First you can start with an easy to make holiday display. Look around your home for any glass jars or containers of different sizes. (You could even use canning jars!) Fill several containers with Halloween candy such as candy corn, mellow creme pumpkins, chocolate bats, black licorice, gummy spiders, etc…anything that looks like the season!

Find a spot to display the jars like on your kitchen table, counter top, living room table, etc. You can tie a bow around the middle of each container and let it drape down onto your table or counter. Use solid color ribbon such as black or orange colored ribbon or ribbon with a Halloween print. Add some fall leaves tucked in and around the jars or some twigs with artificial berries. This will invite an instant Halloween holiday appeal to your room!

Scarecrow in the House

You’ve heard of a scarecrow in the pumpkin patch to keep the crows away but how about a scarecrow sitting in a corner of your entryway or kitchen to greet your family every morning? Make a friendly fall fellow(sitting him in a chair) using old pants or overalls for the legs (stuff with quilt batting), long sleeve shirt for the upper body (put a wooden dowel, piece of plastic pipe, or broom through the arm of the shirt for the arms and tie waist with string and tuck into overalls or pants.

Fold a flour sack (or use a pillowcase) in half and sew up the edges leaving the bottom open to stuff and then tie off with ribbon or string for the head. Add a cute face with paint, markers, or glue on pieces of felt. Put the head into the top of the shirt and button the top button.

(You may have to lean the head against a wall to get your Scarecrow head to stay in place. Stick the legs into boots or shoes and top off the head with yarn hair and a straw hat! Add a few pumpkins sitting by him and you’ve got a display sure to make everyone smile that sees it!

You Get the Picture Decor

Take a variety of picture frames and fill them with photos of Halloweens past! Make a cute display of your little ghosts and goblins in all their dress up splendor! Add a few sugar pumpkins to the picture display and take spider webbing (whatever you call the stuff that stores sell this time of year that looks like the real thing!) to drape around your frame display.

If this is your child’s first Halloween, no worries! Have a fun photo session and dress your child in his costume then snap pictures with different backgrounds indoor and out and a variety of poses. Print the pictures off on your computer and there you go! Making memories was never so easy or fun!

If you want a little more sophisticated display, spray your pumpkins a metallic color or turn them into a spider. You could also use a witches hat as part of your display and set your pictures around it or scrapbook some pictures and clothespin them to the hat. Let your imagination go!

Easy & Fun Tablecloth Idea

Gather some beautiful fall leaves, some pictures of your family in Halloween attire, and vinyl lettering with Halloween sayings, etc…put a white sheet or tablecloth on your table then arrange the items on the cloth. Cover the table with clear vinyl tablecloth fabric. Your family will have all kinds of things to talk about each time you gather at the table to eat! They’ll love looking at their pictures and will enjoy discussing fond memories they have of Halloween.

See all of these ideas are easy to put together and won’t cost much because many of the items you need to create this decor with will be around your home! You can even invite your children to help! Happy Halloween decorating!

We love the holidays at Christmas Twigs! You will find darling kids Halloween costumes at http://www.christmastwigs.com/category_123/Kids-Halloween-Costumes-and-Dress-Ups.htm and fun family holiday ideas at http://christmastwigs.blogspot.com/search/label/Hallween

Planning the party for the first time? Ask your friends and family members to help you or someone who has an experience or who can do better. You must have some ideas in your mind. Not them together and prioritize them later. Keep a brainstorming session if you have some other people with you. This will not only make you feel relaxed but will also bring up new ideas. If you are working all alone, you might want to shout on other people out of frustration, which nothing but natural.

The date of the Halloween party is normally placed somewhere in the last week of October. Because the other guests might have other plans for Halloween, you could either setup the party at an earlier date or time. The invitation for the guests should be given sometime around the last 2 weeks of September where they can still find time to prepare for the costumes to be used at the party. For couples, a Halloween couples costumes might need some careful selection and some may even decide to have it custom made, unlike the Halloween sexy costumes that can be easily found in shops and stores.

If some of the guests that you invited are working during the morning hours, you will probably have to make a deal with the costume shop for those guests who prefer it like that. You can mention the address and the contact number of the shop form where you rented the Halloween sexy costumes or are available at a special price only for your guests. This will also ensure that they do not turn up in a wrong attire as the shop owner will provide them with the costumes matching with the selected theme.

