Halloween Checklist

*Title photo via Pexels

Halloween is finally here! To commemorate the holiday, I’ve put together a final Halloween Checklist. Here’s a list of everything you need or need to do.

Costumes! Of course you need to have a costume. Most of you have probably already bought a costume, but if it’s the day of Halloween and you have no ideas or procrastinated getting one (like me this year), you can still put together a pretty decent last minute costume. Think of the items you already have and make it work for a character. Maybe you have some business casual wear that could help you look like Pam from The Office! One year, I put together a Katniss Everdeen costume since I already had the rain jacket, jeans, and boots. All I had to do was braid my hair and pick up a mockingjay pin and bow and arrow from a Halloween store and I was good to go! To this day, it’s still one of my favorite costumes. Maybe because I was climbing trees.

Scented candles. I don’t know about you, but candles can help set a mood in my opinion. There’s nothing like a cinnamon scented candle to help make you feel like you’re in the heart of Fall! While waiting for trick or treaters, why not kick back with a spooky movie and light a candle? You’ll feel so relaxed and in the Halloween spirit!

Candy. Of course, if you’re welcoming trick or treaters you’ve got to be stocked up on candy! My favorite candies as a kid were M&Ms and 3 Musketeers. In fact, those are still my favorites! For all you parents out there, I am going to share a tip from my mom. Back when I was a kid, I remember she used to trade us candy when we got home. For her, she knew her own candy was safe, but for me, I loved it! I could trade all the candy I didn’t like and end up with only 3 Musketeers and M&Ms (haha). 

Carve pumpkins. This year, I carved Totoro from Studio Ghibli! I wanted to do something cute, kind of challenging, but also easy. My favorite houses to trick or treat at when I was a kid were the ones with lit up carved pumpkins. It just adds to the Halloween spirit, y’know?

A cute sign showing trick or treaters are welcome. As a kid, it would suck when I’d waste time on a house that wasn’t accepting trick or treaters – walking up to the door just to find that either nobody was home or they just weren’t going to answer. Having a cute sign up is a good way to indicate that you are in the Halloween spirit and are welcoming little ones with candy. I loved this sign I bought this year! It’s so cute, festive, and my pets are the “little monsters”. 

Decorate at work. Of course, you don’t just have to limit your decorations to your home! In my work cubicle, I have felted pumpkins, a little harvest bird, and some spiders dangling off the front. Since I work at Disney, I got to decorate our common area for the season as well! I am super proud of this scary Junior Woodchuck campfire stories theme I created (with the help of coworkers). It’s been a huge hit at work with many people taking photos with it!

And that’s it! I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween! Stay safe out there.