Gene Minor's Blog

Who says Halloween is just for kids? Halloween is, of course, a time for trick-or-treating, and mom and dad certainly canít go out begging in the streets for candy, but the holiday can also be a great time for some adult fun.

If you are planning a Halloween party for grown-ups, you will want to have some adult Halloween games on hand. It is all part of the fun.

Some great adult Halloween games include:

About the Town – This is a scavenger hunt. All you need to do is create a list of Halloween-related items, pass out the list to each team, and send them on their way to collect the items. Some great objects to put on the list include:

A Hangmanís noose
A black veil
An obituary

You get the idea. Just include items that have to do with being scared, ghosts, Halloween, or whatever.

You might try a variation on the hunt, too. One great one is to make the hunt a video scavenger hunt. Each team goes off with video camera in hand (or cell phone with a camera or whatever) and films the items rather than actually bringing the items back with them. This is really cool because you can make the list of items include really big stuff and potentially scary things like tombstones. For a further variation, you can have the list be only things like: Superman, a clown, a pirate, a fairy princess, a werewolf, a vampire, and so on. That would mean the adult Halloween games would include the kids via taking video of trick-or-treaters who are all dressed up.

Halloween Fortune Telling – In this game, your guests put their knowledge of one another to the test and get to know each other better.

Simply hand out slips of paper and a pencil to each guest. Each person then chooses a person at the party (maybe even himself or herself), but doesn’t tell anyone who it is. Then, everyone write a “fortune” for that person, folds it, and puts it into the fishbowl. You can have everyone write one or several; thatís up to you.

Then, each guest pulls out a slip of paper and reads the fortune. He then tries to guess which person wrote the fortune and which person the fortune is about.

Some examples of fortunes might be:

This person will get caught doing something illegal and spend the night in jail.î
This person will marry someone from a foreign country.î
This person will quit his job and buy a Corvette when he turns fifty.î
This person will adopt a child.î
This person will become President of the PTA.î

You get the idea. Each person who correctly guesses wins a small prize, and this game is a delightful way to get conversations started at your Halloween bash.

A really cool variation of this game is to have each guest put their name on a piece of paper and drop into the bowl. Then have each guest draw a name from the bowl and have the one who drew the name make up a scary story about the name drawn. Then have the other guest guess who the scary story is about.

As you can see adult games can be a lot of fun and the types of games can be endless. It just takes a little planning to come up with adult Halloween games.

Whether you decide to take the kids out for an hour of trick-or-treating and then come back for the party, or just forego the neighborhood wanderings this year, it is an absolute must that you have a fiendishly good time by playing Halloween games. This holiday is usually considered a kidís day, but I like to think of Halloween as a time to become a kid again, and Halloween games ñ even if they are really designed to please the kiddies ñ can really be Halloween games for both kids and adults.

Here are some great ideas for Halloween games to make everyone giggle and have a good time:

Pass the Pumpkin ñ This game is great fun and all you need are three pumpkins and some people. Just group up the players into groups of pretty even ability levels, or make it kids against the adults or boys against the girls if you like. Each group starts with a pumpkin and the first player passes it to another in the group. Then that person passes it on to someone else, and so on. The winning team is the team that does not drop the pumpkin. OhhhÖdid I forget to mention, you should put some Crisco on the pumpkins first? Howling good fun! This is an outside game of course!

Mummy Maniacs ñ This game is way cool and all you need is some white crepe paper or rolls of toilet paper. First, divide up the kids (or adults) into teams of two players each. One takes the paper and makes the other one into the mummy, being sure to wrap the legs together, not separately. Then, the non-mummies run around in a roped-off area, and it is the job of the mummies to ìcaptureî an enemy partner. The first one to hug the enemy is the winner.

Witches Broom Dancing ñ This is a variation on follow-the-leader, and all you need is a broom. Put all players in a circle. The first person takes the witchís broom and dances around the circle with it. Then, she hands it to whatever player she chooses, and that person must imitate her dance exactly. If she doesnít she sits down and another person takes a turn. The last player standing wins.