The invitation should give a hint of what to expect in the Halloween costume party. It is a plus to be able to spook the guests at this point, so they will expect more when they arrive at the party. A lame looking invitation can be a factor for the invited guests on whether to come or not. A well prepared and scary invitation card will surely raise their curiosity which will make them want to see more. Also, it should indicate on the card what to expect for those who will come in complete Halloween attire and to expect the unexpected for those who won’t come dressed to the occasion!

The food should look spooky and scary in a Halloween party but at the same time should also taste good. Covering the soup with flour or something edible making it look like eyeballs, cocktails with blood red color, cakes covered with slime green color can really add to the magic of the party. Play safe and prepare some finger food or bat crackers bust in case no one dares to touch the food.

Halloween without prizes? Keep in mind that it is one of the many essential reasons that persuade the guests to attend the party. Halloween sexy costumes grab hold the prize most of the times. But now a days cute bubbly and funny looking costumes are competing with these. Also Halloween couple’s costume, if well prepares can win the race!

Make sure that you enjoy the party to the fullest as it is the most important aspect of the party. Try to wear a scary mask if you were not able to arrange for a costume as its not the costume that’s important, but the enjoyment and the your company.

As the owner of a leading adult costumes store, Raymond Plona markets different costumes as well as costume accessories like hat and wigs for costumes for example. His site regularly features clearance costume sale on items like angel costumes, pirate costumes, Disney princess costumes, just to name a few.

#1: My children end up eating too much candy.

Solution: Limit the amount of candy your kids collect, rather than attempting to stop them from eating it once they have it.

#2: My children and I endure endless negotiations about how much candy they can eat and when they can eat it.

Solution: Try something crazy: just let them eat their candy! It’s not only easier, it’s often healthier to let your children decide for themselves how much to eat and when they want to eat it. Why?

#3 – My child seems overly-interested in sweets, candy and junk food, and I want to make sure that Halloween candy doesn’t encourage this interest.

Solution: Use Halloween as an opportunity to teach your kids to be “picky junk food eaters.”

#4 – But, candy is junk food and I want to make sure all this candy doesn’t harm their health.

Solution: Feed your children extra nutritious food for meals and snacks! Eating all that candy really won’t hurt kids… if you make sure they are also getting the protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients their bodies need.

Ellie Taylor, RN and Pamela Gould are the authors of Feeding the Kids: The Flexible, No-Battles Healthy Eating System for the Whole Family. It’s the new book that will make feeding your family a (mostly!) nutritious diet do-able, simple and even fun. The book is available at Amazon.com and at bookstores nationwide. Go to http://www.FeedingTheKids.com to find out more.

There are a number of premium internet based costume supplier websites offering hundreds of different sexy Halloween costumes, and not just of ladies. More and more fancy dress costume manufacturers are creating costume ranges that allow both halves of the couple to dress their best during the holiday season. Take your time, get yourself a drink and shop around the net. Most internet based retailers offer unconditional money back guarantees, usually discount prices to offset and the level of security offered by the best sites is as good as it can be and at least comparable to that of most shops and malls.

Looking at some of the best ideas for your Halloween costume, still the most popular is the sexy pirate costume. The popularity of this theme is double edged; firstly you may encounter many pirates over the holiday season however the upside is that all of the manufacturers have been busy developing sexy characters and costumes to meet the unquenchable demand for good quality and sexier costumes. To complete the look and to take absolute control over proceedings, make sure you wear your longest sexy black boots, rhinestone eye-patch and your prettiest pirate captain’s hat. You will not need a press gang to sign up men for your crew.

More traditionally for Halloween there is a huge selection of sexy witches from which you can select. These can be either short dresses or longer more elegant skirts but with long revealing split seams. Again wear your sexy boots, find some elegant or just plain sexy gloves, a broomstick and cast your spell over any man you please.

As an alternative to traditional witches, look for sexy designs for lady vampires. Again short or long these can be incredibly sexy Halloween costumes and with the careful selection of the key fancy dress costume accessories, the overall achieved look can be outstanding. Look out for stick on vampire fangs with either crystal insets or small golden crosses, these look amazing. The best part of this is that your man can be either a vampire with a costume from matching or complementary fabrics or even perhaps a frog simply seeking a princess for that loving kiss. Oops; too early, panto season is another 40 days away but you get the idea.

