How to Have Fun on Halloween While Avoiding it Altogether

Halloween is just around the corner. Can't you tell? Walmart, Target, Kmart - everybody - has had their decorations for sale since July practically, and now they're out in full force. Well, if you're like me, you could just as soon trash the whole idea of Halloween all together. Not only is it a very distasteful holiday, it's creepy, Satanic, and aside from the candy, a very big waste of money and yard space.

So if you're not big into the Halloween holiday, here's some great anti-Halloween alternatives we've done for several years.

One: It's Movie Time!

Each year we look forward to watching a movie on Halloween, no matter if it's a school day the next day or if it's a weekend. Not only does it take your mind off of trick-or-treaters, it takes your mind off of the holiday altogether.

If you really wanted to get into it, you could choose to watch a creepy movie, but I prefer something exactly the opposite. One of our favorites when I was little was Mouse Hunt, which had absolutely nothing to do with Halloween. Other times we've watched things like Open Season, Sweet Home Alabama, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Two: Break Out the Candy

Just because you're not giving away candy to little munchkins at the door doesn't mean you should deprive yourself. This is the best time of year to buy candy on sale at Walmart or the grocery store. The bags of miniatures are a much better price, as are the milk and dark chocolate M&M's.

Three: Make Those Treats You've Been Waiting For

Halloween is the best time of year to make caramel apples. Every Halloween we make our own caramel (which usually consists of melting pre-packaged caramels with evaporated milk and some butter), cut up apple slices, and sprinkle on some nuts. If you want to get real fancy, you can make whole candied apples using the same ingredients, you'll just have to find small sticks to puncture into the apple core.

Four: Dress in Comfy Clothing

I don't mind the idea of dressing up, but dressing up on Halloween as an "alternative" kind of defeats the purpose of the Halloween boycott. So instead, we usually just pick out something we want to wear that's comfortable, something that doesn't necessarily have to match, but it's a lot of fun to wear just the same. Oversized sweatshirts, a tank and shorts, pajamas, ripped-up jeans and your favorite T-shirt; you name it, as long as it's what you want.

Five: Stay Up Late

We love to play games as a family, and some of the best ones are too long to play on a regular basis. Games like Phase 10 work great for sitting around the table and munching on those snacks before or after you watch your movie. We pick out our favorite CD (something like the soundtrack from Phantom of the Opera or Pirates of the Caribbean), make a bowl of popcorn, grab the candy, and start shuffling! Other great games for this time of year are Mystery Mansion and Clue.

These are all great ways to have fun and avoid Halloween at the same time. Maybe you're a Christian and like me, don't see the point in participating in your church's "harvest time," where everything resembles Halloween except for a big black cauldron. Or perhaps you're just not that into giving away free candy or getting a bunch of pumpkins thrown at your door.

I should mention that, if you get trick-or-treaters knocking at your door on a yearly basis, do all of the aforementioned party ideas with the lights out. We've used only candles and flashlights before, and it just adds to the fun!