Cheap Ways to Make Halloween Costumes - Best Kiddies Funny Ghoul Jokes, Party Ideas & Games

Halloween - It only seems like yesterday cowering behind closed doors fearing little monsters, which would come armed with tricks up their sleeve, more than that of the year before. Would my treat be good enough to keep me safe, I thought? With bated breath I would apprehensively open the door. The pleasure I got from giving was so rewarding, once the masks were removed to reveal ear to ear grinning kids, who believed at the time, had scared me witless

Witches, pumpkin lanterns and jolly kids, who, in cold damp weather conditions, dress up wearing a mischievous grin under a ghoulish mask, are just some things we associate with Halloween (October 31st.) I am not sure of the popularity of this event around the globe, but in the UK it is pretty big Halloween - a time when kids love dressing in eerie costumes, and a happy time for parents who do the dressing.

What is trick or treat, simply explained, it involves children dressing in their favorite Halloween costume and approaching neighbors for their goody bag to be filled with treats. If a child is denied a treat then beware because a trick is then played. Tricks can include throwing flour/eggs through the letter box. Depending on how devilish the imp (child) tricks can be more serious. Do yourself a favor and give generously. Children at one were safe to go out alone; however, you must discourage kids from wanting to do this. Insist that an adult accompanies them on their rounds.

Want this Halloween night to be extra special but money is an issue, worry not because there are ways to help you have a fun Halloween night without costing the earth.

A fabulous money saving option is to share expense. Ask neighbors or family if they are up for sharing costs. Don`t be afraid to ask, as there is possibility they too are in the same boat, and think this a good idea. If your neighbor has a bigger garden than you, then you save money if they provide space for tent or marquis depending how big the event. And in return, if you`re handy with a needle and cotton, then you supply the Halloween costumes. Two heads are better than one, so ideas will come fast and furious on how to save cash.

Halloween Costume Ideas

Nothing beats making your own outfit as a money saving alternative regardless of whatever the occasion. Avoid temptation to hire a ghoul costume as it is expensive; also it has to be returned. A handmade Halloween costume can be stored away and used the following year. Jumble/car boot sales are worth a visit for picking up bits and bobs cheaply. Let us assume that the needle cotton option is not your forte, if so consider working with face paints, newspapers and black bin bag liners.

If you want a spooky Halloween mask then make one with paper Mache. Involve the kids, it makes decorating more exciting and the mask more personalized. Remember there is no right or wrong way. To create the shape of your Halloween mask use a balloon, this saves on buying fancy craft store products. "Warning" some children may not excite over Halloween like other kids do and may fear different things. If so, dress them down so they can still enjoy the fun without their little heart pounding ten to the dozen.

Make a Mask Items.

1 You will need a Balloon, Newspaper, and Wallpaper Glue/Paste, some Acrylic Paint, Pinafore and scissors.

2 Protect the work space with newspaper or old cloth. Blow balloon up to preferred size. Cut newspaper into strips then dip in glue and layer round the balloon several times. Smooth out wrinkles as you go along. The more layers - the more solid the mask. Finally add features specific to the mask you are making. Allow cast to dry for 24 hours. Once Mache has set cut into the mask popping the balloon. Cut the back of the mask out, and secure a piece of elastic around the back for keeping the mask in place.

Paint mask in preferred color. This is where imagination comes in so you can identify the mask in the way you see fitting as a scary Halloween mask using paint.

Halloween Costume Ideas

3 Costumes do not come cheaper than making one with a bin liner. Bin bags make shiny capes. All you do is cut a hole for the arms and head to go through. Red liners use for creating a devil, and black for witches, Dracula or Batman. Also good for keeping the kiddies dry if raining when out trick or treating.

4 Spooks don`t come spookier than a Halloween ghost. Take a white sheet, cut out eyeholes, and you`re done (how quick.) Keep the sheet a safe length to prevent tripping. Sheet cuttings make favorable treat bags with draw string opening. Using a permanent marker, you can draw spiders, bats etc on the sheet. A Halloween skeleton has you wear a black leotard and your face painted black. Use white paint to draw bones on for skeletal effect. Have a book to hand with graphic pictures for you to copy from.

Halloween Jokes

1. Where do ghosts go the day before Halloween?

Boo -ty Parlour

2. What do witches use after

blown dried their hair?

Scare spray

3. On what day do spiders eat the most?

Fly-day

4. What do skeletons say before they begin dining?

Bone appétit!

5. What kind of mistakes do spooks make?

Boo boos

6. When does a skeleton laugh?

When his funny bone is tickled

7. What do ghosts drink at breakfast?

Coffee with scream and sugar

8. Where do most werewolves live?

Howllywood

9. What instrument do skeletons play?

Trom-BONE

10. What do you get when you cross a black cat with a lemon?

Sour-puss

Halloween Games and Party Ideas

1 The filling of a sweet jar with colored jelly beans is a fun game. Ask guests to guess how many beans inside. Other confectionery connected with Halloween i.e. jelly snakes frogs and toads are ideal. Place sweet jar near the door and hand each guest a blank piece of paper to put their name and answer on.

2 Halloween Generation Game: Place items such as different type sweets, fruit, mini pumpkin, etc. on a tray. Allow guests to view for a minute, and then have them recap on what they remember. Winner is the one who remembers the most

3 Halloween Words: Of course word choice will differ for age groups playing this game.

Hand each person or child a sheet of paper printed out with a Halloween word such as haunted, trick or treat, pumpkin, skeleton or apple dunking on. Save printer wear/ tear and ink, and hand write. Ask participants to make as many words as they can out of the words.

4 Who Has The Pumpkin - Ask guests to form a circle. Start a song, the more suitable for the occasion the better i.e. Monster Mash. Give mini pumpkin to someone who then passes it on to the next person, and so on until music stops. The person left holding the pumpkin leaves the circle. The last left with pumpkin is the winner and gets to keep it.

5 Halloween Hunt - Hide bags of spider jellies, toffee skeletons or candy. Set kids loose letting them run riot while trying to find the hidden yummies. Have children supervised for particular Halloween games. Be sure to keep back some sweets as someone has to lose.

For the Halloween environment buy black construction paper and cut out silhouettes of bats and decorate accordingly - hang them at different heights with thread from the ceiling. Pipe cleaners are great for making creepy crawlies (spiders.) Pumpkins hollowed out and carved with evil faces with a lit candle inside is traditional and they make great Halloween room features. Watch children at all times where there is a naked flame. Happy Haunting and keep safe this Halloween night.

Halloween Fun Costumes and Entertainment

Halloween Decorations and Halloween Crafts and Games - Creative Halloween Fun

Creative Halloween fun that can highlight any Halloween themed party

Halloween decorations and Halloween games will give rise to all sorts of Halloween sounds and images that will conjure up hauntingly frightful fun for any Halloween themed party. Halloween is a night for little ghouls and little Halloween witches to come out of the woodwork. By adding some jack-o'-lanterns that are specially carved to create that Halloween horror effect for your porch and using haunted house props to decorate your house, you can come up with a great Halloween party plan. Use as little as you want or come up with several varieties of Halloween crafts, games and an abundance of Halloween activities that will keep the young at heart entertained for the evening. By choosing the right effects for your Halloween party you can have a great selection of Halloween props. Halloween lights would be a good choice for your outdoor Halloween decorations along with the Halloween tombstone and spiders webs with a variety of specially carved Halloween pumpkins with lights in them on your front porch.

Halloween decorations that you can use for your home

Halloween decorations will play the most important role for your Halloween party. To create the Halloween theme that you are looking for, you the host, have to decide on what kind of Halloween settings that you want. There are large selections of Halloween props available when trying to create a sinsiter scene in front of your house. You can have a variety of gruesome horror Halloween prop decorations out front: as an example you could create simple magnificent monsters spiders can be easily crafted with foam balls black spray paint and chenille stems. Or you could also create a window Web by using black ribbon links and yarn that have a strategic weaving pattern that will allow an added shadow effect for a great Halloween Window. By dangling the creepy spiders from the roofline will give you a hair-raising outdoor Halloween decoration that people will love.

Ideas for your outdoor Halloween decoration ideas

By using outdoor Halloween decorations you will be able to craft your front yard and transform it into the most frightful and sinister haunted house of horrors. If you have the option of having a large yard you could set up a rickety graveyard fence with some Halloween tombstones along with some other Halloween haunted props. Completing this Halloween plan you could have hovering ghost skeletons or spider web cobwebs in the branches of the trees for more of a horror effect. If you live in a condo or an apartment you might choose decorations like a scary Halloween warning sign or maybe many little lights that look like mini orange pumpkins around your windows and doors.

What kind of indoor Halloween ideas can I use?

