Get Ready for a Spooky Night In

Whatever age you are, Halloween is always a great excuse to get dressed up and have some fun. If you're a mum to kids under the age of 10 or so, the likelihood is that you'll already be going trick or treating with them. However, if your children are really small, you might opt to stay in and throw a Halloween tea party for their friends. You'll have to answer the door every five minutes to those bigger kids who are doing the rounds gathering treats in the neighbourhood, but that all adds to the fun.

But what about when they're tucked up in bed (when the sugar rush is over) and it's time for you and your friends to celebrate Halloween? If you're inviting some friends over, here are a few ideas of what to get up to beyond the usual pumpkin-carving competitions.

Dress Up

Of course, it's a must - how often do you get to do the dressing up after you've become a mum? Go for a classic witch or zombie costume, or maybe become one of Dracula's brides for the night. You don't have to go down the spooky route - lots of people choose to dress as current high-profile celebs like the Kardashians, Hilary Clinton (reasonably frightening!) or Angelina Jolie. Also, the number of comic book superheroes and villains out there to model your look on at the moment is huge. You could be Catwoman, Mystique or Harley Quinn, for instance.

Share A Psychic Reading

"Symbolic" (CC BY 2.0) by Kyknoord

It's so easy to set up different psychic readings online today, and they're a perfect thing to do on a Halloween night in. Tarot readings can give you a chance to look at all different aspects of your life and the reader will use their tarot decks to give you insights in your love, work and home life. One card that might come up is the five of wands - which has a good and bad side to it. It suggests there's an element of competition in your life, perhaps in work or in your relationship. At the same time, though, the five of wands is viewed as a positive tarot card as it can encourage us to follow our dreams. Take turns having a tarot reading online with your friends and see who gets the most positive vibes from the experience.

Play Some Party Games

There are lots of party games that work for a Halloween party. It depends on how much time and effort you want to put in setting them up. You could organise a Murder Mystery game - a whodunnit - where you each take a character in a story and work out who committed the murder. Alternatively, there are simpler options such as Pass it on Ghost Story, where you sit in a circle and weave a ghost story, person by person. For an ice-breaker if you've got some guests who don't know others, play Halloween Guess Who. Simply stick the name of a Halloween character on the back of each guest as they arrive at the party and encourage them to find out who they are by talking to other people.

"Jello shots" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Andrei!

Add in some Halloween-themed, colourful cocktails with some floating lychee eyeballs and some jelly shots, and an array of suitably ghoulish snacks such as Jack-o'-lantern-stuffed peppers, pumpkin deviled eggs, and ghost pizza bagels, you'll have the makings of a great Halloween night in.

Written by Hayley Brightman