Ways to celebrate Halloween at home
When you think of Halloween festivities, memories of trick-or-treating with your friends or visiting the nearest Instagram-worthy pumpkin patch on a crisp autumn day spring to mind. However, these iconic Halloween moments aren’t the only way to celebrate. Try one (or more) of these ideas for garden games or alternative carving options to make your Halloween at home even more fun.
Decorate your home
Who said Halloween had to stay outdoors? Bring the fun inside with devilish decorations. Whether you keep the spooky decor to a minimum or give your home a complete Halloween makeover is completely up to you. For more tips and tricks, head to our blog post on DIY decorations for Halloween. Most can be made from everyday household objects too.
Afterlife tea
Just because a house party might be a no-go for this year’s Halloween, doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to celebrate. Our suggestion? The ‘Afterlife’ tea. Stop hearts with shock-olate cupcakes that are to die fo., but keep your eyes peeled for any marshmallow eyeballs or fingers sandwiches trying to escape! With our latest platters and more, now available on the Entertain shop, you can be spooky and sophisticated too.
Halloween hunt
A more home-based alternative to the traditional trick or treat is the Halloween hunt. Much like the Easter egg hunt, you can hide sweet treats or toys in your back garden for your kids to scavenge. This game is great for a daytime delight or after dusk, if you like the added drama of using torches to aid your search. This game also means that your child won’t have to go without wearing that fancy dress outfit they’ve been dying to wear all year.
Monster movie night
If sharing stories isn’t your thing, try having a monster movie night to get your goosebumps rising. Turn off the lights, make a buttery batch of popcorn and settle on the sofa to enjoy some teen screams. Plus, there are plenty of animated films with Halloween themes, if you’re looking for something a little more family-friendly than a fright flick.
Alternative carving
Think pumpkins are overrated? Why not break tradition this Halloween by skipping the pumpkin pile and surveying the rest of the produce section. There are plenty of options for creative carving. Pineapples, squash, peppers, melons, courgettes and more are all waiting to have their scary side brought out. Why should pumpkins have all the fun?
Gruesome games
1.0 Sharing spooky stories
There’s nothing like sharing creepy ghost stories with friends and family – especially in the dark . If you have a garden and permission to do so, try having a campfire late at night to gather round and tell your ghoulish stories. It’s a real atmosphere-setter and, in lieu of a campfire, you can always use torches to get that ghostly glow. There are plenty of ghost story books available out there, but you may have a few haunting memories of your own to share.
2.0 Mummify yourself
Pass out rolls of toilet paper amongst yourself and let the fun begin! Whoever is able to best cover themselves in toilet roll to look like a mummy wins. Top tip: it may take about 2-3 rolls per person to get a good amount of coverage though.
3.0 Digging for eyeballs
First, cook up a big pan of pasta, leave to cool and add tomato sauce. Pt the cooked pasta in a large bowl. While it cools, take some ping pong balls to write on. Three balls should have ‘treat’ written on them, and three should have ‘trick’ written on them. Hide these ping pong balls inside the pasta bowl. Players will then have to dig around in a ‘slimey bowl’ to find the eyeballs. If they choose a trick ball, they have to forfeit, but if they pick a treat they get a small prize.
For more Halloween inspiration, head over to Ocado’s Halloweekender shop now.