If your patrons have gotten past your ghoulish outdoor Halloween decorations you have to decide about inside your house and what kind of Halloween decorations you want to create the feel of your new haunted house. You may want ghosts, witches, goblins or maybe other creepy critters that are floating about with your haunted house props. Do not worry about spending too much time decorating inside since you can easily craft some simple Halloween displays for your decorations around the house along with some eerie Halloween effects topped with some frightfully tasting Halloween snacks. With all this combined you will have created the best haunted house party that you can imagine. By using the effect of different howling lighting such as candles, orange indoor Halloween lights, or black lighting or orange bulbs in lamps along with some added effects of cobwebs you can create any spooky and horrifying effect to any room theme. Keep in mind choosing the Halloween decorations for your outdoor theme the age of your group. Children or adult guests will help you decide on which Halloween decorations you will choose. You want to make this fun and not full of nightmares for faint of heart.

What kind of Halloween craft ideas can I use?

The right Halloween crafts can make your Halloween party a howl. When planning a Halloween party, activities for a children's Halloween party could be just as much fun for you watching and for the little monsters enjoying the Halloween party. Creative skills are a joy for children and they will be proud to show off some of their creepy Halloween creations. A great idea for putting together a children's Halloween party would be to have a variety of fun Halloween crafts preplanned for them in advance and not forgetting to plan an easy clean up for you afterwards. Keep in mind the age of the guests when you are planning your Halloween craft project, if it too difficult or easy your little ghosts may turn to actual monsters. In the end of all the fun for the kids make sure your Halloween crafts supplies such as paints, glues, pens and other materials that are used will be non-toxic, washable, and safe.

What kind of Halloween party games should I have?

Incredibly popular as always are Halloween party games and not only the youngsters will be around to seek the small prizes and rewards but also the adult Halloween costume party goers are also interested in having fun and show off their skills and abilities. For little Halloween ghouls you may want to try to modify some old holiday favorite games in to a Halloween game theme. As an example you could take a Halloween candy treat and create a hunt like an Easter egg hunt or instead of pinning the tail on the donkey, try instead pinning the mouth on a Halloween pumpkin. By having the older children and adults playing a game of Halloween charades and acting out popular scary books and movies you can create an entertaining Halloween themed party. So do not be afraid to modify some original games into the Halloween party games that will suit your Halloween guests ages and interests.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to Spooky night.com a website that has Halloween reviews and resources that will help you in your Halloween decoration ideas.

How to Plan a Spookily Spectacular Halloween Costume Party

There's no better way to celebrate Halloween than with a creepy costume party. Costume parties are becoming increasingly popular amongst adults who want to have fun dressing up and allowing their alter egos to come out for a night. Whether you want to dress up like a scary clown or as a sexy French maid, a Halloween costume party gives you the chance to have fun and express yourself.

Planning Tips

In order to get started planning a costume party, you need to set a time, date, and budget as well as make invitations, plan a menu, and find Halloween party decorations. Try not to schedule your party too early because many people like to be home to give out treats. Send out invitations at least a couple of weeks in advance so guests can R.S.V.P. It's essential to know how many people will be attending your party in order to plan effectively.

One great way to hold a Halloween costume party is to pick a theme. Themed Halloween parties are fun but they do require extra planning both on your part and that of your guests. Some fun themes for costume parties include dressing up like zombies, clowns, vampires, monsters, mummies, or pirates. Picking a theme for your party does make it a lot easier to decorate.

Halloween Party Decorations

Good Halloween decorations create a perfectly spooky setting for your party. Look for fun items such as Halloween candles, colored light bulbs, strobe lights, and black lights to give your home a Halloween atmosphere. Strings of decorative orange lights can be used to adorn your walls and give your home a more festive appearance.

Of course the ultimate Halloween costume party decoration is the Jack-o-Lantern. Jack-o-Lanterns are a quintessential part of any Halloween celebration. Make a Jack-o-Lantern that fits with your party theme. For example, if you're having a vampire party, make a vampire Jack-o-Lantern. Other items that can serve as decorative centerpieces at your Halloween party include mock tombstones, skeletons, and Halloween ice sculptures.

Some other Halloween party decorations that can add a festively frightening touch to your Halloween party are tablecloths, tableware, banners, and punch bowls. Make your party punch look like a bowl of blood by putting it in a cauldron. Spooky table cloths with spider webs or blood are perfect for covering your otherwise normal looking tables. Banners that say "Happy Halloween" enhance the Halloween party mood.

Party Entertainment

Make your Halloween costume party extra spooky by playing slasher movies in the background throughout the entire party. Better yet, get a special effects DVD that features creepy Halloween scenes to serve as a virtual Halloween decoration. Your party guests are probably going to want to dance so make sure you have plenty of music on hand that's appropriate for this spooky season and clear out enough space in your living room for your guests to dance. Musical albums that are perfect for playing at Halloween parties include the "Return of the Living Dead" soundtrack and anything by Elvira.

Don't forget to plan some fun, spooky games for your party. Ouija boards are always a big hit at Halloween parties, as is the bobbing for apples game. You can also turn off the lights, sit in a circle, pass a flash light around, and tell spooky stories. Don't forget to have a costume contest and give a prize to the winner. This incentive will encourage your guests to be extra creative with their party costumes.

So there you have it. A Halloween costume party is an entertaining way to celebrate this spooky holiday. If you want let loose with your friends, enjoy fun games, and have an excuse to dress in a wacky costume, consider planning a costume party this upcoming Halloween.

Need Halloween party decorations for your Halloween costume party? Find that and much more at Partyhound. Ted Bilodeau has worked in the party entertainment industry for over 30 years and founded Partyhound so you could get all of your party planning taken care of in one place.

Halloween Gift Ideas

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 butter 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, get well, sympathy.

For products information on Halloween Gifts, visit:

http://www.giftbasketforall.com/page/1333483

10 Steps For Planning A Halloween Party - Creative And Creepy Halloween Ideas For Revelers Of All Ag

The sky is darkening. You feel a chill and ghostly horrors in the air as the moon shines brightly on this cloudless night. It is the last night of October, October 31st. It is officially Halloween night and you have decided to have a hauntingly exciting Halloween party. How ghoulishly delightful! But where do you start in planning your Halloween holiday celebration. Here are 10 steps to help you in planning a great Halloween Party that will have all those ghosts, wicked witches and grim goblins screaming with delight.

Step 1: Halloween Party Kickoff: Think about who the party is for - for you or your children? An adult Halloween party will be quite different from a children's Halloween party when it comes to planning the Halloween theme of the party, Halloween decorations, Halloween recipes and beverages. Adults and older children usually love to be frightened, but that is not the same for smaller children. So when planning your event keep the ages of your guests in mind. Once you have that figured out, now it is time to pick the date, time and place of your Halloween party. And don't forget the guest list.

Step 2: Halloween invitations: This is where you can have fun and set the mood of your unforgettable night of horror chills and thrills by sending out unique and spookily inviting Halloween party invitations. You can purchase them or make some yourself with some construction paper and some glitter markers, or how about buying some inexpensive Halloween paper eye masks and writing the words on the back. Include all the important information such as date, time, place and a request for RSVP to your Halloween party.

Step 3: Halloween party food and recipes: now the party would not be a party without a lot of great Halloween munchies. Plan a menu and write out your shopping list. Try to do as much in advance as possible, and try to pick Halloween recipes that can be made ahead and stored or frozen. And again, think of the ages of your guests - there are a lot of fun Halloween foods for both kids and adults. Here might be the place to use up some of those Halloween pumpkin guts.

Step 4:Haunted Halloween Pumpkins: plan to buy your pumpkins early to get the best selection. By selecting a variety of shapes and sizes of pumpkins, you will be able to make a variety of interesting jack-o-lanterns ghosts. And don't forget about those miniature pumpkins, they can make great party favors or Halloween decorations also. And the day before the party, carve your pumpkins and double check you have enough candles or use small flashlights to show off their ghostly grins.

Step 5: Halloween Costumes: there is always something exciting about putting on a Halloween costume and taking on another identity. So prepare yourself and your families Halloween party costumes in advance so that you don't have to run around in a panic trying to put something together at the last minute. It is easy to find a lot of great Halloween costume ideas that will not cost a lot of money or time.

Step 6: Halloween Party Games or Activities: Halloween games and craft activities are especially popular for younger Halloween party guests, but this does not mean that adults would not enjoy the fun of Halloween games and showing off their ghostly talents. So think about what Halloween activities your guests would be interested in and gather all the materials you need in advance. Also be sure to have some extra Halloween activities incase a game that you are expecting to take 45 minutes only lasts for 20. And do not forget the Halloween prizes, these can be easily and inexpensively assembled by a quick trip to your local novelty or dollar store or ordered online to be delivered straight to your door.

Step 7: Halloween music and sounds: there is no time then the present to start thinking about what kind of Halloween music you want at your Halloween party celebration. Are you looking for some fun party songs for dancing music, or hauntingly spooky background ghost music for a dinner party, or a collection of sing-a-longs for the kids. Also, you might want to incorporate some Halloween special effects outside with spooky horror sounds as your guests walk up to the front door. There are a lot of special music tapes or CD's available to purchase, or if your try making one on your own - it could be almost as much fun as the Halloween party itself.

