Halloween Party Ideas to Make You the Ghostess with the Mostess.

Halloween is one of those holidays that is purely for fun for both adults and kids alike, and it’s a great excuse to throw a party. Lolita Healy, a nationally known Celebrations Expert and founder of Designs By Lolita (www.DesignsByLolita.com<http://www.designsbylolita.com/>), has some ideas that will bewitch your guests and keep your party fresh, fun and full of conversation and laughter, so prepare or a wicked good time.

Halloween Sip and See (21 and over)

This party, for those 21 and over, entails a variety of Halloween “stations” set up around the house for a total Halloween experience. Here are some examples of stations you can include in your set-up:

Goblin Grappa and Grub-the wine and cheese station with appetizers
* Serve Malbec and Italian Primitivo to pair with the foods at this station. “Duck” Nachos (use orange veggie chips or sweet potato chips), open-faced sliders with blood sauce (special ketchup concoction), mozzarella balls stuffed with green olives (to look like eye balls) and an assortment of stronger cheeses complete the arrangement.

The Wicked Witch Station
* In a cauldron, set up your “witches potion” with dry ice floating its way around the table. The Cast a Spell Grab Bag is a fun party game to incorporate-each person draws a spell that they have to do at the party. Example: “Toil and trouble you are, apologize to the person next to you.”

Bobbing for Apples
* This station is all about the apples (clearly)! Have an array of apple-flavored foods, like apples and brie, apple crisp, baked apples and apple-filled doughnuts. You can also set up a bobbing for apples game (do the real thing using small apples, or set up the “clothesline” version). As a fun touch, include a grab bag of bobbing for apple-related prizes: apple charm bracelets, applesauce to go, apple stickers and fake apples.

Gooey Gore-this is more of a dessert station
* Serve caramel martinis with caramel garnish (a fun glass to serve them in? My “Wicked Witch, the 5th” martini glass). Set up a chocolate fondue station and cake set up (make it creepy-crawly by putting little plastic spiders in the fondue), and set up bowls of jelly in Halloween colors like green, orange and currant.

This is just a sampling of ideas, but you can have fun with it and incorporate what you like. Costumes are optional but strongly encouraged! Below are a few other tricks and treats for a vamped up party:

Hollywood Halloween Party
Have everyone come dressed as a dead celebrity or current if they desire. Have a costume contest and hand out fake oscar like prizes and certificates.

Witches Night Out
Gather the girlfriends and a limo and head first to a fortune teller, then out on the town…let your inner witch shine! Can also be a “Witches Night In” …get some wine and watch scary movies from your teen years, like Friday the 13th and the Shining.

Goulish Gathering-for teens
Set the rules-the grosser, the better. Chaperones are a great idea, but its best to get someone like an older cousin rather than a parent (teens will be less resistant to the idea of a chaperone). Opt for a scary costume theme rather than cute, and set up some “gross” food to go with the theme.

Swamp Water Coolers
1 can ecto cooler
1 quart orange juice with pulp (most kids think the pulp is gross!)
1 2-liter bottle ginger ale
Ice (optional touch-make it with gummy worms frozen inside)

Serve in real glass tumblers with orange straws.

Mummy Dogs
Hot Dogs
Ready-made crescent roll dough
Mustard and ketchup

Preparation
Cut the crescent dough into strips, and wrap hot dogs to look like mummies. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. You can make faces using the ketchup and mustard.

All that’s left to do is eat, drink and be scary!