To throw a Halloween Party that no one is soon to forget, follow these simple tips to ensure a ghastly time is had by all!

Pick a Theme:By picking a theme, this will make the rest of your planning much easier – costumes, menu, decorations. Some ideas would be TV show/movie (a cast of characters), masquerade, food, wild west, famous couples, politicians or always a classic costume party with ghosts, vampires, monsters, witches etc.

Invitations: Get creative! You can always do the classic paper invitation but with a twist. Make paper coffins with a skeleton or “severed” finger inside, headstones made of foam, origami bat, paper jack-o-lantern that is filled with treats and party information, a traditional envelope with “blood spatter” on the outside. These are sure to capture your guest’s attention and set the tone for the party to come.

Decorations: Jack-o-lanterns should be present at any Halloween bash, but an added twist may be that your guests each bring their own creation and a winner is announced at the end of the night. Also, as guests come, they can place a light in their jack-o-lantern along the path to your home and create some spooky illumination!

Instead of buying expensive decorations for spiders, rats, bats etc. use some black construction paper or poster board and cut the shapes out and hang/tape these critters along the floorboards, walls and ceilings.

Start saving those empty milk jugs now and you can place a small battery operated light in the base or place jugs strategically on a string of lights with a hole cut out in the base, tape/glue some faces on the front and you will have a bunch of friendly/scary ghosts lining your party room!

Menu:Finger foods are the best approach for your gathering. It allows your guests to mingle and munch. Here are a few ideas that will have our guests asking, ”Should I eat that?”…

Deviled Eyes:A twist on a classic appetizer. Add some food coloring to the yolk in your deviled eggs, place a sliced black olive in the middle and add some red food coloring in the white area for a bloodshot eyeball!

Earwax Appetizers: Take some lollipop sticks and place a mini marshmallow on each end. Then dip both ends in melted butterscotch chips.

Mummy Hot Dogs: All you need for this festive food are hot dogs, crescent rolls and mustard. Cut a crescent roll in half, pull slightly and wrap around the hot dog. Cook for about 13-15 minutes at 375 and add two mustard dots for eyes.