Halloween Traditions for Families

Halloween is a great opportunity for parents and children to spend time together and to create traditions that will last a lifetime. For my family, Halloween preparations started the first week of October when my mom and I would go out in search of the perfect pumpkin. Not just any pumpkin would do, there were specific standards that our pumpkin had to meet. It had to be big and round and have a good handle (stem). After the perfect pumpkin had been selected, the next step in the process would be to design the pumpkins face. Important decisions included, deciding whether the pumpkin would have one or two teeth and whether the eyes would be circles or triangles. While we are on the subject of pumpkins, another idea for getting the family together is to have the children help out with filling garbage bags, that have been made to look like pumpkins, with leaves for decoration. Not only will this be a great bonding experience with your kids, you will also be getting help with your yard work without ever having to nag.

Once the pumpkin is taken care of, it is time to tackle the costume issue. In my family, my mom usually put our costumes together. One year I was a witch and my costume consisted of one of my dads black polo shirts, a pair of black spandex pants, and of course a pointy witches hat. Costumes do not have to be expensive, but they do have to be creative. Research costume ideas online to find inexpensive ways to make your child have the best costume on the block.

The last step in preparing for Halloween is deciding what treats to give out to your Trick or Treaters. This is a great time to get the kids involved. My mom used to make me feel like my opinion was very important because I was a kid and I knew what other kids would want. I used to think really hard about what treats my friends would like before ultimately picking my favorite candies in the hope that there would be some left over.

There are a plethora of opportunities for creating family traditions on the actual day of Halloween. Many people, who do not have small children, love to visit haunted houses on Halloween. I have a cousin who often brags about how he always handles haunted houses better than the girls in his family. In keeping with the haunted house theme, telling ghost stories is another great Halloween family tradition. One Halloween, my aunt, several friends, and I went to a local graveyard at midnight and told stories to try and spook one another. Even though we have not been back, we often talk and laugh about our experiences that night. And, of course, the story regarding who got scared the most changes with each re-telling of the tale.

Attending or throwing a costume party is another way to create great family memories and traditions.

Lastly, the best Halloween tradition that my family had was trick or treating. My sister, brother, and I loved to go out and see how much candy we could bring back. With the plethora of bad food choices that come into play on Halloween, another great Halloween tradition to start would be to inform children about good nutrition habits.