Alternative Halloween Celebration for Church or Youth Group

Halloween is one of the most widely celebrated holidays of the year. It has become a highly commercialized media event for retailers and children everywhere!�

I remember the thrills and excitement of "trick-or-treat" from the time I was only knee-high to a tombstone! We started out when it was still light and continued until long after the ghosts had been laid to rest. We would wear costumes we created ourselves and bring our own personal pillowcases to stuff full of the candy, gum, and homemade treats like popcorn balls, caramel-dipped apples, and cookies we collected from the well-wishers on Halloween night.�

But the world has changed. Because of the small, unseemly elements that now persist in society, we need to be more careful about when, where, and how we celebrate a holiday such as Halloween.�

Halloween used to be a time of harmless, if not annoying, children's pranks. Now we can not even take a chance on accepting treats that are not commercially produced and professionally packaged. And we can't even let our children out alone, let alone be out after dark.�

But there are alternatives. Let me tell you about what we do.

This is a program that can be adapted and put to good use by any local church group, service club (like Lions, Rotary, etc.), or Boy's and Girl's Club. It is a program involving three basic parts that can begin and end before it even gets dark outside, if you want.

(1) Serve a light meal
(2) Play Games and Activities
(3) "Trunk-R-Treat"

Light Meal:

Prepare and serve the group of children something like hot dogs or sloppy joes (you may use our family recipe below), with chips and apple juice. This is easy to prepare and serves quickly. It is simple to control and clean up, too.

Sloppy Joes (Ronwen's Untidy Josephs)

1 1/2 lbs. Ground Beef 1 Onion
1 Green Pepper 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
½ C. Brown Sugar 1/3 C. Ketchup
1 can Tomato Soup

Brown ground beef with onion and green pepper. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer, and serve on hamburger buns.

Games and Activities:�

Here you can let your imagination run wild! There is ring toss, ball toss, and balloon toss. There simple games of skill like relay races, sack races, etc. Think about the typical family reunion type of games and adapt them to the Halloween theme. All you need are enough activities to keep the children busy for about 30 minutes.�

Here is a link you may find useful in planning your games and activities: http://family-reunion.com/games.htm.

"Trunk-R-Treat" :

This is usually set up in the parking lot where parents, teachers, and local officials have their cars lined up with their trunks facing together. The trunks are open and decorated in a festive Halloween decor. The adults then distribute candy from their trunks as the children pass them by.

Halloween is really a celebration for children and the young at heart. It is a "spooky" and magical occasion that can still be participated in safely, if we take the necessary steps to "make it so".�

Use your imagination, have fun, and enjoy the joyful elements of the Halloween holiday!