As we know, Halloween is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year! Everyone gets together with their friends and family to participate in Halloween activities such as Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios or LA’s Haunted Hayride. However, if you are anything like me, it is hard to be included in those activities. Growing up, I was always the kid that was excused from going through the haunted house at school, the one who would be peeking through her hands during scary movies, and overall not wanting to engage in spooky activities because I was a little bit of a scaredy-cat. Having this experience as a kid made me realize that you don’t have to participate in “scary” activities to have fun. These are some of my favorite not-so-scary activities through the years.
- Jack-O’-Lantern carving
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Make it sweet, spooky, or one of your favorite characters! Jack-o’-lantern carving is definitely an underrated Halloween activity. Doesn’t make it any less entertaining though! Carving a jack-o-lantern can be a fun way to bring you and your friends together, have some laughs and even compete for the best design. At the end, you’ll have a new decoration for your porch!
- Movie Marathon
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What better time to watch Halloween movies than the month of October? Gather your friends and sit around the television to slide right into a world of Halloween and scary vibes (not that scary of course :)) Some of my favorite not-so-scary films to stream are Coraline, Hocus Pocus, and of course, The Nightmare Before Christmas, just to name a few. I love the nostalgic feeling of these films, especially with lights dimmed and a hot tea in hand.
- Pumpkin Patch
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Before starting on your jack-o’-lantern, you are going to need a pumpkin, and that can be an activity on its own. Pumpkin patches are seriously like Halloween amusement parks. They tend to have corn mazes, hayrides, trampolines and more – literally an activity for everyone. You can also take advantage of the scenery and snap some cute pictures with your friends, your partner, family or just yourself. It’s a great way to get into the fall vibes and have a good time.
Original photo by Danielle Paisley - Costume Diy
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I know buying a costume is easier than making one but what’s the fun in that? Plus, you won’t have to worry if the costume store doesn’t have what you want to dress up as – just make it! Head to Michaels or a thrift store and gather all the things you need. Then, grab some food, put on some music and start on your costume! Get creative this year and come up with a spooktacular costume!!Â
- Trick-or-treating
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Last but not least, you can never go wrong with the classic Halloween activity. I know a lot of people say that its only for kids, but there isn’t really an age to stop trick-or-treating. My friends and I try to go trick-or-treating every year, and let me tell you – people get excited to see that we’re still trick-or-treating, especially now that the tradition has been dying these past few years. I encourage y’all to go out in your best costumes and show them off while trick-or-treating (and stay safe!). Pro tip: houses around Beverly Hills give full-size candy!
Although I’ve grown out of my phase of being terrified of everything, I still have so much fun doing these activities with my friends and family. It’s something different from the usual spooky festivities. I highly encourage y’all to try any of these activities to have fun this Halloween in a not-so-scary way!