Step 8:Halloween Party Favors: party favors add an extra treat of fun to any Halloween party and are a wonderful addition as a Halloween treat for each guest or something they can take home. They do not need to be elaborate Party Favors or costly and can range from a small plastic toy to a homemade individual bundle of snack mix wrapped in Halloween decoration style.

Step 9: Halloween Decorations: decorations for your front yard and house for Halloween can be a lot of fun and again does not need to be costly. You can get a lot of great eerie Halloween effects by experimenting with some horror lighting placed around your indoor and outdoor Halloween decorations. And adding in some Halloween music or ghost sounds can make some of your Halloween decorations come to life.

Step 10: Party Guests Arrival: today is the day - Halloween party Night, and your guests are about to arrive. Have a quick look around to see if all is in order and that your house is a safe setting. Keep a porch light on so everyone sees any steps or other obstacles, and make sure all your guests have a way back home after the Halloween festivities come to an end.

Final note: Remember that your Halloween party does not need to be elaborate, the main component of a great Halloween party are a few willing participants that want to have fun, a few simple Halloween decorations and props, toss in some spooky music and ghost sounds, and definitely the Halloween food - and you will have a smashingly and howling Halloween Party. So when the party starts, enjoy yourself! It will be a spookily great time.

Daryl Plaza is the owner of spooky night.com a website with reviews and resources on Halloween recipes [http://www.spookynite.com/halloweenrecipes.html], costumes, music and decoration

History of Halloween

Most people think of Halloween today as simply a day when children dress up in costumes and go from home to home to "trick or treat" and collect enough candy to make any parent cringe. Halloween was much more significant in ancient times, however. October 31st was a very important day to the ancient Celts of Ireland, Scotland and Great Britain. No kidding around in costumes and trick or treat bags; Halloween was much more serious to the non-Christian Cults a thousand years ago.

Halloween remains a popular day in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Children get to dress up in their favorite costumes and ring doorbells throughout their neighborhood to collect as much candy as possible. In the United States' Halloween is the second most popular holiday (after Christmas) for decorating and reaps a huge financial bounty of retail selling of frightening costumes to children and adults alike, decorations and candy. But for eons, the history of Halloween encompased ancient beliefs about the world - both living and dead.

Understanding the history of Halloween can perhaps help you decide what to let your children take part in, and what to keep your children away from. Also, knowing the origin of Halloween and its history can also help Christians view the adult, youth, and child activities associated with Halloween celebrations in the light of Christ's truth.

What Is The History of Halloween?

Halloween originated among the Irish Celts, Scots and Anglo-Saxons in Britain long before the Christian era. Originally called Samhain, it was a time when they believed the division between the worlds of the living and the dead became very thin and when ghosts and spirits were free to wander as they wished. The name "Halloween" is a shorter form for the Gaelic name All-hallow-evening. Pope Boniface IV instituted All Saints' Day in the 7th century as a time to honor saints and martyrs, replacing the pagan festival of the dead. In 834, Gregory III moved All Saint's Day to Nov. 1, thus making Oct. 31 All Hallows' Eve ('hallow' means 'saint').

On the night of Samhain, it was believed spirits of the restless dead and mischievous spirits would freely roam about with humans and during this one night spirits were able to make contact with the physical world as their magic was at its height. The Celts believed that by allowing the dead to have access to the world on this one evening, they would be satisfied to return to the land of the dead. The Celtic people would put out food offerings to appease the spirits who might inflict suffering and violence on them and Celtic priests would offer sacrifices, animal and human, to the gods for the purpose of chasing away the evil, frightening spirits. They built fires where they gave sacrifices to the Celtic deities to ensure protection from the dead spirits. Samhain was also a time when it was customary for the pagans to use the occult practice of divination to determine the weather for the coming year, the crop expectations, and even who in the community would marry whom and in what order.

When Rome took over their land, the Samhain was integrated with two other Roman festivals: Feralia and a festival to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. By the time Christianity come on the scene, Halloween had already taken root from the pagan beliefs and was integrated into Christian practices. As the Europeans found their way to the New World, they brought with them their traditions which soon evolved to fit their new country.

Many customs still observed today come from these ancient beliefs. For example, the elaborately carved jack-o-lantern is said to have been named after the Irish story of a greedy, hard-drinking gambling man, Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil into climbing a tree and trapped him there by carving a crude cross into the trunk of the tree. In revenge for being stuck in the tree, the Devil cursed Jack and made him walk the earth at night for eternity. The jack-o-lantern of today is carved with a scary face to keep Jack and other spirits from entering their homes.

A problem for the Celtic people was... if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night, so could anything else, human or not, nice or not-so-nice. So, to protect themselves on such an occasion, these superstitious people would masquerade as one of the demonic hoard, wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot to hopefully blend in unnoticed among them. This is the source of modern day Halloween costumes portraying devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

For Christians, the origins, history, and current practices of Halloween has its root in Satan, the author of deception.

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [John 8:44]

While some might say that Halloween is now only a fun children's holiday, it should be noted how much the modern day American practices and modern day witchcraft have in common with the ancient beliefs of the Celtic people. Contrary to some beliefs, the historic Samhain was not a time for witches and the worship Satan. Samhain was the end of the crop season and the official beginning of autumn. The ancient Celts celebrated a successful crop season on Samhain, giving thanks for the bounty of the harvested crops. The satanic celebrations now observed on Halloween is a more recent invention of more contemporary Satanists who have focused more on this season as a time when the dead can easily communicate with the living therefore making divinations and sacrifices more attainable. Modern day Halloween has thus become a mixture of ancient beliefs, occult practices and a highly commercialized children's holiday.

While some people consider celebrating Halloween to be a sin, others simply feel that Halloween quite simply shouldn't be a holiday at all! A few Southern states have been known to ban trick-or-treating on Halloween, especially when it happens to fall on a Sunday. Halloween parties are renamed "fall festivals" and children replaced scary costumes with costumes of Bible figures, historical figures, or no costume at all.

Considering that Satan is the father of lies, it can be understood how many are confused and deceived about this holiday. Like Christmas and Easter, both Christian celebrations, the true origins of Halloween, a non-Christian celebration, are eons old and some of the true meanings of the traditions of these celebrations have been distorted over time. In recent times, Christmas appears to be more about presents, parades and feasts than about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Traditions surrounding Halloween have followed the same fate. All too often we think of Halloween merely as a time of dressing up in costumes in going trick or treating around the neighborhood. In antiquity, the traditions of Halloween were of enormous significance throughout Scotland, Ireland and Britain.

Apart from the religious controversy surrounding Halloween, many families have also been struggling with even normally well-behaved children who are driven by unseen forces to destructive behavior. Vandalism and wanton disregard for the property of others is common on Halloween night. Police officials everywhere report a great increase in such activities on Halloween. Worse yet are the horrifying accounts of poisoned candy and fruits booby-trapped with razor blades and needles. Such threats are so real that many hospitals offer free X-rays of Halloween treats in order to prevent children from being harmed. Who but Satan could inspire such monstrous actions on this so-called harmless children's holiday?

Vic Bilson writes about current affairs and is author of many social commentary websites including topics about Halloween

A Halloween Themed Party - Creating A Night Of Nightmarish Tales

A Halloween Themed Party - Creating a Night of Nightmarish Tales

Halloween is the only holiday of the entire year that truly inspires the imagination of adults and kids alike by encouraging the weirdest and most eccentric Halloween costumes for the numerous Halloween parties. The more outrageous a Halloween themed party is, the better. Halloween is the one holiday that is devoted to spooky fun!

It used to be that Halloween was reserved for the kids, and their Halloween themed parties at school indulges and trick or treating at night. However, a lot more adults are now calling Halloween their favorite holiday too. But why? Well, Halloween is an excuse to dress up in scary costumes and have some fun with their friends. It has also developed into the perfect family holiday, because children and their parents are able to enjoy time together. They can have fun while carving a Jack O'Lantern out of a pumpkin, transforming the yard into a spooky haunted house complete with Halloween style graveyard, creating their own Halloween costumes, or planning a terrifically terrifying Halloween party.

Where did Halloween Originate? A Brief History of Halloween

The name, Halloween, is derived from "All Hallow's Eve". This is the name given in a number of European countries, including Ireland, to the night before "All Hallow's Day", or "All Saint's Day" on November 1st. This evolved, over time, from "All-Hallow-Even", to "Hallowe'en", and finally to the spelling we recognize today of "Halloween". The celebration of Halloween on October 31st started as an ancient Celtic celebration, known as "Samhain", which signified the end of summer. The Celts lived in parts of Britain, and Northern France, over 2000 years ago. They believed that goblin, witches, and other dark spirits came out on Samhain, and would accompany the souls of the dead, in the form of ghosts, to visit the places where they had lived.

To ward off the dark spirits and witches, the Celts lit fires. They left food and lanterns to welcome the souls of the dead and wore masks and costumes in celebration. Nowadays, Halloween is more associated with more modern traditions such as 'Trick or Treating', Halloween parties, and Halloween costumes. Kids look forward to collecting their Halloween candy in countries all over the world. Halloween night os celebrated in a large number of countries with Halloween themed parties and games, imaginative Halloween costumes, delicious Halloween recipes and fantastic Halloween themed displays.

