat. The singing plush black cat is another great gift. This Spooky little Cat delivers his own version of the pop hit “Spooky Little Cat Like You”. Ghosts, ghouls and goblins alike will love this lively tune and this spooky kitty!

In conclusion, Halloween is for fun activities and candy treats. Send a Halloween gift basket, care package, gift box, or a singing black cat to your favorite trick-or-treats, and they will remember the fun and love that you share.

Kate S is the CEO of Gift Basket for All, LLC. You can shop at her website, http://www.giftbasketforall.com, for sensational gift baskets for all occasions, including anniversary, holidays, new baby, birthday, corporate events, get well, sympathy.

For products information on Halloween Gifts, visit:http://www.giftbasketforall.com/page/1333483

About the Author:
Kate S is the CEO of Gift Basket for All, LLC. You can shop at her website, http://www.giftbasketforall.com,for gift baskets for all occasions, including anniversary, birthday, holidays, new baby, get well.Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Halloween Gifts

“Your order is ready, sir,” she said with a sneer. She piled a big blob of stringy, orange mush on top of an old Frisbee and waved it beneath my nose. “Would you like fries with that? Some bloody ketchup, perhaps?”

That’s my girl. She may be a greasy spoon waitress from hell, but she’s an efficient, greasy spoon waitress from hell.

As we sat there, the miniature Bette Davis and I, my mind wandered back to the Halloweens of my own youth. The wearing of costumes, the unabashed begging for goodies, the bloodcurdling screams in the dark, a door being slammed in my face – wait a minute, that wasn’t a Halloween memory. That was my honeymoon! Let’s back up and start again.

I literally grew up in the Alabama backwoods (directions: go to the middle of nowhere and turn left), where the houses were two, three miles apart. Even on a good night you could only make it to five or six houses before your costume got scratchy, so this is what we’d do. My little brother and I would put on our homemade costumes, climb into my dad’s old pickup and drive to town to trick or treat. Destination: the ritziest neighborhood we could find because they handed out the best candy.

My dad, who was a stern but fair man, had but one rule when it came to trick or treating: “One street, one hour, I get half.”

He’d boot us out at the end of the street and off we’d go, up one side and down the other. Then we’d pull off our masks and go up and down the same street again. Then we’d swap masks and give it another go. On a good night we’d end up dragging our pillowcases back to the truck like sacks of cotton. And my dad would be waiting. And hungry.

Most people would have been mentally scarred by my dad’s rules and regulations. Child abuse, it would be called today. But I thought it was a brilliant way to trick or treat. Given an ample supply of masks and empty pillowcases, the sky was the limit!

Halloween’s changed considerably since I was a kid. I’m afraid to let my kids out of the house alone on a normal day, much less on Halloween night, when the meanness just seems to come out of people. But trick or treating they will go! They’ll dress up in their cute little costumes and my wife will make them pose for pictures until the film (and my patience) is at its absolute end. Then I’ll grab a flashlight and struggle to keep up as they run from house to house with total disregard for the neighbors’ lawns and shrubs. And God help any small animals that get in their way.

They’ll trick or treat until their decorated pillowcases are overflowing, at which time they’ll give them to me to carry because they’re too tired from all that running. Their masks will become “too hot to wear” so they’ll give those to me, too, and I’ll hang them off my ample ears. Then their costumes will become “itchy,” so off they come, only to be draped around my neck like the parental coatrack that I am.

By the time we get back to the house I’ll look like Willy Wonka’s gay packmule. And I’ll love every minute of it because it’s Halloween.

And like my daddy said, I get half.

Happy Halloween!

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Tim Knox, Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Radio Host Founder, The Insiders Club, Giving You The Power To Start Your Business Today www.theinsidersclub.com Bestselling Author of: “Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama” www.timknox.com

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Your Halloween cards can be of myriad types. One can use cards to begin their friendship on Halloween. Also, very close friends can incorporate grisly fun in their friendship. One of the friends can draw his scary picture on the card along with devilish teeth so as to say the Halloween message while grinning. And not only friends, but also lovers can choose cute cards and invite each other to start a new year of their love affair with thrilling and haunting jubilation.

Another kind of card can contain the sparkling image of Jack O Lantern, happily playing the music for the incoming Halloween night. Just by having a look at his bright pumpkin face in the midst of the dark Halloween night forming the front picture of the card can easily make anyone understand that it is the arrival of some cool Halloween message.

Apart from this, your haunted Halloween cards are capable of giving horrific shocks when the pictures contained in them are that of spine chilling vampires or other ghosts. But at the same time the receiver can be peculiarly surprised when the printed monsters say “Happy Halloween!” with a happy face.

Other elements of the card can be spooky quotations, jokes and pop ups. The spine tingling fun that comes from suddenly opening up of these cards is all that these haunted Halloween cards are made for. Such elements of your cards can together produce all those Halloween sentiments that comprise our real motive on Halloween. So, accomplish that motive of Halloween with such fantastically ghoulish cards.

Jenny Chane is an associated editor of http://www.dgreetings.com/. Dgreetings is dedicated to provide you the facility to send Free Greeting Cards, Birthday Cards, Halloween Cards, Love Cards and many more. Your feed and comments will be highly appreciated at jennychane@gmail.com.

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However, some do not participate in this tradition anymore. Why? It is because they have a different kind of Halloween celebration to prepare for, the Halloween party.

Kids love Halloween parties for various reasons. They love them for the fun games, the delicious and catchy food, and the scary decorations that make their hearts jump out of their rib cages.

The games are the ones that they pay attention to the most because they have fun with the games, and also get benefits, in the forms of candies and other sweet delights. It seems that the more scared they get, the more fun and memorable their Halloween experience is.

Playing the Bean Bag Toss is not appropriate for a Halloween party; therefore, what is played is the Liver Toss. Just thaw a beef liver and the goal is to shoot, by tossing, the liver into a pail.

The How game is quite easy to play. The kids are just supposed to make as much as words as they can from the word Halloween. You can also make use of small Jack-o-lanterns that are made of plastic and have it passed around in teams that have already been lined up.

The catch is, none of the players are allowed to use his or her hands, just squeeze it under his or her chin. Get it all the way from the front to the back first, and then your team wins.

You can also spread lots of candy on a table and have each child get their share from the pile. However, they must never, under any circumstances, use their hands. They can use any other body part and have those sweet temptations placed in their individual buckets.

This game is called Little Piggies. Draw a Jack-o-lantern, or if you do not excel in the art department, have someone else do it for you, and have the Pin The Nose On Jack game. The Mummy Wrap will take more time compared to the other games.

A team member must be wrapped with white bath tissue from head to foot, just leaving the eyes uncovered. That mummy must then run around a post and back to the team and do the same thing to the next team member. The team who finishes first is declared the winner.

Always remember that it is not important that your child wins every game he or she joins in. What is important is that your child enjoys what he or she is doing, along with other children.

That is what Halloween is all about. It is about sharing the essence of Halloween with others, celebrating in joyous fun with your neighbors, and of course, giving lots and lots of candies to children who knock on your door.

Low Jeremy maintains http://Child-Party.ArticlesForReprint.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.

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