How to Do Halloween Like the Americans
Next week (October 31) is Halloween – time to get spooky! Maybe you’ll do something low-key on the night – like pop in an animated Halloween DVD for the little ones, carve a pumpkin or two, or indulge in a well-deserved sweet-fest.
Or you could do Halloween like the Americans! No one does this holiday quite like our neighbours across the pond. Over there you’ll find lawns packed with skeletons and fake spiderwebs as early as late September (and staying as late as December!), streets filled with pint-sized witches and superheroes, entire supermarket aisles dedicated to kitsch costumes, and buckets of sweets that have inspired people to start giving away toothbrushes to trick-or-treaters.
Interested in partaking in this absolute riot of good-spirited spookiness? We thought so!
Halloween Treats
When we say go all out with the treats, we mean ‘GO ALL OUT’. Besides stocking up on the usual name branded chocs and sweets to give out to trick-or-treaters, you’ll want to whip up some homemade Halloween goodies to get into the spooky spirit.
Nothing says autumn and American-style Halloween quite like caramel apples. Originating in New Jersey, these customisable sweet treats are easy to make and simply delicious. You’ll need nothing more than some fresh apples, store-bought caramel, and optional toppings like chocolate drizzle and finely chopped nuts. Here’s a quick recipe for you.
For recipes more Halloween-inspired, from “boo-tiful” pull-apart graveyard cupcakes to finger foods like this drool-worthy candy corn cheese tower, the Food Network has you covered.
Fancy Dress Party
So you’ve whipped up all the treats and now they’re lying around your kitchen. Rather than eat them all by yourself (which, you know, you can still do!), why not invite people over for some good old-fashioned, fancy dress fun?
Costumes are great, because how often can you dress like someone else and assume a different personality? (Fancy dinner parties don’t count.) Solution: fancy dress party!
Decide on a date, a party theme, pick out decorations, choose an outfit, and send out invitations. Need spooky music inspiration? Here are 30 of the best Halloween songs to play at your spooky do.
After that, it’s time to dim the lights, break out the berry-flavoured eyeball punch, and perform Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance for five hours straight!
Halloween Decorations
Regardless of whether you want to have a fancy dress party or not, decorations are a very American way of declaring the Halloween spirit. Well, have you SEEN their houses once October hits? It’s enough to get any old Scrooge excited about the 31st.
(Sorry, wrong holiday.)
You can make your own decorations or you can buy them off sites like Amazon or Etsy. You’ll want to grab the basics, including the classic Jack O’lanterns, some lawn decoratins and some fake spiderwebs.
Fancy Dress Outfits
Okay, so you’ve got your fancy dress outfit in the works. You’ve got your treats, you’ve got your decorations, you’ve got your scary playlist ready to go. So what do you wear?
If you’re following a theme, you can easily search for costumes to complement it. There are plenty of DIY websites out there that will help you make the perfect costume, but if you don’t have the time or the craft skills to do so, you can pick up fancy dress outfits relatively cheaply – try Home Bargains, The Range and even Wilkinson’s.
So there you have it! Now you’re ready to throw down like an American on Halloween.