Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 18, 1993 TAG: 9310190016
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT NEWSFUN WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
For decades, Halloween has meant trick-or-treating in neighborhoods. But recently, trick-or-treaters have met with more tricks than treats. Sometimes people poison the candy they hand out, set up dangerous road blocks, or set out to really frighten the young kids going door-to-door in their costumes.
But some mean pranksters shouldn't ruin one of the coolest holidays of the year. These days, you don't have to go door-to-door trick-or-treating to enjoy the ghostly night. Why not trick-or-treat at a Halloween party instead? Or, host a house-haunting party of your own.
(If you do go trick-or-treating, be sure to let a grown-up check your candy before you eat it. Always trick-or-treat with a grown-up, and carry a flashlight when it's dark. Never go to strangers' houses.)
For many former trick-or-treaters, parties have become a safer way of having fun on this ghostly holiday. And hosting a party is easier than you think. And loads of fun, too.
Here's how:
First, plan your party with your parents. If it's easier, perhaps you and your best friend can co-host a party. That way, you'll have twice as much help in planning it.
The first question you'll need to answer, according to the book "Celebrate! Parties for Kids" by Carol Cowden and Patsy Shawver (Westport Publishers), is who you want to invite. Think of your close friends as you make your guest list, and be careful not to make it too big - things could get expensive and out of hand if you get too many kids in the same house.
Next, send your invitations. This will be fun if you make your own. You might cut a bat out of black construction paper and write your invitation on it with white ink or paint. Or, you could cut out a witch's hat and write it on that. Ghosts, haunted houses or anything spooky would make fun invitations, too. Be sure to include the date, time, location and your phone number on the invitation. And, ask guests to come in Halloween costumes.
Before your party, decorate your house with your parents' help. You might make spider webs out of white yarn and string them up in the corners of your home. And you could dangle bats tied to fishing line from the ceilings. You could also turn your chairs into tombstones by securing tombstone-shaped posterboard with "RIP" written on them to the chair backs. And don't forget the jack-o'-lantern! Can you think of other Halloween things you can do to decorate your house?
Finally, gather any foods, games, prizes and party favors before your guests and goblins arrive. There are many party books in your local library with loads of tips.
The standard Halloween party foods which are always yummy are doughnuts and cider. But you can make lots more.
Here are a few recipes:
Spiders - Mix one cup of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1/2 cup crisp-rice cereal and 1/4 cup coconut. Form spider bodies out of this on wax paper. Now, melt another cup of the chocolate chips and stir in 1 1/2 cups chow mein noodles. When these are coated, pick out the longer ones to attach to the spider bodies as legs. Finally, make spider eyes with dots of ready-made frosting.
Ice cream jack-o'-lanterns - With an adult's help, cut the top off an orange and scoop out all the fruit. Now, carve a face into the orange. Spoon a scoop of ice cream into the orange - any flavor you like - and put the orange's top back on. Poke a cinnamon stick through the top to look like a pumpkin stalk. Store in the freezer.
Sugar cookies - Many stores sell cookie cutters in fun Halloween shapes. Use these to make neat sugar cookies either from a basic cookie recipe or from a mix. Decorate with frosting.
There are as many games out there for your party as you can dream up. A few are:
Dangle doughnuts from a string, and - using no hands - let guests begin eating them at the same time. The one whose doughnut hangs the longest wins.
Bobbing for apples is fun. Simply put a bunch of apples in a big tub filled with water. Using only your mouth, pick up an apple. Be prepared to get your face wet, though. And have some towels nearby.
Lead your guests through a haunted house of your own, and give certificates to those who go through it, congratulating them on their bravery.
Make up some games of your own, and don't forget to award prizes! You can give candy or make prizes yourself. A simple one to make is the ghost lollipop: Wrap a white tissue over a round lollipop (Tootsie Roll Pops are perfect shapes) and tie it with yarn where the stick meets the candy. Draw eyes on the ghost's face.
You might want to top off the night with a scary story. Have guests sit in a circle and make up a story, taking turns telling one or two sentences at a time.
Or, check out the many Halloween books in your library. You might try "The Halloween Witch" by Marjorie Thayer. It's a play that will be fun and easy to act out. See what other books, plays or stories you can find to share with your friends.
For lots more party tips, check out "The Children's Party Handbook" by Alison Boteler (Barron's publishers) and "The Penny Whistle Halloween Book" by Meredith Brokaw and Annie Gilbar (Simon & Schuster publishers).
And, happy haunting!
by CNB