Halloween Themed Parties, Games, Crafts , Food

There is no doubt that Halloween themed parties have a magical air about them. There is such a wide selection of Halloween party themes that you can choose from that you are sure to find one that will make celebrating the holiday both spooky and fun for adults and kids alike. Some of the most popular Halloween images surrounding Halloween themed parties include bobbing for apples, caramel popcorn balls, creepy Halloween decorations, and a bowl of ghoulish green punch garnished with floating spiders and frogs. Halloween themed parties really are the perfect way of creating a Halloween night to remember.

There are so many ideas for decorations that you can adapt for your own Halloween party; including Halloween crafts and games, Halloween costumes, drinks and Halloween recipe treats. For example, some ideas for Halloween costumes for kids could include Jack O'Lanterns, black cats, werewolves, skeletons, ghosts, witches or monsters. A more adult Halloween themed party could have more of a sophisticated 'Day of the Dead' style, with wonderful Mexican food, or a Halloween masked ball with devilishly delicious Halloween desserts. You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a Halloween themed party. It can be as intimate as you like, and you may just want to invite a few friends over, rather than hold a huge Halloween bash.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to SpookyNite.com A Halloween informational site with ideas on how you can plan your Halloweennight with costumes, games, crafts, food and decorations.

Halloween Decorating Tips - Use Your Creative Flair

Halloween is special to my family and we are great fans. I realize this isn't true for all families but it is for mine.

I'd have to say that Halloween costumes are a terrific fun. The other fun thing about Halloween is the Halloween decorating. One of the best items for Halloween decorating is the various spiders and the bigger and scarier the better. No home should be without huge, terrifying spiders for Halloween decorating.

I've driven by some homes that have the most complicated of Halloween decorating ideas. They were so amazing that I had to resist the urge to examine all the different Halloween decorating items in their yard. You will be pleasantly surprised at all the terrific ideas that you can create for Halloween decorating and your yard. Some of the Halloween decorating themes are so detailed and elaborate, such as a traditional graveyard which includes haunting fog and creepy sound effects.

You shouldn't be surprised if you also find more than a handful of spooky spider webs and different types of eerie lights in these yards. When it comes to Halloween decorating, the homes with complex yard themes are great to take your goblins and ghosts for trick or treating. Traditionally, homes that have spent a great deal of time on Halloween decorating are notorious for handing out some of the best Halloween treats to all those kids dressed up in costumes.

One great tip for Halloween is to be sure to go to the doors of people that have fantastic Halloween decorating themes in their yards. Normally, these same people have some of the best trick or treat goodies for visitors. They really get into Halloween decorating and Halloween themes. You will find more Halloween decorating tips and ideas at http://www.artscraftsforhalloween.com

Yards are not the only place that Halloween decorating is fun. There are some people that enjoy the thrill of creating spooky and fun Halloween haunted houses. They love to watch visitors that come over go through the eerie house that is full of indoor Halloween decorations.

You won't find as many haunted houses as the past since such a large number of adults are very alert for child safety and encouraging children not to enter a stranger's house. Remember it only ends up being a small number of loons on Halloween to completely discourage people from creating haunted houses for others.

Your search on the Web and local shops is sure to bring you some wonderful Halloween decorating items and ideas. You can use special items from all around the world or even just decorate with the family traditional items. Regardless of where you find your Halloween decorating goodies, it is a fun time of the year.

Have a frightfully exciting Halloween this year with some scary Halloween decorations and amuse the little ones with halloween crafts for kids

Bringing Halloween Into the Classroom

When Halloween comes kids get excited, very excited. So why not use that excitement to enhance their learning at school? Halloween provides a wonderful opportunity to motivate kids in the classroom.

Halloween activities and Halloween games can be used in different subjects and will get kids performing enthusiastically in math, spelling, writing and reading.

Listed below are a few suggestions for using Halloween as a stimulus at school.

Halloween Math

Predicting Pumpkin Measurements

Introduce a few pumpkins to the classroom and you can get kids, estimating and comparing mass, circumferences, diameters and heights. Use three - five pumpkins and label each with a letter.

Have children record their estimated mass, circumference, diameter and height for each. Children can also record the order of the pumpkins from lightest to heaviest and from smallest circumference to largest. The same can be done for diameter and height. Then have the students measure and record these things. Children can then compare their estimates with the actual measures.

Halloween Counting

Play the old favorite counting game Buzz replacing the word "Buzz" with a Halloween word. Use "Boo" or "Scary" instead. Children count around a circle but replace the number 7, every multiple of 7 and every number containing a digit 7 with the word "Boo". If a child says the number instead of saying "Boo" they are out. This is a challenging game and it requires concentration and a knowledge of multiples. Trying playing it with other digits instead of 7, e.g. 5 or 9.

Halloween Problems and Brain Teasers

Number problems can also be made much more interesting by using Halloween themed characters and situations. Here are a few to try.

Zelda the witch has all of her cats and all of her owls in the house. She has 9 animals in the house and they have 30 legs altogether. How many cats and how many owls does she have?

Frankenstein has 15 shirts in his wardrobe. They are all black or blue. He has 7 more black shirts than blue ones. How many blue shirts does he have?

Dracula, Frankenstein, Mummy, Gilda and Zelda are all having a Halloween party. Each of them has given an invitation to all of the others. How many invitations have been given out?

Halloween Word Activities and Spelling Activities

Letting children play with words is a great way to develop spelling skills and reading skills. Try these games to develop and extend children's spelling skills.

Black Cat

Kids will want to play this game over and over again even though it is really just a version of a spelling bee. You can use Halloween themed words or use words that the children are learning to spell. Children stand in a circle. The teacher gives a word for the children to spell and nominates the person to start. Children give one letter at a time going in a clockwise direction. The child who is after the person who says the last letter says 'Black Cat'. The next child is out and sits down. If a child says a wrong letter, he is out and sits down also. Then the next person gives the correct letter. When the word is completed, the teacher gives the next word and play continues around the circle. The last child standing is the winner. This one is really worth trying as it moves quite quickly and kids really love to play.

Halloween Hangman

Hangman is a popular spelling game that tends to be particularly appropriate for Halloween. Use Halloween themed words or for a more interesting version try using a whole sentence. Simply make up a Halloween sentence, e.g. Ghosts, mummies, witches and zombies chased the frightened children all over the haunted house. Draw the dashes for each letter or each word, leaving spaces between the words. Then you are ready to start. Just fill in all instances of each letter that the children give. A great writing activity is to get the children to write interesting sentences that can be used for the Hangman sentence.

Halloween Sentence Jumble

After children have written their own Halloween sentences as suggested above. Play Sentence Jumble by writing the sentences in a long string with no breaks between the words. This creates an interesting puzzle for children to decipher. They have to rewrite the sentence putting in the breaks. A more advanced version of this is to run the words together and then break the letters up into groups of three, four or five letters. This makes an even more difficult word puzzle. Here is one for you to try.

aho wlin gsou ndca mefr omth eolds pook yho use

Jumbled Letters

Another simple Halloween word puzzle is to jumble the letters of Halloween words and have children compete to see who can unjumble them to find all of the words first.

There are many, many different ways to incorporate Halloween into your school program. Hope the ideas above help to make Halloween more fun for your students. Happy Halloween!

Teresa Evans is a teacher and parent who uses math games to get kids excited about math. She shares her favorite math games at MakingMathMoreFun.com. Visit www.makingmathmorefun.com/halloweenmath.htm to learn more about Halloween math games.

Halloween Recipes Are Great For Creating Ghoulish Halloween Food And Candy Treats

Halloween is meant to be the most frightening and scary night of the year. The guests at your Halloween themed party are certainly going to want to see you using some Halloween recipes to create fantastic Halloween treats for the table. Of course, the more ominous looking, and shockingly scrumptious the Halloween food is at your Halloween themed party, the more fun it will be. You can find a lot of different Halloween recipes that will bring out the devil in you, and provide you with inspiration to create ghoulish Halloween treats from almost any type of food that you can imagine.

Frighteningly Fun Halloween Recipes

One of the most well known and enjoyable types of Halloween decorations is a Jack O'Lantern, carved from a pumpkin. Of course, once you have carved a handful of pumpkins into scary masterpieces that you can display around your home, you are left with a lot of pumpkin flesh - this means it is time to get cooking some pumpkin Halloween treats. Some of the best Halloween recipes that are a great way to use this leftover pumpkin are for pies, soups, cookies and muffins.

Apples are another popular Halloween food item, because they are in season then too. Toffee apples are wonderful Halloween treats, and bobbing for apples makes a great game at your Halloween themed party that all the kids will love. Cookies are always a favorite treat, and you can create some creepy cookies for your Halloween party. The type of cookie mixture doesn't need to be anything fancy, the fun comes from using Halloween themed cookie cutters, such as bats, ghosts or Jack O'Lanterns, or just letting your imagination run wild and creating your own free hand designs. Food coloring adds a truly frightening finishing touch to the icing on these Halloween treats.