Inevitably we have to consider the sexy schoolgirl costume. Always a best seller with any man who wants to be taught a lesson, and for couples there are options of either school masters or schoolboys fancy dress costumes. As with all fancy dress, it is the selection of the accessories that completes the costume. Schoolgirl costumes need long white over the knee socks or hold-up stockings with small bows, short plaid skirt and white blouse. Glasses, plaited wig and straw hat complete the look. There are a number of schoolgirl costumes, some realistic others more stylised, the choice is yours.

So to find the very best of sexy Halloween fancy dress costumes for yourself and your partner get on-line now the choice is huge and we’re sure that you will be able to find a sexy costume and accessories to suit your taste, budget and modesty level!

Karnival-House has a fantastic range of flirty Halloween fancy dress costumes at http://www.karnival-house.co.uk/acatalog/Flirty_Halloween_Fancy_Dress_Costumes.html Karnival Costumes also has extensive ranges of traditional and new style Halloween fancy dress costumes as well as a huge range of Halloween accessories from Hollywood quality makeup and monster makeup sets at: http://www.karnival-house.co.uk/acatalog/Monster_Mania_Makeup_Kits.html

Article submitted by: KV Sinclair. Keith Sinclair has over 35 years of business experience and in addition to being a part time University Lecturer on Business Studies, he is CEO of Cavalcade; a group of companies operating in the party sector. Cavalcade operates Karnival-House http//:www.karnival-house.co.uk one of the UK’s leading internet Fancy Dress Retailers. With massive stocks for immediate dispatch and an ever expanding range, Karnival-House continues to strive simply to offer outstanding service combined with outstanding value.

Now if you are really nervous about making a costume on your own, grab a few friends to help you. Let your kids help you too. Kids are pretty imaginative and they can be a very big help with a project like this. Okay, now you are beginning to think maybe you can do this, so let’s pick out an easy costume pattern to start with. Don’t worry when I say pattern I do not mean a sewing pattern…I can’t sew, remember? I throw out socks with holes in them, I cannot sew a stitch.

I use glue if I have to sew something so get out your glue gun and glue sticks. That’s as close to sewing as we are going to get. Did you pick out a costume idea yet? How about a devil or a pirate? There’s always a mermaid and a doggie are cute costume ideas. If you like scary costumes there is the dreaded mummy or the zombie. Now a zombie is a great costume theme to work with if you like scary costumes. A zombie can be anything. The mailman, a cheerleader, the prom queen, a doctor…in the movies everyone get zombified at some point, so pick your favorite character out of your favorite movie and make them a zombie. There’s the perfect homemade costume to try for your first attempt at costume making.

Get all the clothing your favorite character would wear. If it’s the prom queen, get a prom dress. If it’s the cheerleader, get a short skirt, a turtleneck and a vest. Ruin those clothing items. They have to be shredded and dirty to look like they belong to a zombie. This isn’t a pretty costume, but it is a cheap costume that is easy as can be to make.

Now that your clothes are shredded and dirty, put them on. Ugh..you look gross. Good, that’s just what we wanted it to look like. Now put some white makeup or very light foundation on your face. Now add some gray highlights and rub them around. Highlight all the bones on your face and rub it in until you face looks like it is dead. Add some dark gray or black eye shadow all the way around your eye. You want the walking dead look and that is sullen, gray, black and you can even add some red to make it look like you were bleeding before you died.

Get some spray hair color and put black, red or gray streaks in your hair…heavy on the gray. Gray is a big color for a zombie costume, you cannot over do the gray. Now mess your hair up. Put in some hair spray and scrunch it all together so it looks totally like the worst hair day you ever had. That’s great. It looks just like it should…disgusting!

Save some make up for your arms and hands if they are exposed. Make them look as dead as your face and you are pretty much done with the homemade costume making session. I told you it way quick and easy to make your own homemade costume. It certainly is unique…no one is going to look quite as dead as you do. And I bet you had a great time with your friends while making this zombie costume, didn’t you. Well, I have to run and make my own homemade costume…see you at the Halloween party!

Find more quick easy homemade costume ideas at http://www.partyideasparade.com/homemade-costumes.html and you can also find Halloween party supplies and all ready made Halloween costumes for kids and adults. Get lots of birthday party ideas at http://www.partyideasparade.com your online party supplies source where you can get party theme ideas kids will love.

These days, costumes are popular not only for Halloween but also for New Year parties, birthday parties and even themed weddings. The more imaginative among us are using dress up outfits at Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s Day and even Christmas, especially if they are having a party or family gathering to mark the occasion.

