organizing for halloweenBoo! Did I scare you? We are approaching the Halloween season, just having past the Autumnal Equinox a couple of weeks ago. It’s getting cooler outside and the leaves are beginning to turn colors. There’s definitely a shift in the air. And if you have kids they may already be thinking about what they’re going to wear for Halloween. This is the time to begin the planning process if you haven’t already started. Having a plan will take the guesswork out of knowing what you should do, when organizing for Halloween.

Developing a plan also reduces the stress of the last minute running around to find the perfect costume, or to make sure you have enough candy for the trick-or- treaters. Everything you need to do can be accomplished in 4 weeks as long as you schedule the tasks as part of the plan. There are categories listed below week 1 with options to consider as you make your preparations. If you have some planning ideas not shown here, please post a comment below to share with everyone.

When you start organizing for Halloween now, that should provide plenty of time to be prepared for the festivities of the season.  You will be ready for all the little ghosts & goblins that will magically appear on your doorstep as the light begins to fade on All Hallows Eve.

Week 1 – Plan & Task Schedule

• Costumes: Whether you plan on purchasing costumes for your children, or maybe for yourself, or you are creative enough to make a costume, now is the time to begin. When you have the idea for the costume, decide how it will come to be. You may want to search the Internet, or visit costume or party shops for ideas. If you buy it, the earlier, the better so the best ones aren’t snatched up. If you will create it yourself, you may want to visit resale shops for the best bargains. An economical way to go would be to use something you already have in your home. If you or your child actively participates in a sport, or if you have a job that requires a uniform, perhaps the uniform could be used as a costume.

• Party planning: Decide if you will be hosting a party at your home or some other venue, helping with another party, or if you will attend a party hosted by someone else. Determining your role will determine the type of planning. If you will host a party, make sure the invitations go out 2 weeks before the party, which means this week or next!

• Decorations: Do you decorate either inside or outside your home for Halloween? If so, decorating should be included in your plan. The decorations should be checked out to see if they can be used again this year or if it’s time to discard those that are worn out and new ones purchased or created.

• Pumpkins: There are multiple creative options for decorating pumpkins that may or may not include carving. The traditional Jack- o- Lantern carving is still popular. However, there are many creative patterns available on the Pumpkin Masters website that can be downloaded for free. There are also other options that don’t involve carving at all.

• Trick-or-treating: If you have little ones, you need to decide what type of trick-or-treating they will be doing. Going from house to house is one option. Be sure you have a trick established for your child before you head out, although not a lot of people ask for a trick these days. Shopping malls and fire houses are now handing out candy as well. Whether you have trick-or-treaters yourself, or live in an area where they visit most homes, you will need something to hand out, and most of the goblins prefer candy. Think back to last year to determine the amount to have on hand.

Week 2 – Gather

• Now that you have a plan, you need to gather the things you decided on to be ready to move right into week 3. You will know what you are doing for costumes, if you will host or attend a party, how you will decorate, including pumpkins, and the plan for the trick-or-treaters, either yours or the visiting ones.

Week 3 – Act

• This could be a busy week! You have a plan and gathered the things you need to put your plan into action. So, get going and make those costumes, decorate your house, carve/decorate your pumpkins and make sure you have enough candy. That’s organizing for Halloween!

Week 4 – Enjoy!

• Everything should be in place and ready to enjoy the festivities. Happy Halloween!