Halloween Tricks - or Treats?

It doesn't matter whether you are choosing which types of Halloween treats and drinks you want to serve at your Halloween party, or are trying to decide what sort of treats you are going to dish out to the miniature monsters and small spooks that turn up at your door, there are a lot of fun Halloween recipes that you can wrap up and give away as Halloween party favors, or rewards for not having any tricks played on you.

For example, a great idea for treats for your Halloween themed party is to make popcorn ghosts. Just use your favorite popcorn ball recipe, and shape them into ghostly shapes. Add a Popsicle stick for a handle, and jellybeans for eyes, and you have the perfect Halloween treat. You can adapt all of your kids' favorite foods into terrifying treats. There is no need to spend a lot of money on Halloween treats, and it can be easy to create some monstrous munchies with a little imagination. You can add your own hint of Halloween to almost anything to create devilish drinks and gruesome goodies.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to Spookynite.com [http://www.spookynite.com/halloweenrecipes.html] a Halloween informational website on creative ideas for planning a Halloween parts with decorations, music, costumes, food and candy treats.

Halloween Gift Baskets For Children And Adults

October is the time of year that many people are gearing up for Halloween. There are parties and other events that giving the host or hostess Halloween gift baskets is the perfect thank you gift. After all, there are gift baskets for almost all other occasions during the year and special events. These gift baskets are filled with goodies to the brim but seldom do people think about Halloween gift baskets for others. They are a great deal of fun and wonderful to give during the celebrations, festivities and activities surrounded around Halloween.

When you think of Halloween gift baskets most people think of children. After all, Halloween is for kids. Yet, many kids love the Halloween gift baskets they do not seem to appreciate them as much as grown ups. One of the best adults to give Halloween gift baskets is to the child's teacher.

You will discover that Halloween is a very busy event for the majority of teachers. Kids need assistance getting their costumes and make-up ready for the holiday events. Naturally, the end of the day is a time that teachers would enjoy Halloween gift baskets to help them relax and have their own treats.

Do you remember the hours and hours your grandmother spent baking those perfect Halloween cookies? Grandmothers enjoy having gifts of appreciation and gratitude. The Halloween gift baskets are ideal for grandmothers to enjoy as the Halloween events come to an end.

There are all kinds of delicious cookies, tasty candies and even chocolate delights that fill Halloween gift baskets. The popularity of Halloween gift baskets is increasing the number of pre-made baskets available from stores. Take a trip to your local gift basket vendor to order a basket ahead of time for October.

Are you out of luck finding a vendor to purchase Halloween gift baskets from? The good news is that many online shops specialize in Halloween gift baskets. Many of these store fronts will take the time to allow you to pick out special items just for the basket to make it more personable and just what you need for the gift. You can find more handy halloween advice at http://www.artscraftsforhalloween.com

Are there some special children in your life such as nieces, nephews, students, grandchildren or more? A condensed version of the Halloween gift baskets are terrific Halloween gifts for these children because they are fun to make and something different than the traditional Halloween bags that are often given out. You can fill a child's pumpkin bucket, little wicker baskets or other unique small Halloween containers with a few pieces of candy, a new toy and perhaps a Halloween themed toothbrush and some healthy, scary toothpaste to help children remember to brush their teeth after all of the Halloween sweets.

Not only are Halloween gift baskets fun to make and to buy, they are enjoyed by everyone that receives them. What other holiday during the year allows children to dress up and eat a ton candy? Additionally, adults get the chance to dress up and let the little kid in them free. There is nothing more fun than passing out Halloween gift baskets during October.

Before you buy or plan festivities for this Halloween make sure you visit easy halloween crafts for more information on everything from Halloween pumpkin carving patterns to Halloween music and toys.

Halloween Costumes Aren't Complete Without Halloween Masks

Halloween masks can be made from many different things - latex, foam rubber prosthetics, paper, plastic - and can represent whatever you want for your Halloween costumes - animals, clowns, characters, or anything else!

One of the biggest benefits to using Halloween masks as a part of your overall Halloween costumes is that you can hide your identity more effectively than with makeup or accessories. Though this may not be the point to your Halloween costumes, it is lots of fun to make someone guess who you are!

There are Halloween masks that provide different levels of coverage. Some Halloween costumes only need your mask to cover your eyes. Others just cover the top half of your face; some cover your whole face; some cover your entire head!

The more of your face you cover with your Halloween masks, the more difficult it will be to guess who you are. Of course, if your Halloween costumes only require half masks or smaller, you can always add makeup and prosthetics to create more mystery and authenticity to your look. Even if you do have Halloween masks that covers your whole face, makeup can still help with the realism of the look. Many people choose to better their Halloween costumes by matching their Halloween masks to some eye makeup, so that it gives the impression that your face is the same through the eye holes.

By combining Halloween masks with a bit of makeup, you are also providing yourself with a great look that is easy to use. You do not need great skill to apply a bit of colored makeup to your eye areas, and the mask just pops right on - you're ready to go.

Halloween masks are also a terrific last-minute solution if you don't know what to do for your Halloween costumes. Frequently, all you need is great Halloween masks, and an all-black outfit, and you're ready to go.

As you can see, Halloween masks are very versatile. They can compliment your current Halloween costumes, or they can be the focal point.

Just make sure that your Halloween masks are safe. Find ones that cover the eyes, but have eye holes big enough to see through. You'll want to make sure that they are secure. If you are finding that your Halloween masks are slipping a bit, then you might want to adjust it or add extra fastenings to hold it tight. This will help to prevent you from tripping or falling into a dip that you didn't see. Safety - especially in the case of children or if you're walking outside - is one of the main things to be considered when considering Halloween masks.

Once you've made your choice of Halloween masks, you're all set for believable, fun Halloween costumes.

It can be difficult to come up with an original idea for a Halloween costume every year. Bruce Brown from Dreamascream wants to make Halloween shopping fun and enjoyable. Each year Dream A Scream adds a whole new assortment of Halloween costumes, masks, accessories and decorations for the entire family. Kids costumes - characters from your favorite movies.

This year Spiderman costumes, Harry Potter costumes, Shrek costumes and even The Simpsons Halloween masks are all the rage. Read the writings of Bruce Brown and get as excited as he is about Halloween each and every year.

Halloween Party Ideas and Celebrations

Halloween Party Ideas What's a Halloween party without some freaky ideas to scare your guests frozen or give them the goose bumps ? Don't you think the Halloween fun will fizzle out if it's a run-of-the-mill party décor and party planning with the regular party stuffs used ? Of course yes. When the festival is as big and fun as Halloween, the party sure got to be jam-packed with all that's macabre, mysterious and mind-boggling. From hanging bats to grinning Jack O' Lanterns welcoming your guests, from a table laid out with to outlandish invitations for the party, a Halloween party should be meticulously designed and well thought-out to give you and your guests a frightfully good time ! Now here are some Halloween party ideas to help you get started with your spooky party this Halloween:

Halloween Party Invitations The first step of all party planning begins with the right invitations. Creative and apt invitation cards will help set the right mood for your Halloween party. A bat-shaped invitation, a bare-jawed wolf, a haunted house or may be some cute Jack O' Lanterns glowing in the warmth of your cordiality will tune your folks into the Halloween fever. Alternatively you can send hand-made invitation cards with personalized freaky messages. Design the party invitations totally on your own in any Halloween shape possible keeping in mind the theme for your Halloween party.

Halloween Costume Party A very common but greatly loved Halloween party kind is the Halloween costume party where everyone comes dropping in in spectral masks and spectacular Halloween costumes to keep all the rest guessing who's who ! Halloween costume parties are always a visual delight with creatively outstanding costumes all around. Some will don the demon, some the canny wolf, some the plump pumpkins, some the Frankenstein, while some others will spruce up in the guise of their favorite celebrities or comic characters in the Halloween party night.

If it's a kids' Halloween costume party, you're sure to spot a chic range of Harry Potters of various sizes or Spider-men crawling all over or even the Flintstones having a gala time at the Halloween bash. If it's an adults' Halloween party, the element of scare can be threaded in to the Halloween party planning. There you can have horrific monstrous faces and Dracula and ghouls doing the rounds in the party area. Ideas are galore for Halloween costume parties. So you can prescribe a theme for your Halloween party too. If it's a horror-themed Halloween party, the costume ideas will fringe the scary aspects of thrill and terror. But if the ruling theme for your Halloween party is fun freak, it's better to cut down on the fright bit and invest more on costumes that will amuse your

Another very important aspect of your Halloween decorations--make sure the Halloween party room is dimly lit. That adds up to the mystery and eeriness of Halloween decorations. And you can put fine threads across the party room haphazardly so that your guests are left wondering as to how they suddenly got 'possessed' ! And with spooky numbers playing in the background, your Halloween party will surely live up to the screaming expectations of your guests. You can let helium-filled balloons with spooky faces drawn on them float all around the Halloween party area or you can cover them with fluorescent papers and stick them on the floor of your Halloween party room with long strings to create the effect of ghosts and monsters all lurking about the party people in a festal perkiness. Another winning idea for a Halloween decoration is to create a haunted Halloween party décor by strewing dry Autumn leaves all around the party room. This serves another purpose as well--these crispy leaves will make crunchy noises and raise the Halloween fun for your guests all the more !

