A Semi Formal Halloween Dinner Party

As the holiday season nears and the weather turns from warm to cool our senses tell us it's time to stay indoors. We feel the love of family and friends as we begin to plan for entertainment during the cold months of winter. So to start the season with something different and make it something special. A semi formal dinner party for friends and family for Halloween!

Plan your guest list. Make it small. Contact everyone on it for confirmation of attendance to the coming glorious dinner and special evening of fun and fright. Tell them what is involved with semi formal. For the men it can be anything from sport coat to suit to very nice clothes. For women anything from dresses to slacks, but dressy. Once they all agree you are set to begin preparation.

Give a theme to your dinner party such as color. It can be black and white to black and any other color. Guest are to choose the clothing according to the color theme of the dinner party. A good dinner party on Halloween will have mystery and maybe a surprise before the evening is over. Keep all plans to yourself until the guest arrive so everyone can enjoy what is in store for them.

This night your dinner party will be the unusual Halloween dinner of mysteries past and future. Who is telling the truth and who is telling the lie. As the guest arrive serve them a deep red Vampire Wine in crystal glasses. Lead them to the living room to wait for the final call for dinner. Make sure introduction are made for those who do not know each other and keep the conversation going with questions regarding their jobs, their families and their daily activities.

When dinner is ready lead them to the dining room. Your music for the evening is monk chants softly playing in the background. Let them enjoy the view of what awaits them. The table is to be covered with a white table cloth with a black lace runner in the center. On that is set a red bowl filled with red and white roses. For a touch of mystery to the flowers add a little black glitter sprinkled over the tops. On each side of the bowl place small clear glass and red glass votive candles.

Each place setting has a black cloth napkin. Dishes can be of white china or mixed color china and silver utensils. Each end of the table hold a decanter full of red wine. Start dinner with tomato soup served in mugs followed by the main course. Carved roast which you will tell the guest is that of former guest from a party full of complaints! Salad of red endive, tomatoes and raspberry dressing. Mashed potatoes colored with red food coloring which you will tell guest is colored with your own blood. Baby carrots that look a lot like fingers in soft candle light. Serve with sweet bread you declare is made from the bones of infants for that delicate taste of youth.

When dinner is finished move everyone back to the living room for desert and fun. Serve red velvet cake with hot coffee. Once everyone is relaxed and ready make your announcement of truth or dare. They may laugh until you tell them this is the adult Halloween version no child will ever play. Now you have their interest.

Have envelopes ready for each person. Inside is a card with a sentence such as truth about a murder or lie about a revenge. They are not to share their information with any of the other guest. Choose two guest to tell their stories first and let everyone guess if they are a truth or lie version. Once the stories have been told and the others have decided who is the lie and who is the truth have each guess announce their category and if they told a truth or a lie. This will feed the imagination of everyone in the room as they learn new things about each other.

Before the evening ends tell them the story of an evil in the neighborhood. The story is to contain an evil deed from sometime in the past and can be a truth or lie. Make it scary, make it possible and make it unsolved. As each guest leaves for the night tell them you hope they make it home safe and if not you'll see them on the other side. Just like the guest who disappeared last year!

You are a hit, your dinner was great and everyone had a great time. Let them know if they truly liked the entertainment you already have plans for next year, but it's a secret until then! Happy