Last week, an acquaintance of mine mentioned that she and some friends were going to have a “Hallowe’en in April get-together”. My first thought was, “Yes. It’s finally happening! Second Hallowe’en!” I was a bit disappointed to learn that they were simply going bar-hopping with costumes on. It got me thinking about having my own “Second Hallowe’en” celebration, though. You might be thinking, “How could it be ‘Second Hallowe’en’ when it, technically, comes earlier in the year than the actual Hallowe’en?” You’re right. It doesn’t quite fit. I’ll have to think of something else to call it. Either way, I think it would be a lot of fun to throw a “Hallowe’en in April/May” bash.
There are plenty of elements that can be used to make it feel just like Hallowe’en. The biggest things that make the holiday what it is are things like a lot of color, the smells that one automatically associates with Fall, tastes, sounds, and, maybe, even the general feel of the holiday. That may sound like too much trouble, but isn’t Hallowe’en worth it?
The party almost has to be indoors because of the lack of Autumn going on outside. There is, potentially, too much green. We wouldn’t want to ruin the illusion. That allows us to create just about whatever environment we want, depending on space, of course. I would start with a general forest theme. Depending on the amount of thinking ahead, it’s pretty easy to collect actual leaves and soak them in glycerin for preservation. If not, artifical ones work, too. Papier-mache trees aren’t very difficult to create either. Add some “Life-Like Paper Bats,” a hanging skeleton or two, a few tombstones, and some “Bleeding Hallowe’en Candles,” and we have a forest séance scene. If I had enough room left, I would add a “Spider’s Web Tunnel” to truly freak people out. Add some fog, et voila, instant Hallowe’en ambiance.
As I said in a previous post, Hallowe’en isn’t happening without certain smells. To make it as authentic as I can, I would place a cauldron, (or crockpot), full of “Witch’s Brew” to give the party that fresh Autumn smell. Of course, no Hallowe’en would be complete without things that “go bump…” or, at least, their sounds. I wouldn’t say that there is an over-abundance of Hallowe’en themed music and sound effects, but there is enough to make one “hell” of a party.
I think one of the great things about Hallowe’en is that it has something for every one of the senses. Kids looks forward to the candy they get, of course, but that gets boring for some of us “older” kids. To offset that, there are new twists on old favorites, like “Poison Toffee Apples” and “Candy Corn Truffle Bark.” Let’s be honest, part of the allure of Hallowe’en, too, is the drinking. Right? If you like mixed drinks as much as I do, you can try “The Witch’s Heart,” a glimmery mixture of Viniq and Vodka, a “Caramel Apple Sangria,” or a “Zombie Brain Hemorrhage Shooter.”
Just thinking about setting all of this up gets me excited, even if I’d be the only one there. In the meantime, I’m going to try some of these recipes out myself, separately, at first. If YOU have some party ideas, feel free to click the comment link at the top of this post and share. Regardless of which theme you go with, I’ll be waiting for my invite. 😉
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