Are you looking to up your Halloween celebrations this year? Try out some of these Halloween traditions to increase the spooky level in your house this year!
I have a confession to make: I’m not a big Halloween person. Why? I’m not 100% sure, but I think most of my ambivalence toward Halloween comes from where I grew up. Our neighborhood when I was a child was pretty much exclusively old people. My sister and I were the only kids in our community for quite a while. Although this was great for some reasons, it meant that we did not have a typical Halloween experience as kids. We didn’t go trick-or-treating door to door. Instead, we drove around the neighborhood to houses that we knew were expecting us. It was always anti-climactic.
As a mom, though, I’m ecstatic that my kids live in a neighborhood that is teeming with other kids. A lot of our neighbors go all out for Halloween, and the kids love it so much. So, this year, I’m trying to let the Halloween spirit running through our neighborhood move me. I’m leaning into Halloween this year.
To push me closer to loving Halloween, I’m instituting new Halloween traditions this year. I want to get the Halloween vibes started early and keep them going all the way through the month of October. I’m sharing the Halloween traditions I’m looking into and my plans for how I might pull them off so you can get into the Halloween spirit with me.
Halloween Traditions
Trick-or-treat
If you are an American who has kids and you don’t live in a snowbird community in Florida, trick-or-treating is a no-brainer Halloween tradition. Dress up your kids in their costumes (more on that later), grab a vessel for candy (a cute bucket or even a simple pillowcase), and head out to trick-or-treat. In most places, trick-or-treating will happen on Halloween night, but some places choose the closest weekend day to Halloween, so check with your neighborhood to confirm.
Although I highly recommend that you trick-or-treat with your kids this Halloween, make sure you’re doing it safely. Need some help in that arena? Check out my Halloween Safety Tips post.
Costumes
If you’re going to trick-or-treat, you’re going to need costumes. Now, you can just order a costume of your choosing from the internet without pomp or circumstance. There is nothing wrong with this method – sometimes it’s the only way you can manage! But if you’re looking for Halloween traditions, why not make an event out of choosing costumes?
If you’re more of a store-bought costume mom, take everyone on a trip to the costume store so everyone can choose their own costume. More of a DIY mom? Involve your kids in the costume making process! Have them help you gather materials, and let them man the glue gun if they’re old enough.
Pumpkin patch
If you’re following my Fall Bucket List, you’re already planning to visit a pumpkin patch. But just because it’s on your bucket list doesn’t mean you can’t also add it to your list of Halloween traditions! Get everyone dressed up in a cute Fall outfit and head to go pick your pumpkins. Most pumpkin patches have more than just pumpkins, so make a day of it! Conquer the corn maze, take pictures with the cute Fall props, and smash some apples. It’ll be a highlight of your season.
Carving jack-o-lanterns
After you go to the pumpkin patch and pick the perfect pumpkins, grab a knife (or a saw if you’re my husband) and carve them into jack-o-lanterns! If you are artistic, you can try your hand at an intricate design. If you’re like me, even a janky, uneven jack-o-lantern is cute. We are in it for the tradition, not the art project!
If you don’t want to mix kids and knives (who can blame you?), you can still make a pumpkin worthy of donning your doorstep. Whether you go spooky or silly, they’re all good! You can even make a pumpkin Carmen Miranda! Draw a face with a Sharpie and pile a bunch of plastic fruit on top. This is the only crafty thing I ever made that won anything, so if your kid is looking for a winning design that doesn’t require artistic ability, I can confirm that this is it!
Decorations
My whole adult life, I have only ever decorated for Christmas. But this year, because I’m looking for Halloween traditions, I’m going to give decorating for Halloween a try. I’m not going overboard, and neither do you. But, I’m trying to make it feel like Halloween both inside and outside with small touches. My kids are still little, so we’re keeping things cute. Smiling ghosts, dancing skeletons, and Mickey Mouse pumpkins are the name of the game for us. If your kids are older, feel free to lean into the darker side of Halloween if you’re not too chicken. I’m definitely too chicken, so the Mickey Mouse pumpkins will stay long after the kids fly the nest.
Halloween movies
My kids are finally getting close to being able to sit through a whole movie. My son is 6 and my daughter is 3, and he has been the limiting rate, so it’s taken quite a while. To celebrate this milestone, why not add a movie night or two to our growing list of Halloween traditions?
But just because they can finally sit through a movie doesn’t mean they’re ready for Nightmare on Elm Street. Or even Hocus Pocus. If you’re in the same boat, I’ve got a great list of Halloween movies for little kids that scratch that Halloween itch without interrupting anyone’s sleep.
Halloween dinner
One of the easiest Halloween traditions to adopt is a standard dinner every October 31st. You probably already have this tradition, but you didn’t even realize it was a tradition. Some families order pizza every Halloween night, we make chili and cornbread. If you want a list of easy, hearty Halloween dinners that could become your family’s traditional Halloween meal, I’ve got you covered.
Halloween treats
If you really want to get into the Halloween mood via food, why not make some cute Halloween treats? I love any excuse to make a treat, so I’m all over this Halloween tradition!
I have my eye on a few cute Halloween treats to make with my kids this season. I’ll report back to let you know if any of these were a hit or a miss.
Sweet
Halloween Chex mix – This looks delicious! The Pioneer Woman rarely steers me wrong.
Reese’s bats – Put together Oreos and Reese’s cups to look like bats for a no-fail treat!
Savory
Pumpkin deviled eggs – Could these be any cuter? They also look crazy easy to pull off too, so that’s a win!
Ghost pizza bagels – Pizza bagels are already on the top of any list of things my kids will eat. Make them ghosty? This is a slam dunk!
Scare packages
Don’t keep the spooky fun all to yourself! Spread the ghoulish glee by making scare packages for your neighbors as one of your Halloween traditions.
What is a scare package, you ask? It’s a Halloween-themed care package. It doesn’t have to be grandiose or cost a ton of money, just grab a few Halloweenie items and throw them in a plastic pumpkin and deliver to your neighbors. I’m thinking some candy (of course), stickers, a book, a cute piece of décor – whatever you think your neighbors would enjoy. These are infinitely customizable!
Pumpkin walk
I might have saved the best for last on this list of Halloween traditions. If not the best, then at least the new Halloween tradition for which I’m most excited.
We all make a big deal of driving around to look at Christmas decorations in December, but no one casually goes around the neighborhood to look at anyone’s Halloween decorations. Sure, you get a glimpse of your neighbors’ Halloween decorations when you’re trick-or-treating, but you’re often running after your sugar high kids. You don’t exactly have the opportunity to appreciate the decorations on Halloween night. Change that this year with a pumpkin walk the night or two before Halloween. Check out the illuminated jack-o-lanterns and any other festive decorations when you have time to actually see them. Bring along a mug of hot apple cider for a full-on Fall moment!
Other posts
Want more Halloween content? I’m so glad you asked! Here are some other Halloween-related Sara in Season posts:
I hope you’ll try out a few of these Halloween traditions with me this year. Does your family have a Halloween tradition that isn’t on this list? Please share down in the comments below or over on Instagram @sarainseason!