Spider Sack Relay Race ñ This game makes players into spiders and requires just a little forethought and before-the-party preparation. All you need are three old pairs of panty hose and some old rags to stuff inside them. Put the rags in the legs of the pantyhose. Then, divide the players into three teams. The first player ties the pantyhose around his waist so that the legs dangle on his sides. He bends over and crawls on his hands and feet (or hands and knees, whichever) and goes to the finish line, where a teammate waits for him. Then, the teammate takes off the dangly pantyhose spider legs, and puts them on herself and crawls back to the beginning. Play continues until all players have crawled. First team to get everyone across a finish line wins.

Itís easy to become a kid again on Halloween night and make it a special night with your friends and the kids. All you to do is put your thinking cap on and introduce everyone to one of the above games or another Halloween game you come up with.

The little children all over the world seem to be really excited when Halloween arrives and have a great deal of fun and merry making that day. Let your kids have fun but at the same time, keep some supervision to ensure that they are safe and secure during Halloween. The small children especially have high chances of getting injured during this festive night. Therefore, it is important that you are armed with the Halloween safety tips for children. Here are a few tips that will ensure that you children enjoy and stay safe at the same time.

You shouldn’t let your children below the age of 12 to go out of home alone at night. Parents are recommended to closely supervise the activities of children.

Ensure that is your child is too young then he/ she enters only the well lit homes in the neighborhood. Entering a dark house may be exciting especially during Halloween but this may bring forth some unpredicted problems.

Encourage your children to go with group of friends and enjoy the ‘trick or treat’ activities. The risk of any find of unfortunate happenings would considerably reduce if your child goes in groups.

You should also ensure that the place that your kids choose to enjoy the ‘trick or treat’ activities is safe. If possible, then get your kids to wear some really bright and reflective costumes. It is recommended that you tell your children to not walk across the yard, instead tell them to walk in the safe pedestrian areas. This will allow enough space for the kids to escape if there is a bad situation.

Ensure that your child remember your phone number in case he/ she needs to call you in case of emergency. Give them some coins to carry or a cell phone to contact you if required.

Halloween is a wonderful occasion; keep it safe by being careful and being equipped with these safety tips.

With all the Halloween excitement outside…..are you feeling stuck in a monotonous work place? Worry not, as in this article, I’ll provide some suggestions on how you can bring about some Halloween excitement and fun, with you at work and celebrate this festive season with your colleagues. There are many things you can do at office or with your co workers to ensure that you have a great Halloween. Here are some ideas:

Make a group at your office consisting of Halloween enthusiasts and plan a getaway. There are several weekend adventures to try from. You can look into the haunted houses, watch some horror movies, or enjoy some Halloween plays. You will hear about several Halloween events and happening throughout the week, and decide where you can head to at the weekend.

You can also throw a small Halloween party with your co workers. It needn’t have to necessarily be a costume party, as you are at work after all. Create some nice Halloween e-invites and send it to everyone’s mailbox at office. Ask everyone to contribute and you can set up everything at the conference room, or the lunch room. Get some decorations done and order some lip smacking food. And there you are – your office Halloween party is ready!

You can also get some interesting quizzes and contest games doing the round in office. This can set the right mood and atmosphere for Halloween celebration at work. Apart from this, you can also decorate your work station with colorful autumn leaves, plastic tombs, and pumpkins. You may also display a tape monster at the top of your office monitor.

If you are really enthusiastic about Halloween then you may create a small treat bag for your fellow co workers. Just put in some interesting things in the bag, such as a Halloween figurine, a Halloween pez dispenser, or some Halloween pens or pencils.

Halloween is one time of the year when you can have lots of fun with your family. Whether, it is designing the Halloween costumes, decorations, and trick-or-treat customs, it brings a wonderful time for the entire family that (thankfully) you may not see in any other time of year. It is necessary to plan everything right for this important occasion, to ensure that the celebration is healthy and safe. Here are some suggestions that you must keep in mind while celebrating Halloween at your home and on the street.