Of course, many people also know from these costume parties that donning a disguise and becoming another character for a little while is a great way to free you up and release you from your inhibitions. It’s great to become someone else for a few hours, especially if that other character is a superhero or real life hero.

Some people too also like the help that costumes give them to play out their innermost fantasies. For that reason, these dress ups have become increasingly popular in the bedroom as people wear them for a spot of romantic role play. So, you can now find unique attire for all members of the family and for all manner of occasions.

Let’s deal with the kids first. For Halloween, if dressing up as the traditional ghosts, ghouls and vampires is not trendy enough for them, they can choose to become scaled down versions of their favorite pop stars. They can become superheroes for the day. And of course, the old cute standbys are still popular. Many birthday and Halloween parties will be graced this year by a Snow White, a Popeye or a Goldilocks. It’s just that these days they may be standing next to a Britney, a Hannah Montana or a Dora the Explorer. Parents should always consider the appropriateness of childrens attire before buying them, no matter how much their son or (more likely) daughter pleads.

For the really little ones, ladybugs, teddy bears and pumpkins remain eternally popular. Don’t be worried into thinking you are being too tame in choosing this costume for your little one. Professionally made costumes, purchased from a good outlet, is far and away above the quality of anything that can be produced at home. There are pumpkins and then are prize winning pumpkins!

On to mom now. She may want a costume to match her little one, especially if he or she still has to be carried. So, a Goldilocks costume to go with your baby as a teddy can be cute – and may be something to interest your man later. Historical figures like Lady Macbeth, Queen Elizabeth I and Joan of Arc remain ever popular. Perhaps it is because these are all known for their strength, for good or bad, that they are good outfits, all being instantly recognizable.

For men, there is a range of special occasion outfits, whether you want to dress for Halloween, another party or just to excite your lady. Again, historical figures like Henry VIII remain popular as do generic characters like clowns and gladiators. If you wish to attract the ladies with your Halloween attire, think about dressing up as a fireman, policeman or circus strongman. These are ever popular with women.

All of these costumes can be found in a range of sizes, to include plus sizes, so have no fear that the outfit will not look right on you, depending on your size. Whatever the occasion and whatever your age, you can find costume for you.

Andy West is a writer on many topics, including parties and celebrations. Finding costumes for a special event can be a challenging task, but all it takes is a little creativity.

Six Flags over Texas Fright Fest, Arlington

Giggle with the ghouls at this family-friendly event. While some attractions may be too intense for very young children, scare-free zones are provided.

Nightmare Factory, Austin

Your fate is in your hands as you choose which way to turn along the path at the Nightmare Factory mansion, which has been scaring folks in the capital city for nearly 20 years. Dubbed “the most terrifying haunted house in Texas,” this attraction is not for the faint of heart.

6th Street Halloween, Austin

As the moon begins to rise over the capital city, Austinites gather along a seven-block stretch to cavort in costume. This event is one of the world’s largest Halloween celebrations.

Dallas ScareGrounds, Dallas

Celebrating its 10th season of scares, this Halloween haunt houses three terrifying attractions in a 23,000-square-foot venue. Dallas ScareGrounds also offers a FestEvil featuring a series of live bands.

Boo at the Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth

This family-friendly event combines the fun of an evening zoo visit with the excitement of trick or treating. Lions and tigers greet young ghosts and goblins in three sections of the zoo; along with trick or treat stations, the event includes stage shows and plenty of carnival games.

Cutting Edge Haunted House, Fort Worth

Billed as the world’s largest haunted house, your screams will echo inside this former meat packing plant. Texas Chain Saw Massacre ghosts will terrify visitors, and jolly old Saint Nick will never look the same after an encounter with Santa’s spooky specter.

Terror on The Bayou, Jefferson

The train whistle mimics the screams of the passengers who dare to climb aboard the Runaway Fright Train, which makes a five-mile trek through the Piney Woods. Family-friendly trips are scheduled for the early evening hours, while a PG-13 version is available as the clock creeps closer to the witching hour. Other attractions include a haunted forest walk, the Creepy Screamin’ Maze and the underground Tunnel of Terror.

Nightmare on Grayson, San Antonio

Scaring citizens of the Alamo City for nearly 20 years, this haunted attraction also features the family fun of FestEvil, a carnival-style atmosphere complete with flame throwers, a magician, face painting and tarot card and palm readings.

