Over a deep black part of the stream, not far from the church, was formerly thrown a wooden bridge; the road that led to it, and the bridge itself, were thickly shaded by overhanging trees, which cast a gloom about it, even in the daytime; but occasioned a fearful darkness at night. Such was one of the favorite haunts of the Headless Horseman, and the place where he was most frequently encountered.

— from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving—

Preparing your home to be gloomy in the daytime for visiting Princesses, as well as Headless Horsemen, takes a little bit of planning, but worth it for the fun. And this is a holiday that screams Fun!

This schedule is set up for a party on Halloween. You can adjust it according to your own timetable if the party is on a different day. This event list is set up as a Google Calendar as DYGL Events with entries marked with "HW" for Halloween. See the DYGL Calendar for more information.

October 1 - 15 (2 - 5 weeks in advance): Planning Time

1. Decide what you will do for Halloween.
   
   1. Are you taking children Trick-or-Treating? Are you going to be home for Trick-or-Treaters?
   2. Do you want to decorate your home? How many rooms do you plan on decorating? Will you decorate the outside as well as the inside?
   3. Do you want to give a Halloween Party?
2. Decide on Costumes for you and your family.
   Let your children pick what they want to be, then engage them in the creativity of either making the costume, finding rentals, or shopping for it. Allowing them to be part of the creation process is half the fun. If you are making your costumes, shop now for your supplies to avoid any rush
3. Decide on your home decorations.
   There are many fun decorative items that you can buy or make, whether you are going for a cute Halloween or a scary Halloween. You can get cobweb draping, carved pumpkins, ghost and pumpkin lights, cutouts of witches and goblins, glowing lanterns, cauldrons, masks, candles, balloons, black lights, porch and yard displays, and soundtracks of scary sounds. For inspiration or creation, you can check out some of the books listed below.
4. Planning a Halloween Party.
   1. What type of party are you giving? One for children, adults, or a mix of the two. The age group will decide how you want to theme your party - is it the cupcake crowd or the cocktail crowd? Will you play Halloween movies, play games, or have a pumpkin carving competition?
   2. Make your guest list and send out invitations. You can mail your invites and/or email them. Be sure to be specific whether it is a party for the kids or the adults if there could be confusion.
   3. Plan your Menu. If kids are involved, be sure to serve some fun dishes with "brains" (brain gelatin molds - see below) and "worms in mud" (gummy worms in chocolate pudding with oreo crumbs). And since some of those fun dishes may not always be appetizing to all guests, have real food for everyone to enjoy.
   4. Plan your table decorations and settings. This can be as simple as paper plates with honeycomb centerpieces to black and orange china with florist designed autumn themes. Candles work with any design, and edible centerpieces (especially "gross" ones) can be a lot of fun.
   5. Plan novelties and gifts. Definitely give a prize for best costume or have several prizes for different costume categories if it is a large party.
   6. Arrange Help. If you are planning on using a caterer, entertainment, or people to help serve, make those arrangements.
   7. Handle Rentals. If you need to rent tables, chairs, dinnerware, or Halloween props, contact companies and make deposits.
      
      

October 12 - 25 (1 - 3 weeks in advance): Costumes and Decorations

1. Get or make your costumes.
   
   1. If you are renting your costumes, do it earlier than later to get good choices.
   2. If you are purchasing costumes, again, earlier is better to get good picks.
   3. If you are making costumes, do it early enough to make any sizing or creative adjustments.
   4. The costume is more than the clothing. Don't forget makeup, wigs, masks, props, and accessories.
2. Shop for Decorations.
   Allow yourself several days for your decoration shopping if you are doing several rooms and/or adding outdoor decorations. Choose items that you can use for several years to save on money and time in the future.
3. Shop for Party Favors and Supplies.
   Separate the food shopping, which has to be done just before the party, from supplies, which can be done at any time. Getting everything ready the week of a party can be exhausting if it is done all at once, so get the the items that can be stored for a few weeks in advance. This would include paper plates, the plastic forks, the tablecloths, the novelties, special baking pans and forms, etc.
4. Decorate Your Home.
   First clean the rooms you are going to decorate, and do any yard work that may need to be done.
   There are two approaches to decorating your home if you have many to put up.
   1. Do it all at once. This works best if you have family or friends to help you, or if you have a lot of energy and a full day. If your family is helping you, make it a mini-party. Have a plan laid out, but one which might allow input from your children so they can enjoy the creativity of the project. It can be simple choices — should the witch cutout or the ghost cutout go here? This will not only create more involvement, but help develop decision making skills.
   2. Do it one room at a time. If help is minimal, lay out a week where you do one area at a time. It takes the pressure off of you to get things done all at once and you will enjoy doing it.

October 15 - 24 (1 - 2 weeks in advance): Preliminary Cooking

1. Clean out your freezer for items you plan to freeze. If you have other items that need advance preparation, clean a place to store them.
2. Shop for the ingredients you need for Preliminary Cooking. This may also be a good time to pick up your Halloween candy.
3. Cook and freeze (or store) the food.

October 25 - 29 (2 - 7 days in advance): Shopping and Confirmations

1. Confirm Caterers, Rentals, and Extra Help.
   You don't want to be surprised the day of your party if the caterer or party supply people don't show up. Call them early in the week to confirm your reservation and ask them for a time you can expect them to arrive. If they don't give you a set time early in the week, call again the day before the party when they should have a schedule in place.
2. Do your food and miscellaneous shopping.
   You should have already purchased most of your supplies, so you should only need to do your food shopping. Ideally, you should do this the day before you plan to do your cooking. You may have a few items that would require last minute shopping, such as milk for the kids, ice, or fresh bread for a dinner party, and these can be put on a small list for the morning of the party.

October 27 - 30 (1-4 days in advance): Cleaning, Cooking, and Table Preparation

1. Cleaning.
   Clean areas in your home that need cleaning before guests arrive.
2. Defrost Your Frozen Foods.
   Defrost foods you prepared in advance in your refrigerator one to two days in advance.
3. Cook and Bake.
   Having the cooking done the day before the party allows you to enjoy it more.
4. Set your buffet or table.
   If you have your tables and chairs, put out plates, napkins, centerpieces, and anything that can be done in advance. If you are renting your tables and chairs, have a staging area to hold all the items you will need so they are ready to go.
5. Follow-up on the times to expect rentals and other help if they did not give you a time earlier in the week.

October 31 (Party Day):Halloween

1. If you are expecting Trick-or-Treaters, put candy and goodies in bowls.
2. If your children are Trick-or-Treating or attending parties, get them ready.
   Getting ready not only means dressing them up in their costumes, but if you are not going with them, let them know your guidelines for checking in with you.
3. Last minute shopping.
   Pick up items such as milk, ice, breads, and anything that needed to be fresh.
4. If you are waiting for outside rentals or help, allow a window for lateness (15 - 30 minutes), and follow up if they don't show up on time.
5. Do any last minute table and presentation preparation.
6. Heat foods that need heating. Put out the food.
7. Get yourself ready.
8. Happy Halloween!

— Shelly —

Here are a few items to check out. You may also search for more items at the Amazon search box on the right.