Sean Carter writes on holidays, events and celebrations around the world. He also writes on family, relationships,womens issues love and friendship. He is a writer with special interest in ecard industry and online marketing. He writes for 123greetings.com

Spooky Halloween Superstitions

There's so much more to a Halloween superstitions than just trick or treating and Halloween snacks! Halloween started with a long history of superstitions, goblins and witches, and folklore and fantasy.

Halloween as we know it today, originated from a very specific history. Many countries celebrate some form of Halloween - it's simply not just a Hallmark holiday that the States came up with.

One such Halloween superstition is that in the olden days (very olden days) a woman looking for a husband would put a sprig of rosemary and a sixpence under her pillow on Halloween night. The superstition was that she would dream of her future husband that night!

What about other Halloween superstitions? Here are a few that are interesting and fun to read about (13 superstitions to be exact!)

1. Cats You know that old Halloween superstition that says black cats are bad luck? Well, once it was believed that all cats with a black coat were actually the devil, or eaten up by evil spirits.

In the middle ages, black cats were hunted and burned on Easter. (poor little kitties!) But, today, lots of families have black cats as pets and don't give it a second thought. I guess we outgrew that superstition! Good thing too, my little kitty is black and I'd move mountains before I'd let someone come and try and hunt her down!

Here's just the opposite of the black cat halloween superstition: in Britain, they believe white cats are bad luck!

2. Nuts Another old British Halloween superstition is, people at one time believed that Satan was a nut-gatherer, so, on Halloween night, nuts were used as magic charms.

3. Candles An old saying was, if the flame on a candle goes out and it happens to be Halloween, then you have a ghost visiting you! I bet that was a great tactic for keeping kids "scared straight!"

4. Witches This Halloween superstition is about those ugly witches! Here's how it goes: some people claimed that if you put your clothes on inside out and then walked backwards on the night of Halloween, then at midnight, you would see a witch riding through the sky.

Witches have such an interesting and long history, that would take a whole other website to talk about them, but some people believed that witches were the devil. Tests were devised to see if a woman was a witch or not.

Fearful crowds would throw a woman suspected of being a witch by throwing her in a body of water. If she floated, she was definitely a witch (YIKES! I guess nobody knew back then that women NATURALLY float better than men!) If she died, she was not a witch (sheesh! not a great scenario for these poor women!)

5. Bells When you ring a bell on Halloween, all the scary, evil spirits will fly away. Does that include doorbells? Think how many get rung on Halloween night!

6. Owls Owls hooting used to scare a lot of people. Some people believed that on Halloween, owls would dive down and eat the souls of anyone dying that night. So, if you heard a hooting owl, quickly pull your pocket out and leave it hanging. Then you'd be safe from the diving owls. (What imagination!)

7. Celtic custom Here's a really good ol' superstition... On Halloween, a bonfire was built and watched until it went out. Then the ashes were used to make a huge circle where every family in the village would place a stone just inside the circle. the next day, if any stone was moved or damaged, then that meant someone in that family was going to die within the next year.

8. Bats If a bat flies into your house, beware! You may have some ghosts or spirits visiting!

9. More about bats Or, on Halloween night, if you see a bat flitting around early in the evening, then you'll have good weather the next day.

10. And a little more about bats And, last, but spookily not least, if bats fly around your house on Halloween night 3 times, death is inevitable.

11. Warding off evil spirits Want to rid yourself of all evil? Just walk backwards around your house three times before the sun set on halloween and that would banish all evil. (if only it were that simple!)

12. More warding... You can bury animal bones in your front yard (I think that's against the law now!). Or, put a picture of an animal outside near your front door.

13. SPIDERS! If you happen to see a spider on Halloween (what are the chances?) then the spirit of a loved one is watching over you. (this is my favorite superstition...)

Sara Gray is an avid lover of appetizers and has created a great website called Easy Appetizer Recipes where you can find delicious ideas for all kinds of hot and cold appetizers, raclette grilling, tapas small plates, snacks, chips and dip ideas, and appetizer soups.

Kids Halloween Parties - Not Frightful But Fun

It's entirely possible that Halloween might be your child's favorite holiday. Aside from Christmas there really isn't a bigger deal to a young kid. There is so much surrounding Halloween that is fun and exciting for all kids, both the big and the small. Having a Halloween costume party is a great way to get your child into the spirit of Halloween and can actually be a lot more fun than even trick or treating. Certainly it will give your child a chance to celebrate in and show off his/her costume. Which brings me to my next point.

Oftentimes a lot of effort goes into coming up with an idea and creating a Halloween costume. If you save it's use exclusively for trick or treating on Halloween night you might be disappointed. Halloween nights are dark and cold and our kids are often forced to bundle up in coats on top of their costumes. All that thought and effort and they are trick or treating in a coat! That's just how it is sometimes. Maybe there is a better way to show off that costume.

Consider having a really great Halloween party for your child and his good friends. This will give your child and all his buddies a great chance to really go all out with their costume choice as well as have an opportunity to really show it off to their friends. Of course this isn't the only reason to celebrate Halloween with a party. Food, games and fun complete the event and make it very memorable and special. It's also a safe way to celebrate that will be enjoyed by all.

I've compiled a list of tips for you so that your child's Halloween party can be as successful and fun as possible!

Send invitations. You have to be a little bit careful about when you have your party when it comes to Halloween. There are many kids out there who will not want to substitute trick or treating for any party, so if you plan your party during prime trick or treating time (Halloween night) you make lose some of your attendee's. Sometimes it's better to plan your party for the weekend prior to Halloween or perhaps even in the late afternoon the day of Halloween as a prelude to trick or treating so that there is still time to go house to house for candy afterward.

Once you have the perfect time in mind for you party, it's time to compose your guest list. Obviously a lot of factors go into deciding how many kids to invite. Consider first of all the age of the kids. If you are inviting very young children, you may want to keep your party to a small group. The other factor you want to consider is what type of activities you are planning and how many kids will fit in to your game plan. Obviously you will want to think about the amount of space you have available for kids, as well as costumes along with all of their props. You will want to plenty of room for any games that you will be playing during the party.

Keep your invitations simple, but do something appropriate for Halloween. You can obtain Halloween-themed paper that is simple to put in your computer printer for an easy invitation. If your kids are old enough, you may want to enlist their services and have them make and address the invitations themselves. In any case, make this one more fun Halloween activity that will build their excitement and enthusiasm! Make sure your invites include all the basic information needed for the party. Date, time, and location of the party should be included. Make sure you include the fact that this is a costume party and the kids should come dressed up. Don't forget this information-especially if your party isn't on Halloween. If a child inadvertently didn't dress up they would feel very excluded and you don't want that to happen. Mention in the invitation that there will be prizes awarded for various costumes. This will get the kids motivated to put some extra effort into the experience.

Decorate! Simple decorations are often the best. A bag of fake "cobweb" can go very far to create a scary ambience. Add small plastic spiders, of course. Obvious other decorations would include lit Jack-o-lanterns and spooky lighting. You can swap out some of your normal light bulbs for colored bulbs for a creepy effect. Put Halloween themed tablecloths on the tables where your kids will eating/playing games. Simple crepe paper streamers in black, orange and a little purple will make your party look more festive. These same streamers can be used to enhance your table settings as well and cost very little money. Your decorations do not have to be expensive or elaborate to be really fun and create a great Halloween atmosphere.

Have simple but great Halloween food. This is going to take a little bit of organization, but it doesn't have to be complicated. One of my favorite ideas for Halloween kid food is to have "make-it-yourself" Jack-O-Lantern style pizza. Kids love pizza, and if you have appropriate toppings (Cut-up pepperoni, olives, green pepper's, mushrooms, etc.) they can easily be assembled by the children as one of the party activities. Use ready-made pre baked pizza crusts, or you can even use English muffins to make smaller pizzas. Even fairly young children can do this with adult assistance. Of course you or another adult will want to be in charge of all cooking and making sure that the pizzas cool a bit before eating.

Another favorite Halloween party treat is the "Cup of Dirt." These can also be made by the kids if you don't mind a little mess, as they are easy to assemble and kids love to do this. You will need to have a bowl of pre-made chocolate pudding, crushed Oreo sandwich cookies and gummy worms. Have each child spoon pudding into a clear plastic cup, about 2/3 full. Add the crushed Oreo cookies on top. Garnish the pudding cup with gummy worms. These can be refrigerated for later, or the kids can just go ahead and eat them. It's that simple! This is Halloween treat is both yummy as well as fun.

Of course there are many more ideas for Halloween food that you can find. Talk to your kids and see what they come up with and be resourceful. Whatever you do keep it kid-friendly and simple-when it comes to food, sometimes less is more.