Thrillvania/ Verdun Manor, Terrell

Considered one of the top haunted attractions in the nation, creatures at the thrill park’s many different attractions lie in wait to send a shiver up your spine. The horror of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” is conjured up inside haunted Verdun Manor, and the surrounding grounds are no safer as you make your way through Voodoo Bayou.

Screams Halloween Theme Park, Waxahachie

As All Hallows Eve nears, the grounds of Scarborough Renaissance Festival are transformed into the World’s Largest Halloween Theme Park, where medieval mayhem awaits those who dare to enter the Castle of Darkness, the venue’s most popular attraction. Anarchy reigns inside the Arcane Asylum, while a crazed clown causes chaos at Terror Visions In 3D and time traveling trick- or-treaters can get sucked into The Black Hole and encounter a T-Rex and history’s most notorious night stalker, Jack The Ripper. Little ones can enjoy the park’s fear-free zone, Spooky Hollow.

Travel writers and husband-wife team Paris Permenter and John Bigley are the publishers of Texas Tripper Travel Guide at http://www.TexasTripper.com.

The Gothic bands that appeared during this time were a huge influence on the clothes, hair and make-up that were all an important part of creating the Gothic costume. The stage costumes worn by these bands had a profound influence on their fans. There were no set rules about what a Gothic costume had to be and it allowed for an individual to be experimental and also express their inner creativity. The popular colors used in Gothic costumes were black, purple and dark red. They were created out of satin and velvet and frilly lacey type materials. Women would fashion their costumes after the characters portrayed in the vampire horror films. The use of black fishnet stockings and gloves were very popular among the young women. Men liked to include a fancy and frilly shirt like the ones that were worn by the romantic poets in the creation of costume attire. Many Goth costumes were finished with the addition of accessories such as a studded dog collar, silver buckles, silver jewelry and of course the classic Gothic chokers. Both men and women wore white make-up and accentuated their eyes with mascara and black eye liner. Red, purple and black lipstick was popular and of course black fingernail polish was applied by men and women.

Each year there is a gathering of Goths in England in the seaside resort of Whitby. Whitby is the town where Bram Stoker set his original Dracula horror story. During this gathering they show all the old Dracula movies and many of the newer vampire films such as “Interview with a Vampire” adapted from the novel by Anne Rice and “Beetlejuice” by Tim Burton. Goth bands have always added their music to this cultural scene and influenced the whole Gothic culture. Dancing to the music created by these bands is a large part of fun and entertainment enjoyed by the Goth culture. The Goth bands created had wonderful names such as Killing Joke, Southern Death Cult, Dead Can Dance, Sisters of Mercy and one of the most popular was Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure.

Many of the young people who chose to portray the distinctive Goth look were not appreciated by their elders and peers. In Fact, these young people were made fun of and bullied around. Many of the youth who dressed in Gothic style were insecure about how they looked. These same young people felt that the Gothic look gave them a character they could hide behind and boosted their self confidence so they could deal with daily life. The late 1970′s culture tended to force a need to look perfect and the majority of young people were all trying to look like fashion models, but dressing in Gothic costumes allowed for the expression of individuality. Today, the Goths are still around, but their numbers have depleted. Most of these people have outgrown the need to express themselves in Gothic costumes in daily life. They still have many of the same friends and enjoy sharing the good old times through photographs and attending special Goth gatherings. These people who shared the Gothic culture will have interesting stories to tell their children.

To discover awesome Halloween costumes for adults, children and pets check out our web sites. You will find a wide selection of costumes for Halloween and other fun occasions. You can find your Halloween costumes now by going to http://gothichalloweencostumesforteens.com/.

Don’t worry, I am not going to proselytize about how you should not give out candy this year. On the contrary, I believe that if you are going to participate in Halloween, you should do it all out. One night a year, I am ok with the free flowing unrestricted distribution of the “white powder” (aka: sugar).

However, some of you will resist the pull of sweets and try to give out alternative treats. Here then are a few guidelines to help you make your Halloween decisions easier. Proceed with caution; your choice of Halloween treats should never be taken lightly

Fruit – Let me start out by stating it plain: Fruit has no place on Halloween. 364 other days of the year, sure, get healthy. But on Halloween, you should never give out apples instead of candy. Or boxes of raisins (Ewwwwww!). No kid, no child, no one, nobody, nowhere wants a piece of fruit in their Halloween bag. They can get fruit from their parents! Plus, fruit is heavy! If you’re walking around from house to house all night, the last thing you want is an apple orchard in your bag.

