Hi! My BIL & SIL used to throw a Halloween party for adults & kids. They were pretty lucky to have a large house, so they had an area in the basement where they set out some folding tables & chairs, and filled the tables with Halloween-inspired coloring pages, crafts, markers, stickers, etc. They also had glow sticks & games like pin the hat on the witch up on the wall. It was great to keep the kids occupied & give them a space of their own.
The main areas of the house were a bit more adult-oriented, but they didn't have too much gory details.
At my house, we host an Open House/Buffet type event every Halloween. We get all ages - some people say awhile & hang out with our firepit & eat lots of food all night, while others pop in & out as they TOT through the neighborhood. The majority of our decorations are outside, but we do indoor displays too. One thing everyone seems to like are the tabletop props where you can push a button & something will happen. We have the eyeball doorbell that we hang on the wall inside, & kids and adults both like pushing it - just one example. I try not to have too many things within reach of kids that they aren't allowed to touch - if I want to protect it, I put it up high & away from the high-traffic areas!
We don't really do bloody or gory with any of our decorations. Outside is a bit scarier than inside - we don't want the kids to be afraid of coming in the house. Here's a photo of our fireplace from last year - we aim for spooky, a bit creepy, but not so scary. The skeleton along the left side is animated & will talk if you push his buttons.
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Another way I find it easy to decorate is to try & color-coordinate things together. Our fireplace is in our family room, so I try to stick with black, white, silver & small pops of purple in there. In our dining room, I use our shelves to put up some of the other indoor decor that is a bit more traditional/vintage-inspired. It's mostly black & orange, so I keep those the main colors of anything I put in there.
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Also, don't forget to cater to the kids a little bit when it comes to the food. It's fun to put together some kid-specific treats, but it's also great for the parents if you offer something more solid to combat all the sweets they'll get that night. We do a big batch of macaroni & cheese (kids & adults like it), and a large bowl of sliced fruit, which is in addition to our "real" menu. There are snacks like crackers, veggies & dip too, but it all helps to give parents a chance to sneak in some healthier stuff.
My kids are little still, so we host at least one Halloween playdate before our own Open House. Here's a photo of some fun treats we set out for the kids - the drinks are a huge hit!
![Brunch Food Drink Table Punch]()
The main areas of the house were a bit more adult-oriented, but they didn't have too much gory details.
At my house, we host an Open House/Buffet type event every Halloween. We get all ages - some people say awhile & hang out with our firepit & eat lots of food all night, while others pop in & out as they TOT through the neighborhood. The majority of our decorations are outside, but we do indoor displays too. One thing everyone seems to like are the tabletop props where you can push a button & something will happen. We have the eyeball doorbell that we hang on the wall inside, & kids and adults both like pushing it - just one example. I try not to have too many things within reach of kids that they aren't allowed to touch - if I want to protect it, I put it up high & away from the high-traffic areas!
We don't really do bloody or gory with any of our decorations. Outside is a bit scarier than inside - we don't want the kids to be afraid of coming in the house. Here's a photo of our fireplace from last year - we aim for spooky, a bit creepy, but not so scary. The skeleton along the left side is animated & will talk if you push his buttons.
Another way I find it easy to decorate is to try & color-coordinate things together. Our fireplace is in our family room, so I try to stick with black, white, silver & small pops of purple in there. In our dining room, I use our shelves to put up some of the other indoor decor that is a bit more traditional/vintage-inspired. It's mostly black & orange, so I keep those the main colors of anything I put in there.
Also, don't forget to cater to the kids a little bit when it comes to the food. It's fun to put together some kid-specific treats, but it's also great for the parents if you offer something more solid to combat all the sweets they'll get that night. We do a big batch of macaroni & cheese (kids & adults like it), and a large bowl of sliced fruit, which is in addition to our "real" menu. There are snacks like crackers, veggies & dip too, but it all helps to give parents a chance to sneak in some healthier stuff.
My kids are little still, so we host at least one Halloween playdate before our own Open House. Here's a photo of some fun treats we set out for the kids - the drinks are a huge hit!