Celebrating Halloween at home:

If you are celebrating Halloween at home, then here are some important things that you must remember and take care of:

Pre plan all your Halloween ideas for your home and children so that everything is safe.
Ensure that the Halloween costumes of your kids are reflective and bright.
Make use of hypoallergenic and non toxic make up for Halloween.
Ensure that the wigs and costumes are all flame retardant.
If you plan outdoor decorations then ensure that they are properly lit as you may have visitors like goblins, royalty, monsters, and superheroes.
The Halloween accessories that you use should be safe and free from hazards.

Celebrating Halloween outside:

You must be really careful when you get out of your home to celebrate Halloween outside. Remember to take good care of your children. When you go out for the main festive event, ensure that you know the route well have a good idea of the location. Keep the right batteries with you for the flashlights. Ensure that your children eat a good meal before they go out to celebrate Halloween. Don’t put your pets outside as they may be scared of the masked people moving outside. Warn your kids against peeping inside other people’s vehicles and homes. Tell them to stay away from dark houses.

Halloween has been bouncing back to the older holiday limelight in the recent years. This old traditional festive occasion now rivals Christmas in popularity among people. In this era with the growing trends of sophistication, the Halloween decoration that mark the nation’s front lawns and porches have become frightfully advanced. The monsters, ghosts, and goblins that are the real make Halloween what it is, have become electrified and inflatable. They soar high up in the sky lighting up the night, shrieking on cue and waving to the passersby.

The advanced technology has made Halloween scarier. But, somewhere down the lane, you may feel a bit nostalgic about the old time charm. All the sophistication that has come into the festival now, makes one long for the cardboard skeleton, and the fun with a few honeycomb tissue-paper pumpkins. You are not alone in craving for the old world charm. This is the reason why the 1920’s till 60’s Halloween decorations are much in demand.

However, finding the Halloween decorations that were used to decorate and display earlier would be tough to find in today’s marketplace. The vintage Halloween images are not easily available. Some of the other collections that have become rare amidst the growing modern trends in Halloween decoration are die-cuts, of archetypal images like spooky black cats, scary witches, plastic pumpkin candy holders, Jack-O-Lanterns, and honeycombed-tissue decorations, to name a few.

The old day decorations and charms were absolutely lost with sophistication of lives and advancement of technology. But, now people are slowly reviving the traditions and old style decorations of Halloween.

Where to find the classic Halloween decorations:

If you also want to join the growing trends of reviving the old style of Halloween decoration then Internet is the best place to get the solution. Thanks to the websites like eBay, searching for the old stuff has become really easy. You can now find classic images and original 1930’s jointed skeleton paper-cutout with lots of convenience.

Halloween is one among those traditional holidays that is still celebrated today. It comes only second to Christmas in terms of popularity. Most of the people celebrate the holiday season without knowing where Halloween actually originated from. Knowing the history and origin of Halloween can make it more interesting and exciting.

There are some people who look at this holiday season as a time for enjoyment and fun. They celebrate by putting on scary costumes, wearing make-ups, and doing trunk or treat. People also throw themed parties for Halloween. But, there are still a section of people who regard Halloween as the time of superstitions, goblins, ghosts, and other evil sports, that must be avoided.

Delving into the history of Halloween:

The history Halloween dates back to October 31st, which is the last day of Celtic calendar. It was formerly considered as a pagan holiday, and was celebrated to honor the dead. Halloween was originally known as “All Hallows Eve” and it dates back to more than 2000 years back. “All Hallows Eve” is the eve before All Saints Day, which the Christians created to convert the pagans. It is celebrated on the first day of November.

There are many versions stories related to the origin of Halloween. Though different cultures view the occasion in a different way, the main practice and culture remains the same throughout. The culture of Halloween dates back to the era of the Druids, a Celtic culture established in Britain, Ireland, and Northern Europe. Its roots mainly lay in the feast of Samhain, which was celebrated annually on 31st October. Samhain implies the end of summer or November. Samhain was celebrated as a harvest festival with several huge sacred bonfires, which marks the end of one Celtic year and the beginning another.

It was the firm belief of the Celts that the souls of dead, wandered the villages and streets at night. As all the spirits were considered to be friendly and harmless, people tried to pacify them with gifts and treats so that the next year’s crops would be in abundant. This custom later evolved into the trick-or-treating of Halloween.