Play Fun Halloween Games. The most important game of the evening is going to center around the Halloween costumes and having the opportunity for the kids to show them off and win prizes. Have a costume parade if you like. Award prizes for many different categories, but I recommend having each child get a prize. You can invent new categories as you see what costumes have arrived in order to make this happen, but it's a nice touch for each kid to be rewarded for their costume efforts. Prizes can be simple, but make them Halloween-themed. A novelty store is a perfect place to go for these items.

Another games that is both traditional and fun is bobbing for apples, which involves trying to retrieve an apple out of a large bucket of water using your mouth only. Have a few towels handy to dry off wet faces! Another Halloween game that is hilarious for kids is the Mummy wrap game. Divide the kids up into partnerships or small groups. Each group will need to select which child will be the mummy. Using toilet paper and having a set time interval, each group will wrap the designated child into a toilet paper mummy. Give prizes at the end for the most creative mummy, etc. Make it fun and be sure to take pictures of this event afterward, the kids will love this!

As you can see, having a kids Halloween party needed be daunting or difficult. With a little planning and forethought you will not only be successful with your party but your kids will be thrilled that you did this for them as well. Halloween can and should be a very fun and memorable time for children as well as adults. Having a party is just one more way to ensure that the fun happens and also makes memories you will have for a lifetime! Xo J.

We recommend using the web to find a large selection of Halloween costumes for kids. There are a lot of options.

How to Get Free Halloween Ringtones

As the holidays approach, it is only normal that you would want to get into the mood by downloading your favorite tunes. Halloween ringtones are a fun way to get into the spirit and to be inspired to come up with an original costume for the day. Before you start hunting for free Halloween ringtones, take the time to consider the following:

1. How many ringtones do you plan on downloading? This will help you narrow your search.

2. Will you go for a tune from a favorite Halloween-related movie, or will you go for something like ghost or zombie noises?

3. How many Halloween ringtones can your phone actually hold? This is important to consider when looking for ringtones.

4. How will you use these Halloween ringtones? Will you assign each of your contacts their own ringtone, or will you choose one ringtone for everyone?

Once you have a solid idea of what you want, it is time to begin your search! The following are some great places to turn to when looking for free Halloween ringtones.

Check Your Cell Phone Provider's Website

One of the first places you should go is your cell phone provider's website. This is especially true if Halloween is growing closer and closer. Often, such companies will run special deals on ringtones of all types, depending on the time of year and which musical artists have albums or projects to promote. If Halloween is close by, you can expect your cell phone provider to put up some free Halloween ringtones for their customers.

Look Into Halloween-Focused Websites and Blogs

People around the world love themselves some Halloween. Thus, if you want to find free Halloween ringtones, you should simply look into websites, blogs, and forums that focus on celebrating this holiday. Everything from blogs sharing fun costume ideas to websites that discuss the history of this holiday may have some information about where you can look for free Halloween ringtones. Sign up for any and all such websites so that you can hear about promotions and deals on free Halloween ringtones as soon as possible. As the holiday approaches, such promotions may be available for only a limited amount of time.

Perform a Simple Internet Search

Take some time and poke around the Internet if you want to find free Halloween ringtones. A simple Internet search may help you find free ringtones that will get you into the holiday spirit. There are many websites that sell or talk about all kinds of ringtones. If Halloween is approaching, you will no doubt be able to find some rich information about where to look for reliable and free Halloween ringtones just by entering in some Halloween-related keywords.

Ask Loved Ones

If you want to find free Halloween ringtones, ask your friends if they have any experience with this. They may know of a website that specializes in this very thing. Often, our loved ones are great resources. Put the word out that you're looking for free Halloween ringtones and you may get the information you need to make this happen.

Check Websites that Sell MP3s, Music, and Other Media

Sometimes, you can find Halloween ringtones in places that sell similar types of media. Check in to see if online venues that sell MP3s, films, and television shows, among other media, have ringtones. Most of these groups will definitely have ringtones and some may even have Halloween options. Once you find websites that have such items, be sure to sign up for their email lists and to check into see what they have to offer. As Halloween becomes closer and closer, such websites may offer some promotions, give-a-ways, and sweepstakes so that you can get free Halloween ring tones!

Check the Halloween Aisle

If you buy a costume or bag of candy, you will find fun little promotions attached to them. Sometimes, this may mean that you find tickets advertising free Halloween ring tones! This is why you should always at least glance at the bags and packages in local store Halloween aisles. This could be a great way to get some information about where to look for free Halloween ringtones.

Downloading Halloween ring tones is a great way to get in the mood for this delightful holiday. Who doesn't want their favorite tunes reminding them of candy and costumes when loved ones call or text? Before you click download, of course, be sure to research any website or group from which you are considering a ringtone. This will protect your phone and computer from viruses. If you get as creative looking for ringtones as you do with costumes, you will surely be able to find some free Halloween ringtones. Check the calendar: The closer this holiday is, the more likely it is to find free ringtones to get you in the mood for face paint, costumes, and spooky stories!

If you're not quite sure what a ringtone is, visit this cell phone glossary for a definition of that term and many others. You can also learn more about ringtones for cell phones here.

Ray T. Lewis has a cell phone, but he never uses it.

Halloween in Ireland

The celebration of Halloween started in Ireland around 100AD. Back then, Halloween was a pagan festival celebrated by the Celts of Ireland who called it "Samhain", an old Irish word meaning the 'end of Summer'. They believed that on the eve of Samhain (Halloween), the dead spirits would revisit the mortal world, so huge bonfires were lit to keep away any evil spirits. It is known in Gaelic as 'Oíche Shamhna' and is celebrated on the 31st of October each year, which is All Souls Day, so in Ireland it is often referred to as the Feast of the Dead.

Here are just some of the Irish Halloween traditions which are still very much alive today;

The Pumpkin at Halloween

In Ireland, the Pumpkin traditionally known as the Jack O Lantern, is a carved out pumpkin whose top and stem have been removed. The shell is then carved normally in the shape of a scary face which is then lit up by placing a candle inside.

There are many stories of how the Jack O Lantern custom came about in Ireland. One old tale says it was as a result of a blacksmith called Jack who crossed the devil. He made the devil promise he would not go to hell, but when he was denied entry to heaven, he was left to wander the earth. He told the devil he could not wander about forever in the dark and the devil tossed him an ember from the fires of hell, so Jack placed this in a hollowed out turnip. From that day, Jack roamed the earth using his Jack O Lantern to light the way so you might spot him when you visit Ireland this Halloween!

It is said that when the Irish immigrated to the States they took this Halloween tradition with them, but instead of using turnips, then began to use pumpkins as they were much more plentiful!

Irish Halloween Food: The Barnbrack

This traditional Halloween cake is a fruit bread. What's special about this bread though, is that various things are baked inside the bread such as a coin, a rag, a ring and a thimble! The bread is then shared out among family members and eaten very carefully. Each of the items in the cake signify different things, for example if you got the 'rag' it meant that you'd be poor, the coin - rich, the thimble meant you would never marry and the ring meant that you would find romance and be happy ever after - so, of course, everyone wants to find the ring!

At Halloween in Ireland the shelves at the local supermarket are packed with every kind of Barnbrack, but nowadays it's only possible to buy one that contains a ring!

Ireland's Halloween Bonfire

The Halloween tradition of the bonfire in Ireland is said to also have originated during Pagan times when the Celts lit huge fires on the hills so the spirits could find their way. It was also said that these fires would help to keep away evil spirits. Another old Irish Halloween tale says that if you drop a strand of your hair into the flames and dream of your future husband or wife to be, you're dreams will come true!

Bonfires are a huge part of the Halloween festivities in Ireland and are lit in both rural areas and towns throughout the country. They are built from all sorts of materials and some take days of preparation!

Trick or Treat in Ireland

This old Irish Halloween custom originated centuries ago when the poor would go round to the rich peoples houses and ask for food or money, which they would then use for their celebration of Halloween. Nowadays, children dress up in scary costumes and go house to house trick or treating, arriving home with bags of goodies which they use for their Halloween party.

Halloween fun & games

There are many games associated with Halloween. Apples are a traditional Halloween fruit as they were very plentiful in October. These games are still played today.

One of the most popular Halloween games in Ireland is 'Snap Apple'. In this game an apple is hung from the ceiling and the children are blindfolded. The first one to take a bite from the apple wins! This game can also be played by putting apples into basin of water. The first person to lift out an apple by grabbing the stem with their teeth is the winner.

Another Halloween custom involves peeling an apple in one long strip. Then throw the peel over your left shoulder and try to figure out what letter it resembles. The initial will be the first letter of the name of you future spouse!

If you're in Ireland during Halloween then you might like to sample some traditional Halloween foods. Try some Colcannon, it's a tasty savoury dish which consists of potatoes, cabbage, onions, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Other foods such as nuts are also hugely popular at Halloween (especially hazelnuts, monkey nuts and peanuts), corn on the cob and, of course, apples!

