Halloween the Prequel

Every year I wander the aisles of grocery stores, craft stores, big discount warehouses and big box stores looking for fresh ideas for my favorite holiday, Halloween. What other time of year offers as many opportunities for reckless self-expression and creativity?  Last year was my daughter's first halloween, and prior to that I had always gone with the standard halloween trick-or-treating fare; chocolate bars, suckers, etceterras.  With a new little one prepared to dress up in her fuzzy green and purple monster suit, though, I started having sugar-pusher guilt.  What else do you give the little ones who come calling on Halloween that won't get you pegged as a wicked witch or get your house egged?  Luckily our discount warehouse had Disney playing card decks last year featuring classic kids card games, so I picked those out as our non-sugar gifting option and they were a hit.  The kids loved comparing who got which game and which favorite character.  I caved, too, though, and also provided a candy treat to go along with the card game.  This year I was thinking of doing something similar and have been perusing options on the internet.  I came across a site selling cheap stuffed animals, and thought this might be an option.  I realized just how much I spend on candy each year, and figured I might as well offer somthing a little more substantial and permanent instead!  Besides, who can feel guilty about giving out stuffed animals?

Another important part of Halloween, of course, is the decor.  You have to set just the right scene for your Holiday guests.  I have to say our neighborhood does a great job on this one.  There are always the giant inflatable Halloween decorations, skeletons dangling from trees, ghosts hovering over yards, and spiderwebs everywhere.  Decorating can be super expensive, though, so I usually try to buy stuff on sale at the end of the season, but then I run into the problem of having a lot of mismatched stuff, or I don't get the decorations I really wanted since they are already sold out.  Again I have turned to the internet for some help in this situation, and found some great Halloween decorations clearance!  I especially like the Skull with the 8 part brain model...not only is it fun Halloween kitsch, but it's educational to boot!  My husband will probably kill me, but I just can't say no to cool Halloween decorating ideas so this one is definitely being added to my stash.  I also really like the prepacked decorating sets, as they give you alot of stuff to dress up the house and you don't have to think too much.

Finally, the most important aspect of Halloween?  The costume, of course!  This year, my daughter and I have been reading alot of Olivia books, and that crazy pig gets into some fun jams, so I am thinking that maybe I'll dress up the little one as Olivia, so tell me what you all think of this Olivia costume.  I think it's super cute, and since the ears are on a headband I might actually be able to get the baby to keep them on for long enough to take a picture.  Other options I have been considering are Rapunzel, since the baby is obsessed with that movie, a fairy, or a Transformer (yes, she loves the Transformers too, cuz they are more than meets the eye!)  The hubby and I will probably just dress up as boring old parents this year, but who knows, maybe I'll keep cruising the internet and see if I can't find something inspiring!

Anyway, Happy Halloween planning!  I'll let you all know if I find any other nifty places, ideas,or  inspirations for the greatest Holiday EVER!