Halloween has fallen on a Monday this year, which, to put it bluntly, sucks more than a vampire does. You’ll be too tired after a day of classes to even put a pair of cat ears on your head or your go-to party friend will be stuck inside studying for a test the next day. Instead of venturing outside in the frigid October night (hopefully it’s cold by now, I wrote this in September), you can use some of the ideas listed below to have a ghostly good time in your dorm or apartment, complete with a heater and a “pants-optional” policy.
Petrify in Themed Lounge Wear. While you can easily opt out of a costume for your night in, don’t feel like you have to shy away from all Halloween attire. This can be a great time to finally pair your comfy orange top with your black sweats/yoga pants without looking too excited for the holiday. Ask your friends to come over in the same sort of attire, on theme but with comfort being the most important part (no wedgie-inducing SWAT bodysuits allowed). Grab some themed socks and nail polish from Five Below to truly feel like the embodiment of Halloween from your fingers to your toes. Turn a creepy night into a calming one!
Scare up some snacks. You don’t have to be the next Alton Brown for this one. In fact you can just put some Pumpkin Joe-Joe’s out on a themed paper plate and call it a day. If you do want to put in a little more effort, try making a ghost shaped pizza*:
1. For the pizza, Trader Joe’s offers some great options for raw pizza dough, including plain and whole wheat. The only other thing you’ll need is tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and whatever other toppings you usually enjoy. Lay the pizza dough out on a flat, floured surface and roll it out until it’s about 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Then, start pushing the dough out with your fingers to create a ghost-like shape (so, more pushing up and down than side to side).
2. Don’t be discouraged if your pizza dough isn’t stretching out as well as you’d like or if it shrinks back as soon as you let go. Just keep pushing and pulling the dough and it’ll eventually cooperate. Once the dough is shaped how you’d like, add a thin layer of your tomato sauce, leaving about an inch on the edges for the crust. Follow that with a layer of cheese and the addition of the other pizza toppings you picked up. Some suggestions for decorating include using olives or jalapenos for eyes, cutting pepperoni into triangles to create fangs/teeth, and tossing some slices of green pepper around the bottom to represent the glowing ectoplasm ghosts are often found with.
3. Once you’re happy with how your ghoulish pizza looks, pop it in the oven following the instructions on the pizza dough packaging. While the timing is often accurate, always be sure to watch your pizza so you don’t burn your ghost! He already died once and it’s especially cruel to kill him again.
*If a ghost shaped pizza is edging toward a creative cooking level that you’re not comfortable with, you can always opt for a pumpkin/jack-o-lantern shaped pizza as well.
Zombie-fy in front of the TV. You’ve probably already binge-watched all of the Halloween movies on Netflix and Freeform so opt for the less-committal 35-45 minute TV episodes centered around this holiday. The Simpsons offers plenty, as well as Bob’s Burgers, How I Met Your Mother, That 70’s Show, Parks and Rec, and The Office. If you still have room after the pizza, pop some popcorn and make a list with your friends of the episodes you want to watch and just keep playing them until it’s time for bed.
Terrifying TV Games. Whether you turn on something spooky or decide to watch the Bears-Vikings game, it’s surprising how many easy games can come from “the tube”. One of the best games to play is “Big Mouth on the TV” (I honestly don’t think there’s a real name for this). The rules are pretty simple and you can adjust them as necessary and there really isn’t a winner. You print out or draw a Vampire’s mouth or other body part/accessory and tape it somewhere on your TV. Then, whenever your homemade sticker lines up with a character on TV, it makes for a pretty funny scene. For example, if you opt to watch The Office, try putting it in the area of the character’s mouth during their interviews.
Another game would be Halloween word bingo. Find some free printouts here (http://myfreebingocards.com/occasions/halloween) or here (http://print-bingo.com/word-list/Halloween). Whenever you hear a word from the list mentioned on TV, mark it off. The first one to fill their board wins!
*If you’re of age, these two games can include alcohol.
Unearth Some Fall DIY Decorations. Since it is October 31st and November (Thanksgiving) is right around the corner, you can spend this time cutting out fall leaves and making hand turkeys to decorate your living room. Just grab some construction paper from Plaza Art or CVS and craft away. There are easy ideas plastered all over Pinterest so I suggest starting there first. Besides the leaves and turkeys, empty toilet paper rolls can make great Pilgrim people and you can make an adorable “Give Thanks” pennant banner with hemp fabric.
Hopefully one or two of these ideas will keep you entertained as you hear the braver souls in the hall as they start preparing for a Monday night costume party. Do you have any plans for your Halloween night in? Did you follow one of our suggestions? Let us know in a Facebook comment or tag us on Instagram (@hercampusdrexel)! Happy Halloween!