On Halloween, Husband and I have started a tradition – we pull a table out on our front porch, set up Yahtzee, and put on some kind of costume. Last year he was a tourist and I was a ninja; this year, I was some kind of greek princess (wrapped in a sheet) and he was a mad scientist (using a costume he used when he was 12 years old! It fits him better now, haha).
From there, we are able to greet every family that stops by, which to me is a little different from just popping up and down to answer the doorbell all evening. It’s nice to say hi to the parents down on the sidewalk, and to get to ooh and ahh over the kids costumes as they are coming up the walk. I especially like costumes that were clearly a labor of love for someone; no problem with store-bought costumes, but I think it’s way more exciting to design and build your own halloween costume; much more like a big, crazy craft festival than just buying costumes.
I also love that we get to see and chat with our neighbors, who also seem to enjoy the evening outdoors: one neighbor smokes his cigar and talks to us about recent updates on his house, and another posts up ornate pumpkins for us to admire. There are a lot of quiet houses too, because our neighborhood isn’t inundated with trick-or-treaters, but the ones who do come come in little packs, excited and ready to hold their bags open wide for us to give them candy.
Our tradition concludes when it gets too dark and we’ve run out of candy so we adjourn to the couch for a spooky movie or TV show – I don’t normally do horror, but it’s fun to watch something at least a little thrilling on Halloween night. I don’t yet have a Halloween “meal” – happened to eat tomato soup and grilled cheese last night, no tradition to it – but I’d love suggestions for a good Halloween party dish or just a nice tradition to start as far as Halloween dinner goes!
Recipe in a Bottle 
That is so cool! Maybe I can get my husband to start that tradition with me next year!
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I really like the idea of sitting out, especially with a game.. a dish suggestion, Ghoulash 🙂 .. slow cooked all day, its a warming treat on these colder autumn evenings, make a large batch, and freeze any leftovers, always popular with our group too.
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When I was a child, in Ireland, apple pie was a traditional food at Hallowe’en. It was traditional to wrap up a silver sixpence in greaseproof paper, to hide in the apple pie, and/or also to use some special small silver trinkets, wrapped up. Ducking for apples was another traditional Hallowe’en game.
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I grew up in Scotland, where Hallowe’en has been celebrated since time immemorial. We used to go out “guising”, and it was always expected that you would do a party piece at every house in exchange for gifts of sweets, or even better, “candy apples” – apples on a stick, dipped in toffee. As well as douking for apples, like the previous respondent, we played games like eating treacle scones which were hung from string. You had to keep your hands behind your back the whole time, and would always end up with a face full of treacle. Yum! So, apples and treacle scones would be a perfect way to round off a Hallowe’en feast! I should also add that our lanterns were hollowed out turnips (swedes) – not nearly so easy to make as pumpkin lanterns!!! The smell of burning swede as the candle melted inside is a smell I will always associate with Hallowe’en. I think there is a traditional dish Scottish dish of “champit tatties”(mashed potatoes) for Hallowe’en, with silver charms hidden in the mash.
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Very creative. I love the idea. My husband were playing dominoes as we waited inside and we didn’t dress up. Now I have an idea for next year.
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Guess it will take time for this to be a norm here in our little red dot…
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Minus the costumes and Yahtzee game… we sat out front too on Halloween. As did a lot of the other neighbors. This is one of the aspects of Halloween that I argued with my conservative evangelical friends and family over… it’s not “the devils holiday”, lol. It’s an excuse to get out and talk to your neighbors… ALL of them. 😉 Plus, heaven forbid, it is FUN.
It was nice too… we usually aren’t able to because it is too cold. So we are thankful for a warm Halloween evening this year.
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We don’t celebrate halloween here..only seen in movies. Seems really fun. For halloween its okay to add a pinch of spice in your dinner i guess
Beet cutlets
Stuffed chicken in flavored rice
And Gajarella a dessrt, will definitely do ( carrot , condensed milk n dates ). Happy halloween 😄
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What a great tradition! I wish we had a walk or yard that we could sit out on and meet the neighbors. This year we only had two trick-or-treaters (but one was the cutest bumble bee who said “tick o teet”). I usually like to make a big pot of chili since it is a low maintenance one-pot dish. This year, I had wishful thinking that I’d be to busy handing out candy to cook, so I did a picnic style dinner (baguette, cheese, roast chicken). I did make spider web chocolate cookies and cayenne-lemon pumpkin seeds for snacking.
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I was flipping around and found this recipe (http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pumpkin-stew) which at least looks like a great tradition for Halloween! Love your sitting outside and scary movie idea!
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I actually turned into that grandmother who made costumes, having always wished I had someone like that as a kid. I thought everyone ate candy for dinner on Halloween!
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Love your Halloween tradition . we live on a dead end road so we get no trick or treaters. miss that so much ,When our kids were younger we went into town and our town has a great set up.
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Wow I really love this! What a great tradition and sense of community. We had our first Halloween in our new condo and NO kids came. It’s so sad, but probably just as well because I was out with my son trick-or-treating. We did run into a couple of his friends so I got to talk to their parents a bit. I’m going to figure out something for next year though! You inspired me 😀
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Brilliant idea! I’m sure your neighbors enjoyed the social conversation more than tapping their foot waiting on the kids to return to the sidewalk after door-bell trick or treating. thanks, I am inspired with a new plan Halloween approach, lol!
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I’m a big fan of actually talking to people instead of just chucking candy at them. Sometimes the parents get a little treat of their own…of the liquid variety if they are so inclined… 🙂
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Love your Halloween tradition!
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