When you think of spending the Halloween holiday with your family, what comes to your mind?
Is it the memories of the neighborhood trips with siblings and cousins dressed in the best spooky costumes?
What Is Halloween?
The Halloween Holiday annually celebrated on October 31st, is believed to be influenced by the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
Irrespective of this holiday’s origin, Halloween has become a communal day, where people disguise in their favorite scary costumes, visit haunted houses, and share candies and treats.
This is their favorite holiday to most children because, over time, it has evolved into a day of festivities and carving jack-o-lanterns.
Facts You Probably Did Not Know About Halloween
How much do you know about this family holiday? With Halloween only a few months away, you and your family can quiz each other on some of these fascinating facts and myths below.
Carving Pumpkins Was Not Always a Halloween Tradition
Thousands of years ago, potatoes, beets, and turnips were used to replicate the scary Jack-o’-lantern. These lanterns were adorned with scary faces and designs for the celebration because it was believed that it would scare away evil spirits. As the tradition became increasing in America, people started carving pumpkins because pumpkins are more available and a native land crop.
The Fastest Pumpkin Carving was 16.47 seconds
Stephen Clarke holds the Guinness World Record for carving a single pumpkin in the fastest time. His carved pumpkin had a complete face with ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.
The Night Before Halloween Day Is Called Mischief Night
Although Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, the night before it is popular for pulling pranks, these pranks could be as harmless as decorating a neighbor’s house with toilet paper.
A City in New Hampshire Records the Most Lit Jack-O-Lanterns
Second, only to Christmas, Halloween is the most popular holiday in the United States. Different Halloween celebrations have broken records. Keene, a city in New Hampshire, broke a record for having the most lit Jack-o’-lanterns- 30,581, on display.
Halloween Celebrations Generate Huge Revenue
Parents and cities spend a lot of money celebrating this holiday. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2019 report, each person will spend an average of $86 on costumes, candy, and decorations. With over 2.6 billion dollars being spent on personalized scary costumes alone, Halloween is the biggest grossing commercial holiday of the year.
Different Ways You Can Spend Halloween with Family
Just like any other special holiday, Halloween is an opportunity for families to spend quality time together.
From watching scary movies to the baking marathon, there are so many ways you can spend this holiday with your family. To make the most of Halloween, read on to get ideas of fun activities you can use during family gatherings.
Have a Halloween Party
Why not throw a party that the entire family will remember and reminisce on? Even if you are a family of three, a party is a party! Whether you are having the party at your home or an event center, ensure that you go all out so that your family can have the most fun.
Bake Themed Cookies
Some of the best family moments are shared in the kitchen amid flour and sugar. Get Halloween-themed cookie cutters and bake the family’s favorite recipes. You can allow the children to personalize the design of these scary treats with sprinkles and frostings of choice. The family can dress up in matching pajamas, watch spooky Halloween movies while munching on the themed cookies.
Get the Family Involved in Decorations
From toddlers to grandparents, get everyone involved in turning the family house into a live-in haunted zone. Get out the decorating kits, and make the holiday a memorable family tradition that the children will cherish throughout their lifetime. Decorate with anything that will get the family into the Halloween feel. You can decide to go all-in by using spooky music, gravestones, or even as little as spider decors.
Watch Bone-Chilling Halloween Movies
If decorations, themed cookies, and Halloween parties are not enough, watching scary movies might just be the next best option. For families with younger children, there are several PG-rated Halloween movies to choose from! However, if the whole family is comprised of adults, search for the most frightening movie for everyone to watch.
Family Trick-Or-Treat Night
For a reserved Halloween holiday, you can have the entire family trick-or-treat indoors. It is not everybody that enjoys spending the Halloween holiday knocking on doors to receive candy. To make the indoor experience fun, everyone should still dress up and play make-believe.
Organize a Family Outing
Instead of having an indoor Halloween, you can plan a family outing filled with loads of fun activities. There are several places around your location, such as a local Halloween parade, haunted house, pumpkin carving, etc., that the family can visit.
If you are not sure of these outings’ location, consider checking reviews on Google and social media.
Share Horror Stories
There is nothing like sharing horror stories with family. Reading these stories together by a campfire or even with the lights turned off, will help the children know what to expect at haunted houses. You can keep the eerie atmosphere going throughout the storytelling by serving cookies or snacks decorated with ghosts, spider webs, and witches.
Play the Scariest Video Games
If you want to spend the holiday at home, you can also play the scariest video games with your family members. For the most terror, you should play the game in a dark room with the volume at its loudest, so that everyone can witness every shuddering feeling and look over their shoulders all night.
Conclusion
Halloween holidays permit adults to be silly with younger children, have fun, and free the ‘child’ hidden inside. Even if you are not the biggest fan of Halloweens, spending it with family teaches the importance of appreciating little celebrations and creating family traditions.