Do you really think you are somehow inspiring change? You are not. You might be inspiring hundreds of apples to be dumped on your lawn, or hurled at other trick or treaters (not that I would know anything about that). If you really don’t want to buy into the Halloween obesity machine, then go with the lesser of two evils and give out money or gift certificates. If you are going to be truly obstinate, then you can try other non-candy options: bags of Goldfish (the crackers, not the animal, though if you did give out water filled bags with little Nemos in them, I would certainly applaud your initiative), pretzels, and even non-food items like stickers or crayons. Can’t say I would be too happy myself getting crayons or stickers, but I wouldn’t hate you like if you gave me an apple.

Money – Overall, giving out money is a pretty poor strategy. When I was a kid, if someone gave change, the thought process was, “come on! Where’s the candy!” Kids will think you were too lazy to go out and buy a few bags of candy (and they might be right). You would have to give out a decent amount of money to make them appreciate it. The rare dollar bill would elicit an, “ok, that’s cool,” but then you could blow through a week’s paycheck in your quest to not give out candy.

There is a very interesting business lesson here. While the real value of the money you are giving out is greater than the cost of the small piece of candy, the perceived value is actually much less. You may whine and moan about how the kids should be happy that they are getting money, and that they can then use that money to buy whatever they want, but most kids won’t see it that way. Most adults wouldn’t see it that way either…

Lesson: Your logic is meaningless. All that matters is what the customer perceives.

Then there are the people who give pennies and nickels. I won’t deign to comment on you.

Gift Certificates – Gift certificates are a safe and simple way to give stuff out. Unfortunately, they take away the immediate gratification element of Halloween. It’s like when a well meaning aunt gives you a U.S. Treasury Bond on your eighth birthday – it’s all very nice and practical, but you can’t very well unwrap it and go play with it that day. (can you guess that this happened to me?) And now the child will have to convince his parents to let him go to McDonalds to redeem his coupon, which can more difficult than trying to convince Britney Spears to have a modicum of self-respect. Of course, once you are there you’ll be tempted to buy a value meal. Talk about the fattening of America! You’ve gone from small pieces of candy to full blown fast-food meals. It gets worse and worse.

Toothbrushes and Floss – Hard to believe, but it happens. I would love to be inside of the head of someone who makes the decision to give out toothbrushes on Halloween. “Hey, I know! Kids are going to be eating all sorts of candy tonight, and if I give them a toothbrush then at least they won’t get cavities! I am so brilliant and clever!”

Come on. You do realize you are accomplishing nothing, right? The kids already have toothbrushes at home. If they are not brushing their teeth, your little brush is not going to make them suddenly dentally responsible. No child is going to look at your brush and say, “hey, maybe I should give some consideration to the health of my bicuspids.” In fact, no child will even give your brush a second look. Mom will take the toothbrush and throw it into the medicine cabinet for future use. You have essential helped a family with their sundry shopping.

I don’t care if you are a dentist, dental hygienist, work for Oral-B, or are Laurence Olivier from “Marathon Man;” save the toothbrushes for the office.

Informational Pamphlets – I read a comment from someone who said that in his neighborhood there were two houses that would hand out pamphlets explaining why Halloween is Satanic. I don’t need to make a joke here, it kind of writes itself. The only thing worse would be getting an informational pamphlet about proper brushing and flossing.

Which would still be better than fruit.

Candy – The best choice. However, I think it’s time that we, as a society, standardized on candy choices. I remember some Halloween nights coming home and feeling like I had a huge bag filled with candy, but when I dumped it out there was at least 50% of inedible dreck in there. It’s like being excited to go a blind date with someone your friend has been hyping up to you, only to find yourself sitting in a restaurant across from Sloth from the Goonies (I’m sure he/she has a great personality).

There are too many great candy choices out there to justify giving out nonsense. You can’t go wrong with Snickers, Hershey’s Twix, Reese’s, M&M’s, Nestle’s Crunch, Kit Kats, etc.

And yet, for Halloween, people give out candy that is the equivalent of Christmas fruitcake. Nobody likes it, nobody eats it, and nobody even understands it. I propose a ban on the following: O’Henry, Payday, Smarties, Now and Laters, Circus Peanuts, and 90% of anything manufactured by Brach’s.

