Is planning your Halloween Party giving you nightmares?

FEAR NO MORE!!!

Just follow a few basic tips, and your party is sure to be a smashing success!

It's hard to think straight, let alone think creatively when you're in the midst of freaking out. Remember--a Halloween party supposed to fun, even for the hosts! Besides, guests will vibe off of the tone you set for your own party, so take a deep breath, smile and be relaxed, and guess what? Your guests will too.

Theme parties are all the rage, and especially for a holiday like Halloween, a party theme can add to the fun enormously. Here are just a few Halloween party ideas to start those creative juices flowing:

Costume Party

I always make my Halloween parties "Halloween costume strongly encouraged", rather than "costume required" or "costume optional". This way, my friends know that most guests will be likely to be in costume, but I won't make any of my guests feel embarassed or unwelcome if they don't like getting dressed up.

Consider having a contest, where the best costume gets some sort of prize, or if its a kids party, set a time where there will be a costume parade (set to fun Halloween music of course) where everyone gets to show of his or her costume to all the parents in attendance.

Bring-Your-Own-Jack-O-Lantern Party

An informal night of friends getting together to do some pumpkin carving and make funny faces is always a treat. Add in a few scary stories around a fire, and you've got yourself a party.

Scary Movie Party

Nothing brings people together like a good scare on screen. Now personally, I have a tendency to hide my eyes whenever things get too frightening or bloody. Yes, I am the person who actually screams out loud in the theater and jumps out of her seat when the girl walking in the dark basement turns the corridor to find--a broom falling out of the closet! I didn't even see any of the Nightmare on Elm Street type films until some of my beloved college friends forced me to sophomore year! So I've put together some suggestions for Halloween movies I think are sure to be Halloween hits, and included ideas for scary movies that range outside of your classic gore fests, to include some humourous entires, as well as some psychological thrillers and other creepy flicks that leave plenty to your imagination, which sometimes, can be even more scary than the others!

#3 SET A TIME, DATE & PLACE

Halloween Party Invitations

 If the number of guests you've decided to invite is larger than your house can comfortably accomodate- consider having your party in an alternate location, such as a garage, community hall or firehouse. Make your guest list ahead of time, and if you're going to mail your Halloween Party invitations, be sure to mail them well enough in advance to give them time to be delivered. Phoning or emailing are also great ways to send party invitations (Use a site like Evite if you need to manage a large guest list, but for a smaller gathering, sending something like a Talking Ghost ECard to issue your invitation might be a fun idea. Be sure to include a start time for you event, and an RSVP and phone number or email address so your guests are reminded to respond to your invitation.