For a Halloween party, there’s no place like home. But in a city with so many Halloween activities available, is another celebration necessary? When you come down to it, isn’t Halloween all about the pillowcase full of candy?

“When children talk about Halloween, it’s always about the costumes first,” says Cathy Miyata, drama specialist with Learning Through The Arts. “Candy is nice, but what they’re planning for, months in advance, are the costumes.” Dressing up and role-playing help children make sense of the world around them, including the scary parts, so even young children can benefit from confronting the ghosts, witches and monsters associated with the evening. Halloween empowers a child as no other holiday or occasion can because it’s not about family expectations or big, fancy dinners. It’s all about imagination, both yours and your child’s. And where else can you truly express yourself, but at home?

The Bare Bones
Pinning the number of guests to the child’s age is still a good rule of thumb. While a two-year-old doesn’t need more than two guests, a twelve-year-old will be devastated with less than ten. But whom to invite? The entire class? A few good friends? The answer depends on the type of party your child would like to throw.

For the Jackson family in Oakville, Halloween wouldn’t be the same without the whole neighbourhood involved, but it wasn’t always so. With three kids, the last thing Karen Jackson wanted was another reason to hold a house party. It wasn’t until a teachers strike in Halton several years ago cancelled all Halloween celebrations that Jackson was left with little choice.

“My six-year-old was devastated,” Jackson says. “Who was going to see his costume? And how would he see everyone else’s?” Figuring all the kids must be equally upset, Jackson jumped in and filled the void.

Inviting the entire class would have led to parking nightmares and time constraints, so Jackson settled on a neighbourhood party instead. She cleared a space in her garage and prayed the weather would let them spread out onto the driveway and the front lawn. Then she sent her kids out to circulate flyers to everyone on the court. Please come in costume at 4:30 on Halloween night.

At 4:15, they started arriving: little kids, teenagers and parents alike, all in costume and ready to party. She set the older kids to work helping the little ones with Halloween crafts, let other parents arrange the costume parade and gratefully accepted donations for the pizza and pop dinner. When it drew dark, the parents went home and the kids headed off, going door to door with both new friends and old.

The party was such a hit that Jackson has held one every year since, even though her youngest son is now old enough to help the little kids with the crafts. “I can’t imagine Halloween without all the neighbours on my driveway,” Jackson says with a smile. “It gives us a real sense of community, of being part of something larger.” If the idea of the neighbourhood descending on your driveway sends shivers down your spine, then a smaller version of Jackson’s party on Halloween night can work just as well for the under five set. Invite a few friends and their parents (yes, adults should dress up too!) for a costume parade and games before trick or treating. Make it a potluck, and by the time the Jack o-Lanterns come to life, you’ll still have energy to enjoy the costume parade at your door.

Of course, older children will want a party that’s more involved and definitely scarier. Plan their parties for a few days or even the weekend before Halloween. Younger siblings can help with the preparations but try to arrange other adventures for them while the party is in progress.

Seven Ghastly Decorating Tips
Holding a party at home means turning the familiar into the frightening. Set your kids loose in the party store and let them each pick one thing that truly delights them. A dangling vampire or a howling candy dish go a long way to helping you create a convincing haunted house.

1. A few weeks before Halloween, buy a couple of bouquets of flowers, a few packages of blue lightbulbs and a bag of cobwebs. When the flowers start to wilt, dry them by bundling the stems together with an elastic band and hanging the bouquets upside down. On the night of the party, put the dead posies back in the vases for that Morticia Addams touch.

2. On the day of the party, cover all your furniture and pictures with sheets or table cloths. This projects the deserted look while protecting the furniture.

3. Replace the bulbs in your lamps with the blue bulbs. Skin, food, everything looks sickly under the eerie glow.

4. Spread finely-stretched cobwebs over the furniture and hang them from corners. Even younger children can help.

For the over-ten set.
5. Have the kids chalk police outlines of bodies on the driveway or sidewalk, and invent grisly death scenarios to record along side of them.

6. For a truly gruesome effect, stuff a shirt, pants and pillowcase with newspapers. Attach together in the shape of a man. Tie a noose around the neck and hang him outside a window, looking in. Guaranteed to make guests jump when they catch sight of the poor fellow swinging in the breeze.

7. Record and play your own sound effects tape. If you buy one, make sure to listen to the entire track to see if the scare level is appropriate. Moaning and screaming can make young children turn and run.