by Denise Calaman

Created on: May 07, 2008   Last Updated: January 31, 2009

I have always loved Halloween. So I was excited when my sons were born the week before Halloween. Since then, every October we have a month long birthday celebration centered around a Halloween theme. Every year my sons are given the choice as to whether or not they want to have a Halloween birthday party. And every year they want a huge cake with bats, spiders, pumpkins and skeletons. I usually get to work in late August or early September on their birthday party invitations which I design, sketch and hand paint.

The first week in October we start organizing the party by going to the same pumpkin patch. We purchase a few dozen pumpkins to use for decorating and to be used in a scavenger hunt at their party. Our rule has always been whatever pumpkin you pick, you load onto the wagon. My husband and I laugh and always get the best pictures of our sons struggling with all their might trying to lift what they deem to be the biggest and best pumpkins into their little Radio Flyer wagons.

We are fortunate to live in an area that is still warm at Halloween, so to accommodate the number of people, we have the birthday party in our garage and scattered around our property. The kids bob for apples and love to pig out on Halloween themed snacks at the buffet table. This year, the boys had a rat cake. I made a double layer cake with green frosting and decorated it with plastic rats, snakes, spiders and gummy worms. It was a hit with all the guests!

Last year, the real hit of the party was our scavenger hunt. We live down a long lane that is extremely dark, at night, when no lights are on. We made a pumpkin patch on our backyard deck. The kids were sent off with mini flashlights and an adult helper. Their task was to search for items around our property that would help them decorate a pumpkin. Their last clue led them to the pumpkin patch where they got to pick out their own pumpkin. The kids had a blast sitting on our garage floor decorating them.

The piatas that we buy are always a hit. I buy two; one for the younger kids and one for the older kids. Move out of the way when they burst open! The party takes a lot of effort but it is so worth it to see all the kids smiling, laughing and having a good time. We normally have 20 kids who always leave telling their parents, "That was the best birthday party I've ever been to!"

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