How to Celebrate Halloween Without Trick-or-Treating

By eHow Holidays & Celebrations Editor

Rate: (3 Ratings)

Many parents prefer not to let their kids go trick-or-treating on Halloween but still want to celebrate the holiday. Luckily, there are many safe alternatives that will provide lots of fun for everyone.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Halloween Makeup Kits
Halloween Invitations
Halloween Candles
Halloween Decorations
Halloween Light Sets
Jack-o'-lanterns
Halloween Baking Supplies
Halloween Sound Effects CD
Halloween Party Packs
Kids' Costumes

Step1

Call your local community or recreation center. Many of these places offer safe Halloween gatherings for various age groups as alternatives to trick-or-treating.

Step2

Ask at the shopping mall. Some shopping malls stay open on Halloween after the stores close so that kids can trick-or-treat store-to-store rather than door-to-door. Some malls even hold costume parades and provide children's entertainment.

Step3

Go to the pool. Some community swimming pools offer Halloween-themed evenings to keep kids busy and safe.

Step4

Go to a family Halloween dance or concert. Most towns offer at least one all-ages Halloween event.

Step5

Visit a haunted house. These are often presented as community fundraisers and offer varying "scare levels."

Step6

Have a devilish dinner party. Put on your best vampire robes and serve your family and friends "blood soup" (tomato soup), "spaghetti and eyeballs" (spaghetti and meatballs), and so on.

Step7

Throw a costume party. Kids can bob for apples, carve pumpkins, play pin-the-skull-on-the-skeleton, and enjoy other fun activities. Make caramel apples, and have some treats available as game prizes so the kids don't feel too candy-deprived!

Tips & Warnings

If you are going to have a party at home, make sure you have something ready to offer trick-or-treaters who come to the door. Or, turn off the porch lights when all the invited guests have arrived.
Try to keep the kids as busy as possible during prime trick-or-treating hours ' this means that they won't have the time to feel they are missing out on anything.
Be sure to prepare your kids for the alternatives well in advance if they are used to trick-or-treating ' a sudden change of heart isn't a good idea.
Even if your kids aren't going trick-or-treating, many of these activities still require costumes, so plan ahead.