It’s officially spooky season! From picking out the perfect costume, to mapping out the trick-or-treat route, and of course the candy trading after the evening winds down, Halloween is without a doubt one of most exciting and memorable days of the year for families with young children. To kick off the Halloween festivities, we often invite a few family members and friends over to grab something to eat and take pictures before setting off on our neighborhood trick-or-treat adventure.
Our Drees Home features the perfect layout for entertaining, so no matter where you are in the main living, dining or kitchen areas, you can always be part of the action. Since Halloween is more of an informal gathering, I do my best to keep things simple so guests can mingle, eat and head on their way around the neighborhood. Here are a few of my tips and tricks for anyone who finds themselves hosting a pre-trick-or-treat gathering on Halloween evening.
Elevated spooky décor that fits your style
Your home is a reflection of your style, and your entryway is the first impression you give to guests, so I like to keep that in mind, even when adding seasonal holiday decorations throughout the year. For Halloween this year, I decided on a sleek black and white color scheme, with pops of gold and purple. For my entryway, I hung witches’ hats at varying heights across my entire front porch and seating area. Other details included white pumpkins, a black wreath, purple mums, a spooky sign, and a themed welcome mat layered over a black and white checkered rug. For the interior of my home, I wanted to weave the Halloween theme throughout the main areas of my home without it being overbearing, so I focused on adding paper bats to my kitchen hood, and styled my kitchen island with black lanterns, mystic books, and faux pumpkins. My dining area featured a black tablecloth, pumpkins, candles and spooky themed signage.
Festive appetizers
On a night like Halloween, it is helpful to have finger foods and appetizers set out for guests to eat at their leisure, especially when there is typically a set time window when the kids need to be out the door to go trick-or-treating. I decided to make a charcuterie board ahead of time, featuring many fresh and seasonal items from my local grocery store. The list of items featured on the board included: 2 blocks of sharp cheddar, uncured salami, chocolate almonds, chocolate cream cookies, crackers, pumpkin spice cookies, blackberries, and dried orange slices. To tie in the Halloween theme, I styled the charcuterie on a coffin style board, and incorporated a faux skeleton hand and small pumpkins into the board as well.
Simple main entree buffet
When hosting for a crowd, I like to brainstorm meal ideas that allow me to prep everything ahead of time so I can spend less time in the kitchen, and more time mingling with my guests. For Halloween this year, I decided to do a Loaded Baked Potato Bar featuring a variety of different toppings for guests to stuff their potato any way they like. To set up the Baked Potato Bar, I simply popped the potatoes in the oven about an hour and half before guests arrived, and then pulled together about a dozen or so different toppings for guests to chose from. The toppings included: spicy queso, roasted broccoli, shredded cheddar, green onions, sour cream, chopped bacon, pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella and sliced pepperoni. The sky is the limit when it comes to toppings, and the best part is that appeals to both kids and adults alike!
Themed hot cocoa and sweets station
Last but not least, I decided to create a spooky hot cocoa bar for guests to help themselves to a warm beverage before or after trick-or-treating. The hot cocoa bar included milk chocolate cocoa bombs, witch’s caldron mugs, marshmallows and adorable vanilla mummy cakescicles. To tie in the Halloween theme, I found a cute trick-or-treat sign to set behind the cocoa bar, added some paper bats to my upper cabinets, and faux pumpkins and spooky paper napkins to the display as well.
I hope you found some of this insight helpful for planning your own Halloween gathering this year! You really can’t go wrong with seasonal décor that fits your style, simple appetizers, an easy meal, and a hot cocoa station. Happy trick-or-treating!
Photography: Brittany Serowski Photography, Styling: One Stylish Party, Partner: Drees Homes.
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