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What’s everyone’s plans for Halloween this year? Usually by now we have our costumes all ready to go but you know, haven’t even thought of a single idea yet, let alone planned out our holiday. I’m gonna give myself a break, though, because I don’t even know if I’ll have a newborn or not on Halloween this year (October 29th due date over here) so we shall see! 

Last year we did some local trick-or-treating in our little community and it was just perfect for Ava at that age (and for us!). So if everyone’s up for it, I’d bet we will be going door to door to some of our closest friends around here. But let’s not forget the rest of the activities that come along with Halloween… umm, eating candy - duh!

All jokes aside, I’ve got some fun at-home Halloween ideas to keep the celebrating going this year. Whether you’re headed off to a party, doing some local trick-or-treating or staying at home and celebrating with just the kids, Halloween is NOT cancelled. 

1. Char-Boo-Terie Board

I made a fun little Halloween themed charcuterie board (or Char-boo-terie, in this case) and you guys, it was SO EASY and SO QUICK. Of course I made it in the middle of September but I’d say the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. 

It takes just 5 minutes to make, you can customize it with your family’s favorite candies, crackers and cookies from your local Walmart by ordering online and picking up or having it delivered right to your door, and voila, you’re celebrating in style! Or if you’re headed off to a party, this is the perfect idea for a platter to bring along with you!

Here’s how we made it:

• Grab your favorite cookies, candies and snacks: We used OREO, RITZ Crackers, Newtons, Wheat Thins, SOUR PATCH KIDS, Honey Maid Graham Crackers, Swedish Fish, Chips Ahoy! cookies, and Nilla Wafers. 

• Start with the large items first and move to the smaller items: We started with the larger decor items, then moved to the larger cookie and cracker item like OREO, RITZ Crackers and Chips Ahoy! cookies and as we filled the board, moved toward the smaller items like SOUR PATCH KIDS and Swedish Fish to fill in the smaller gaps. 

• Spread out 3-4 little “piles” of each item on your tray: For example, we did a few small piles of 3-5 OREO cookies and spread them out throughout the tray. Move on to the next time and continue with the same trend - a few small piles of the item spread throughout the tray. Of course, the bigger tray you have, the more piles you’ll need (and the bigger piles you’ll put in each spot.)

• As you continue filling in the tray, use the smaller items to fill in the small gaps until the entire tray is filled!

And that’s all there is to it -- easy peasy! 

2. An At-Home Haunted House 

I’ve thought about doing this this year and because the kids are so young, I think we could actually pull it off pretty easily. And Ava’s a big fan of scary things (she did NOT get that from her mama) so this would be a hit for her!

Take any room in the home and decorate it with a spooky little maze and some haunted Halloween music and voila, your kids get to experience a haunted house without even leaving your home!

3. Trick or Treat from Room to Room

If you’re more comfortable staying at home this year but still want the kids to be able to trick or treat, set up trick or treating at each room in your home and add themes to each -- cookies at one door, chocolate candy at the next, fruity candy at the next door and maybe even a caramel apple at another. Whoever said you have to leave your home to go trick-or-treating was definitely wrong. 

4. Carving Pumpkins

Not that this is anything new but pumpkin carving night in our home is always a favorite. We turn on Halloween themed music, grab some sweet snacks and carve the night away while the kids get messy playing with the pumpkin’s insides. 

5. Halloween Movie Night

This one is always fun and is another tradition we love doing around Halloween time. We choose a kid-friendly Halloween movie, grab some popcorn and candy and snuggle up for a spooky night of cozy fun. Now typically for us, this doesn’t happen on Halloween night but if we decide to stay inside and not leave the home (newborn pending), then this sounds just perfect to me!

Whether you’re making a Char-boo-terie board at home or heading out to a Halloween party this year, just remember that there are so many ways to make Halloween fun no matter where you will be. And for us, Hayes will be the one determining our plans… possibly very last minute.