Here’s a rule of thumb: Next time you are in a supermarket or convenience store, take a look at the candy section. Not the bulk candy aisle, but the individual candy bars section, like at the checkout. If the candy you are planning to give out on Halloween warrants a place on that aisle, you are usually safe giving it out (Paydays being the exception, of course). If not, well, there’s a reason that candy isn’t popular enough to be sold on its own…

And now it is time to discuss candy corn. Another Brach’s specialty. What the heck is up with candy corn? It’s like the Great Pumpkin: it only comes out at Halloween, no one knows where it comes from or what it really is, and only one or two kids in the entire world anticipate its arrival. It tastes like fermented plastic. And no one ever, *ever* buys candy corn for themselves. Have you ever been hanging out with friends or family and heard somebody say, “You know what I could go for right now? A giant bag of candy corn”? Ever? Me either. It’s the “Soylent Green” of Halloween candy.

If you are sitting there considering sending me an angry email saying, “I love candy corn!” then stop, step away from the keyboard, and go see a doctor. You have eaten too much of it, and the alien chemical components of the candy corn must have seeped into your brain and impaired your judgment.

The candy corn manufacturers must have the world’s best marketing department because year after year they get people to buy this stuff even though no one likes it. There’s a lesson there: Even if your product is terrible, you can still sell it.

Have a great, happy, and safe Halloween, and please, give out your treats with caution.

***

Avish Parashar is a dynamic keynote speaker who uses Improv Comedy to show organizations and individuals how to quickly make the most of whatever life throws at them. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated!

Get free humor articles and see video clips of Avish in action at http://www.AvishParashar.com/

1. Elvis and Priscilla: For Elvis, you can go with the white Elvis suit, or any 60′s style suit. If you have black hair, great, slick it into a pompadour, or pick up an Elvis themed wig and sideburns. Add gold sunglasses. Priscilla needs long black hair, with the bangs teased back into a barrette. Don’t forget dramatic black liner (her signature), nude colored lipstick, and a short dress and go-go boots.

2. Bonnie and Clyde: Recreate the drama of this celebrity criminal couple. Clyde simply needs a suit and slicked back (preferably black)hair. Girls: A black flapper knee length dress, pair of high heeled shoes and makeup with heavy, dark eye shadow, bright red lipstick and blush. Accessorize your costume with guns.

3. Bert and Ernie: This one makes me laugh. You’ll probably need to purchase this one online as it’s a bit hard to recreate on your own. And no fighting over who gets to be Ernie!

4. Adam and Eve: This one can be a cinch to make on your own. You’ll need nude bodysuits or tights, a cluster of leaves to cover those private areas, and a long blonde wig for Eve.

5. Fred and Wilma Flintstone/Betty and Barney Rubble: Whichever cartoon TV couple you prefer, you’ll have prehistoric fun in these getups. Even better if you have two friends to go with you who could play the other Bedrock couple. Wilma: red wig, white cavewoman dress, large bead necklace. Fred: orange and black caveman outfit, black wig. Barney: brown caveman outfit, blonde wig. Betty: blue cavewoman dress, black wig and hair bow, large bead necklace.

6. Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia: You need the signature buns for Princess Leia, available as a wig, or if you have long dark hair, you can do this yourself. For an outfit, Princess Leia can either wear the earlier white robe-style dress or the sexier gold slave bikini (similar to a harem costume). Luke Skywalker needs light-colored leggings and leg warmers, a white robe with a brown belt, and of course the light sabre.

7. Oktoberfest: This couple’s costume offers a lot of versatility: the woman Oktoberfest costume can be sweet or sexy, with a shorter or longer skirt, with as much cleavage as you want to show. Braids or pigtails complete the look. It may take some convincing to get your guy to wear lederhosen and the green felt hat, but this is a great one if you can pull it off.

8. King and Queen of Hearts: Look for sexy red and black crinoline skirts and heart-covered bustiers for the queen, or go with a giant playing card for more or a cover up. For the king, either a giant playing card or a royal robe and crown complete this duo.

9. Light socket and plug: Another humorous costume, always a hit at any Halloween party, is the light socket and plug.

10. Tin Man and Dorothy: Follow the yellow brick road! You can really do any combo here: Dorothy and the Lion, or the Scarecrow, or the Tin Man. Dorothy: Blue and white checked dress with white apron, braids, a wicker basket and mini dog (real or stuffed)! The Tin Man costume is a full metal outfit, so make sure you can eat or drink in it before you go out!

http://www.SeasonsCostumes.com is a great source of costume ideas, info and low prices on costumes year round.