4 years ago, my boys were 9 and 6. So, the first party was bring a decorated pumpkin for our graveyard. Gave a prize for that. Played bobbing for apples, pumpkin pass, pumpkin hunt - all for prizes. Had a bonfire with smores and hot dogs and drinks, etc. It was a good timel - BUT hot dogs on the ground, marshmellows were thrown everywhere - kids running with the roasting sticks.
2nd year - I cut out the roasting of food! LOL Went to just finger goods. No organized games. We went out into this huge field to find the "troll". Which was a friend hiding, and TOTALLY scared the pooh outta the kids! Did the bring a decorated pumpkin thing again for a prize.
3rd year - Now my boys are 12 and 9. So, I hand make my invitations (as always!) and tell them a story about a ghost by my house. At the party, I had truck and trailer with hay - loaded up kids and made a trip down a "haunted" old mining dirt road. This was a huge hit. I had people hidden all along the road in the tress, under a bridge, etc. Even had one boy in on it, and his dad was a "ghost" who drug his son off the back of the slow moving trailer and carried him off into the woods. Of course the son was screaming bloody murder, like we told him to! What I did not do - tons of food and drink. These growing boys will eat dirt if it was on a plate!! And I caught them burning cheese puffs in the candle flames!! Hooligans! So I really slimmed down the snacks. I just make a 5 gallon jug of kool aid now too. Much cheaper! Also the decorated pumpkin died this year, so will not do it next year.
4th year - THIS WEEKEND!!! - My boys are now 13 and 10. They are all into soccer, football and basketball and begged to just be able to play (I try to discourage it cause they are gonna get hurt and some ticked off coach or parent is gonna have my butt!) anyway, I told them FINE, but we will have 3 competitions. So my invitations I made, were made with pumpkins and ghost I cut out of real football and basketball material (looked really cool!). I am now working on the rules of the 3 games - football pass, soccer goal kick, and free throw shooting - and I'm gonig to give a $10 ipod card to each winner.
Food: I have learned go cheap - go bulk - the big cheap bags of pretzels and cheese puff at Walmart are good. I get the cheap cookies too.
Drink: Also learned to do the 5 gallon jug of koolaid, and use the cones - put the trash can RIGHT by the jug and hope they will throw their little paper cones away!
Decorations: You can never go wrong with a bonfire - it's a must have every year. I have a graveyard (it's been up for 2 weeks now!) I made the fence and coffin and tomstones from all the great ideas here and on the web. Spooky lighting. strob lights.
I do NOT let them wear a costume. They will lose pieces, they will get tore up (because they are hooligans, remember?!) and they are hot usually. So, I just ask them to please leave the costume at home.
I keep it 7 - 9 pm. Of course they show up early, and leave late. IT's usually 6:30 - 9:30 and after 3 full hours of boys running around and me worried to death they'll get hurt - I'm ready for them to go home then! LOL
We had 27 kids the first year, 32 the second, 55 last year and who knows how many this year! I made 70 invitations last year and this year also - I start making them in August.
When I passed out invites this year, I had two say, OH is this for the Halloween Party??! and I have had a couple moms tell me they keep my invitations on their fridge because they can't stand to throw them out!
It's a lot of hard work, time and money - but the kids getting excited about it, and compliments from the other parents, makes me realize it's all worth it!
My biggest challenge - to keep it from being too "kiddy" - next year they will be 14 and 11 - a hard age to entertain! I hope one day my boys will be grown and tell me this is one of their fondest memories!
Beverly
