Falling between the fall and winter months, Halloween is historically a time of celebration, superstition and more recently excitement.
Halloween is thought to have originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. All Saints day was later introduced on the 1st of November and the evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween.
Over time, Halloween has become more of a social and community-based event featuring child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating and costume wearing. As the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, we’ve put together some top tips to help enjoy Halloween with the family. These days many have forgotten the history behind it, however that doesn’t mean its not a great excuse for a bit of family fun!
Halloween is typically associated with trick or treating, sweets and candy. That makes Halloween the perfect time to get creative in the kitchen. Whether you’re throwing a party at home or just cooking with help from the children, BBC Good Food have put together a great list to create the perfect spooky spread of Halloween food. From zombie fingers to Halloween jelly, we’re sure you’ll have fun trying your hand at some of these freakishly funky foods.
To find the full list, click here to visit BBC Good Food and don’t forget to visit our Home and garden section for all those kitchen essentials.
One for the adults perhaps, but if you fancy something a bit of different in the refreshments department, there are some excellent Halloween themed cocktail suggestions to try from RedOnline.
From the pumpkin spike to the ghost martini, some of these look deadly! On TheGivingMachine, we have award winning retailers for all of your cocktail needs too. Take a look here.
What is Halloween without costumes? It’s all part of the fun! If you are going to make an occasion of Halloween, getting dressed up in freakish threads its part of the occasion. You can choose to make your own DIY outfits, putting your arts and crafts skills to the test, or visit one of our famous fancy dress shops for everything from skeletons to vampires and clowns to zombies. You’ll be spoiled for choice!
We have an entire department dedicated to online Fancy Dress shops with specialists in everything including children’s fancy dress and of course fan favourites from the Disney Store!
One absolute must at Halloween has to be watching a scary film or two! As the evenings get colder and the days become shorter, see if you can resist watching from behind the sofa. Get cosy, grab some spooky treats you made earlier and teste your nerves.
You can browse our entertainment section for a great selection of films. Take a look at this excellent list of the top 50 horror films from Film4, or for something a little less intense, Casper the friendly ghost is a firm family favourite.
Halloween wouldn’t be the same without some ghoulish games and Net Mums have put together a great list of the best games that are easy to arrange on Halloween. From apple bobbing to pumpkin passing, we think you’ll have a lot of fun trying out some of these! You can see the full list here.
We also have a toys and gadgets section if you wanted to browse some Halloween games that may not be quite as messy!
In any case, don’t forget to stop by TheGivingMachine for all of your Halloween supplies and continue to help the amazing causes of your choice. Happy Halloween, from everyone at TheGivingMachine!
