Every year we host a Halloween Spooktacular for our Family and Friends! This year was our 7th year and I have learned a trick or two over the years for easy planning :)

Target is my store of choice for all decorations, games and incidentals such as plates and napkins. My party planning format is as follows:

Theme

This is easy for Halloween! We like to incorporate all aspects of pumpkins, witches’ hats and black cats!

Invitations

This is one of the only parties of the year that I use Paperless Post. It is the easiest way to track for an Annual party and allows people to forward on to Grandparents as we always tell our friends to invite their parents as well!

Décor

This is where Target becomes my best friend! They have the best Halloween decorations and activities at amazing prices!

Think..

Food

We live in California where taco trucks are a dime a dozen. One of our favorite traditions is to have a “taco cart” come to our house and to have a Taco and Quesadilla Bar for both the children and the adults. Most children eat their fair share of candy this one evening of the year, and my goal is to fill them up with some protein and carbs to prepare for their “sugar high.” I have also found that people love this quick and tasty option as they can stop in, have a bite to eat and then head back out for trick or treating!

Favors

Since the children don’t need any extra sugary treats, our favor is always to take a high-resolution family photo of everyone in their Halloween costumes and send it to each family. As busy moms, it becomes increasingly difficult the more children you have to ensure you capture a family photo with mom in it as well! I loved the campaign that came out a few years ago about getting mom in front of the lens, and it has become one of my favorite Halloween traditions to ensure this happens for every family in attendance! We also had lots of fun Halloween games to keep the children entertained before Trick-or-Treating commenced. Target has the best selection of low cost crowd-pleasing games like the ones below.