Over the past number of years, people have begun decorating their homes more and more for Halloween with ghosts, ghouls, witches, goblins and harvest displays. Some of the bigger cities may have authorised firework displays, but be aware that to buy fireworks or bring fireworks into Ireland is illegal and the penalties severe.

There are Halloween celebrations in towns all over Ireland, but if you want to really get into the spirit of Halloween, then we recommend you head for Derry city in Northern Ireland or Dublin city for two of the best Halloween parades in the country!

Check out http://www.GoIreland.com for more articles on Ireland culture.

Halloween Masks Halloween Costumes And Makeup - How To Find A Halloween Costume Idea

Halloween night would not be complete without some spectacularly scary Halloween costumes. The first question that any kid often asks when they wake up the day after Halloween is, "Where is all my Halloween candy?" and this is quickly followed by, "What am I going to dress up as next year?" The anticipation of dressing up in a spooky costume and Halloween mask gets everybody excited. The biggest thrill of Halloween has got to be transforming yourself into a monster, ghost, ghoul, vampire, witch, or other freaky Halloween costume characters. Of course, the most outrageous Halloween costumes are the best.

Where Did Halloween Costumes and Masks Originate?

Where did wearing Halloween masks and costumes actually start? So how did wearing a costume and mask for Halloween start? With the Celts. They held the belief that the spirits of the dead roamed the earth on Halloween night. Some of these spirits were amicable, but others were thought to be unfriendly and bitter towards those people who were still living and able to enjoy the fruits of the earth that the spirits once did. To camouflage themselves from these bad spirits, the Celts used soot to paint their faces. This basic method of disguising their faces developed, over time, into the more elaborate Halloween masks and accompanying Halloween costumes that are worn today. It also became traditional to emulate the frightening spirits by dressing up as ghosts or skeletons.

Tips and Suggestions for Halloween Costumes

There are literally hundreds of different types of Halloween costumes available today. Choosing the perfect one depends on two criteria - the first being which Halloween character you want to become, and the second being how much you are prepared to spend. One way to get an idea of just what types of Halloween masks and costumes there are available, and to help you to narrow down the huge choice is to search the Internet. There are plenty of low-cost Halloween costumes, some funny ones, and also those that are extremely elaborate and cost hundreds of dollars. It is worth bearing in mind that you can transform a relatively plain Halloween costume quite easily by using face paints and even add a pair of spooky Halloween contact lenses. Creating your own Hallloween costume is also fairly simple and you can make one from anything that you have available. It needn't cost a fortune or take a lot of time and effort either. All you really need is to come up with an idea for a Halloween costume and take it from there. Everyday items and imaginatively applied makeup can create some awesome effects.

Hints and Tips for Halloween Makeup

Halloween makeup can sometimes be more effective than a Halloween mask. It really depends on the effect that you want to achieve, and how much money you want to spend. Halloween makeup can cost less, as well as being more safe for kids when they are out trick or treating, as it does not obscure their sight. You can achieve some amazing effects with Halloween makeup too. You can buy Halloween makeup kits or use the same type of grease paints that actors use in the theater, with lots of wonderful colors that are easy to apply, and easy to remove. A low cost alternative is to use normal makeup, such as blush, eyeliner, eye shadow and lipstick. Water-based paint is also a great option, especially if you have had trouble finding a costume. You can create your own scary face with very little effort, and can wear any clothes you want to. This works particularly well if you paint yourself up to look like a zombie, or other creature that has risen from the dead. Your face paints will acts as a mask, and will turn any clothes into a Halloween costume, including your everyday ones.

Tips and Tricks for Halloween Masks

There is something magical about a Halloween mask that makeup does not quite achieve. This is because they can instantly change you into someone, or something, else. Masks have been worn since ancient times to enable people to adopt a new identity, and for worshipping different Gods and spirits. You can buy a wide variety of Halloween masks via the Internet, ranging from terrifying vampires and witches to more mythical creatures, such as fairies, or even caricatures of famous people. For something a little different, you can create your very own masquerade style mask to compliment a costume by dressing up a plain facemask. All you need is some glue, and you can add anything you want to it, such as beads or even items that you find in your garden, like flowers and leaves, for a truly unique Halloween mask. If you want to make a Venetian style bird mask, you can add feathers and a beak. The Celts wore bird masks during their Samhain festival too.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to SpookyNite.com a Halloween informational site to help you with your ideas for your Halloween costumes and party themes so you can plan the perfect Halloween party.

People's Favorite Halloween Costumes For 2008

Just like previous Halloween seasons, this is the time of the year when most people begin to get costumes and accessories at online stores. Some people look for low-priced items, and some others look for their favorite character. However many customers are looking for the top Halloween costumes of 2008.

Are you looking for this Halloween season top-rated, best-selling Halloween costumes? Then look no further. The following are the Halloween costumes that most people wants this Halloween season (and probably will be sold-out in no time). Be aware that like last Halloween season (and many of the past years), it have many of well-known characters from recent movies and TV shows, superheroes, famous events, and some others. Here are the best-selling Halloween costumes for this year:

1 - The Joker/Batman Costumes: The most-wanted Halloween costume in the list comes from one of the best movies in theaters these days. The bad guy from the movie "Batman: The Dark Knight" will definitely be the most wanted costume for this Halloween. And there won't be Gotham's top villain in this top-10 list, without his arch-enemy? Batman is another best-selling costume for this year, with several different costumes designs and quality to choose from. If interested in getting any of these Halloween costumes online, I advise you to check for them in as many online stores as possible. You will notice how much their price may change from one website to the other.

2 - Iron Man Costume: Yet another neat comic book character which recently got his own movie, the Iron Man costume comes in second place. It is among the best selling costumes this Halloween season, with many online stores already running out and taking pre-orders for their next shipment. If you want to buy an Iron Man costume for next October, you must buy it while you still can. If you plan to order this Halloween costume online, notice that there are a few different versions of it (from "cheapo-average quality" to "mega expensive high quality"). If you see an Iron Man costume at a better price in another online store, check that it is just the same one (and not a lower quality version) before you buy it.

3 - Indiana Jones: Another nice movie, another great Halloween costume. You can find this costume with all accessories, as well as buying costume accessories like bag, whip and hat and use regular clothes to finish the costume. As previously stated, before you order the lowest priced version of this costume you can get, check if all necessary accessories are included (like whip, hat, etc.). Also check for the costume quality.

4 - Harry Potter: Another big screen star-inspired Halloween costume made favorite by many, especially young boys. The famous wizard from Hogwarts School of Wizardry will be found in almost every elemental school Halloween party. If you want this Halloween costume, be aware that some accessories may not be included and may need to be bought separately (like Harry Potter's glasses, magic wand, etc.).

5 - Barrack Obama/George Bush: With national elections day less than a week after Halloween, famous political characters will be another hot Halloween costume idea chosen by many people. Several "Hillary Clintons" may be found in Halloween activities as well.

6 - Sports/Olympics Related Halloween Costumes: Every summer Olympics year a lot people select sports Halloween costumes, and this year will be no exception. It is also the costume of choice for people looking for a cheap (or free) Halloween costume. You only have to ask a friend for some sports wear and accessories and wear them as a costume.

7 - Pirate-theme costumes: Like bell-bottom pants and turtle-necks, this is a classic Halloween costume that came back to become one of the hottest costumes this year. Is all this hype caused by of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies?... probably... But pirate-theme costumes are great sellers this Halloween season, and it is maybe the best seller in "couples/groups costumes" category.

8 - Fantastic Four: Yet another superhero/movie inspired Halloween set of costumes. These costumes are pretty simple and easy to wear (although "the Thing" Halloween costume might not be so comfortable). This costume set is a great selection for couples and groups.

9 - BK King: The BK King... what a funny Halloween costume. This Halloween costume has been in the top for some years now. Maybe it is not as "desired" as it was some years ago, but it still on the top (mostly because a lot of people got it for previous Halloween seasons, and now people are either "recycling" it or letting someone else use it).

10 - Sexy Witch/Bunny/Nurse/Maid/Whatever: Are you a pretty woman? Then this is the Halloween outfit for you to use. Just use anything sexy and you'll be ok. I can guarantee everybody will like (well, at least guys will like it... hehe...).

These were the 10 best Halloween costumes for this Halloween season. If you want to buy anyone of these costumes, I recommend you get it soon because all costumes in this list will probably be gone early this year. You should also keep in mind that these Halloween costumes will be extremely popular, so there could be many people wearing them. If you plan to be "original" and want to be the only one in your Halloween party using your selected costume, you probably should look for a different Halloween costume. But if you want to use one of the hottest costumes, then you're good to go. Just do your best to look very good, that way if there are more people wearing a similar costume, hopefully you will be the one looking cooler. Cheers!

Ian Blake is a freelance blogger and writer from Planet Earth, Solar System. He has been an online Halloween costumes buyer for many Halloween seasons and wants to tell his personal knowledge, so you don't need to suffer doing "trial and error". You can find more information on this matter by clicking here http://www.squidoo.com/best-online-halloween-costumes-and-masks-deals.