The kids have settled back into school, summer seems but a distant memory and lo and behold what do we see popping up in the shops…Christmas decorations!!!!!
I swear every year it happens earlier and earlier, but what bothers me the most is that aren’t we forgetting something…it’s Halloween first! OK, OK yes I know the shops go to town with everything spooky too (we’ve got the American’s to thank for that), but isn’t it so, so expensive when you sit down and actually work out what you’re spending on everything. A bit of black plastic tat here, a fake spiders web there and that’s before you’ve even thought about buying the trick or treat sweets.
So this year, to help save a little bit of money (although let’s face it, any money I save at Halloween is only going to get swallowed up at Christmas!) I’ve decided that rather than send my two out trick or treating, which I still can’t help but feel is a bit like begging, we’re going to have our own homemade party at home.
I’m thinking:
- Apple bobbing – Cheap, fun and healthy!
- Spooky in the dark hide and seek – Free!
- Pin the collar bone on the skeleton – Draw a picture of a skeleton, make a bone, wrap a scarf around kids head…done. Winner wins some Haribo – Educational!
- Lollipop bingo – Basically you pull a lollipop out of a pumpkin to reveal a number, if you have that number on your bingo card, cross it off, first one to complete their card wins a prize – Maths skills and it ticks the sweet treats box!
- Wrap the mummy – You can’t help but laugh at a parent wrapped in bog roll – Family bonding!
- Watch a retro spooky (child-friendly) film – Cosy snuggles!
- Make slime – Parent cool points for knowing about this cool kid trend!
And the best part of all is that we don’t need to leave the house (jeez it’s the end of October, it’ll be totally cold and raining), we don’t have to put up with other people’s kids, and we can eat all the sweets ourselves!!!!
There….rant over! 🙂
