A Spooktacular Halloween Message From Your Favorite Aunty

Hey Gang!

It’s safe to say nothing this Halloween season can be as scary as what 2020 has thrown at us so far. Yet there I was scrolling on the interweb last night, and I read something that spooked me to my very core…

Apparently, Halloween is canceled for some this year, can you freakin’ believe it?! No, I couldn’t either, and well, I’m here to tell you all that Halloween is a spirit not a season, and the world can pry it from my cold dead hands. I told Walt but he wasn’t fazed— he’s more concerned about the world throwing a zombie apocalypse at us to end the year with a bang.

I told him not to worry, zombies only eat people with brains.

I’ve always loved Halloween. I remember my friends dressing up as fairies and princesses, and me begging my mom for a real witch’s cape. Well, back in the ‘70s that equaled a black garbage bag being cut and tied around your neck, but I loved it. The smell of smoke and magic in the cold crisp air, bobbing for apples— I can certify that vintage Halloweens were the best Halloweens and I say let’s bring them back!

Sure, we may not be able to trick-or-treat the traditional way, or party to Thriller all night long, but there’s so much fun stuff you can do as a family that’ll light up your Hallow’s Eve instead:

1. Tell ghost stories.

Everyone has one good ghost story, right? Gather your family around a fire (even if it’s just from the stove burner) and lay out your creepiest tales. Your kids are sure to love this one, but don’t blame me when they want to crash in your bed for the night.

2. Bob for apples!

Some of my best Halloween memories come from gathering around a bucket on the floor with my family bobbing for apples (my favorite memory being the hilarious story of Grandma’s teeth getting left in the pot attached to a Granny Smith. That story is told at every family party.) For extra danger points, add a quarter to a few of the apples. Whoever catches one of those “wins.”

3. Hide-and-go-seek (in the dark, or a graveyard if you’re brave enough.)

Do you remember that feeling of hiding and waiting to be caught as a child? The exhilaration?

Make this the one night of the year you really focus on that family game fun— switch off the lights and hide your heart out. If you’re brave enough, take it to the local graveyard in the dark! But remember, if you get arrested don’t tell them I told you do this.