Fun fact: The first event I ever planned was a haunted house fundraiser in my garage when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I have no memory of which charity I was raising dollars for—or even how much money we raised or how many neighborhood kids attended—but I remember all the planning details.
I remember recording my dad’s “scary” laugh to greet each guest as they entered the cobwebbed garage—he perfected the “MWAH HA HA HA HAAAAAA!” And I remember peeling the grape “eyeballs” that we would force our unsuspecting “victims” to handle blindfolded. I also remember playing an old Alfred Hitchcock album of horror tales, including one about a home invaded by squirrels. Each squirrel the homeowner encountered grew increasingly larger and more menacing as the record wore on. (I’ve never really liked squirrels since then.)
While the winter holidays may have their charity galas and office parties, I believe Halloween is a holiday made for event planners. The costumes, the decorations, the potable potions—c’mon! Can you think of a holiday better suited for celebrating? One of my favorite characters I ever dressed as was a mime with a bullet hole in my forehead. I wore a black turtleneck that read: “A Mime Is a Terrible Thing to Waste.” In the costume contest, I lost out to a guy dressed as a bumblebee. (Clearly, I was robbed.) Last year, my sister, who is the queen of Halloween costume designing, created an Alfred Hitchcock costume for her three-month-old granddaughter Sadie. It was simply brilliant.
We only have a week before Halloween is here, so what are some of your favorite Halloween memories, décor and costume ideas? I’d love to hear them!
