It’s already midway through October—can you believe it? The beautiful autumn season is among us: vibrant crunchy leaves under underfoot, a cool breeze in the air to replace the summer heat, and plenty of cozy nights to spend at home with the family. 

October also means that one essential day is just around the corner. 

You guessed it. It’s time  to start preparing for the event of the season—Halloween!

Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered! In this guide, you’ll find out all you need to do to get ready for the holiday, including:

• Decorations: Deck the Halls with Boughs of Scary
• Food: Sinister Snacks That’ll Please Everyone
• Drinks: Necessities for the Adults
  

Decor: So Timeless That It’s Immortal

This year, you don’t have to sacrifice style and timeless decorations for the sake of Halloween! In this section, we’ll give you decoration ideas of all kinds to fill your home with the Halloween spirit—no pun intended. We have something for everyone—from the crafty artist to the busy mom!  

“Witch Please” Doormat DIY

On Halloween, your front door is essentially the centerpiece for your decorations—it’s where friends and family (not to mention trick-or-treaters) all come through to take refuge from the spooky night. 

So, if you’re looking for a starting point or final touch for your front door decorations, look no further than this adorable doormat DIY—simple, easy, and effective!

For this DIY, you’ll need:

• Plain doormat
• Black outdoor patio paint
• Sharpie
• Sponge stippler
• Paint brush
• Paint dish
• 6 inch alphabet stencils

You can find the full tutorial on House on Longwood Lane. 

Halloween Wreath

Wreaths are such versatile decorations—you can put them on your door, in your living room over the fireplace, in the kitchen, or wherever there’s free wall space! It’ll tie together a space perfectly. 

Check out this gorgeous Halloween wreath for sale from juliettesdesigntr on Etsy if you’re in a bind and want something easy and simple. Painless! It’s so versatile, that you can even keep it around all autumn long. 

Midnight Sky Watercolor Pumpkin DIY

When you think about Halloween decorations, one of the first activities that may come to mind is pumpkin-decorating. Traditionally, orange (or white, if you’re feeling adventurous) pumpkins are carved or painted as the ultimate indoor or outdoor Halloween decorations.

But this year, we’re challenging you to switch up the color pallette with a unique DIY pumpkin design! 

In this watercolor night sky pumpkin DIY, you’ll impress everyone who comes to your home this October 31st. 

All you need for this DIY is…

• White plastic pumpkin
• Paint brushes, large and small  
• Primer paint, for watercolors to adhere to
• Watercolors
• Hair dryer
• Rag or unwanted t-shirt
  

And once you’re done, you’ll have a gorgeous, non-traditional  pumpkin that you can take out every Halloween season for years to come—no rotting pumpkins here! 

Find the full DIY tutorial at We Lived Happily Ever After. 

Cute Mini Halloween Succulents

Are you in a rush to find something that’ll give your home that perfect little touch? Look no further than these Hyde & EEK! succulents from Target.

These succulents come in two different varieties—a cute little ghost and a friendly pumpkin. Who knew something scary could be so cute? 

These little decorations could even make excellent gifts for guests—kids and adults alike—if you’re hosting this Halloween! Add them to gift bags and your guests are sure to love them. I mean, look at those little faces!

Food: Offerings to the Undead

Halloween just wouldn’t be Halloween without the scrumptious foods that you get to eat. In this section, we’ll cover a few different food ideas for your Halloween to make sure that you can go beyond just candy!

Halloween Charcuterie Plate

It’d be a shame to let candy steal the spotlight this Halloween! Try out this gorgeous Halloween charcuterie plate. The secret to this delicious shareable is that most of the work is just buying the ingredients!

This recipe features tiny cheese pumpkins, but if you’re in a rush, the ingredients can stand alone by themselves.

Find the full post on Sugar and Charm.

Eyeball Pasta

“You have to eat your dinner before you can have any candy,” your inner mom-voice might be saying to you. And we agree—that’s why we found a dinner that incorporates  all the holiday festivities!

Try Delish’s Eyeball Pasta—a classic gone spooky with the added touch of meatball-eyeballs made with mozzarella and olives—for some delicious Halloween fun.   

Ghost Brownies

In this recipe, it’s the dessert that’ll be wearing a costume!

Check out Like Mother Like Daughter’s recipe for these adorable ghost brownies. It’ll add not only a cute touch to a classic dessert but also a sweet marshmallow treat. It’s a win-win!

For these sweet treats, use your favorite brownie recipe and then follow along with the marshmallow, or follow the recipe from the beginning. This one’s up to you!

Drinks: Not Your Average Potions

When you think about Halloween, you might immediately think it’s a kids’ holiday—it’s hard not to when Trick-or-Treat and dressing up reminds us of our childhoods. 

But who says the kids get to have all the fun!

While the kids are out gathering candy, brew up some of our top cocktails to kick back and have some fun of your own.

Butterbeer

The fun and magic of the Wizarding World isn’t just for kids! Try this real-life take on a Harry Potter staple, Butterbeer, for the adults’ after-trick-or-treat hours needs.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Ginger beer
• Cream soda
• Ginger liqueur
• Butterscotch ice cream topping
• Gold sanding sugar for rimming glasses (optional)
• Ice
  

Find the full recipe at HGTV.com. 

Bloody Orange Cocktail

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The only thing that’s scary about these “bloody orange” cocktails is how good they taste! Your guests won’t stop talking about the creepy syrup-filled syringes that give the drink an extra fruity kick.

Here’s what you’ll need for these drinks:

• Vodka
• Licor43
• Orangina (or, DIY your Orangina with orange juice + club soda)
• Raspberry syrup
• Orange
• Plastic syringes
  

Find the full recipe on HGTV.com!

Bloody Rosemary Cocktails

In the mood for something savory? Try out this “Bloody Rosemary” cocktail—just don’t say her name three times in front of a mirror!

This fun twist on a classic involves a powerful herb, rosemary, to heighten the drink’s flavor profile. 

For this drink, you’ll need:

• Vodka
• Tomato juice
• Tabasco, or other hot sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Ice
• Lemon
• Rosemary sprigs
• Sea salt
• Black pepper 
  

Find the full recipe on Salted Mint. 

Happy Octob-HER!

The housing market is scary year-round, but HER, REALTORS® is here to help! If you’re in need of a house to make haunted this Halloween season, visit our website to find a HER office near you.