For me, Halloween is a two-month season that kicks off in September, and it’s full of family traditions.
One of our favorites is watching all the Harry Potter movies from start to finish every fall. While Harry Potter isn’t strictly a Halloween thing (you could argue it fits Christmas, too), we love the magic of those movies. The witch and wizard theme makes them a perfect fit for our fall movie list.
Movie I Love
Our movie list also includes Hocus Pocus and sometimes the Halloweentown movies (anyone remember the mom as April from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?). Sadly, my kids have outgrown Halloweentown a bit.
A few years ago, the new Muppets Haunted Mansion movie became a must-watch for me. I’m a sucker for all things Muppets, and Will Arnett is so fun in this version. Plus, I love grooving to Dancing in the Moonlight.
Finally, if you’ve listened to my podcast (link), you know I’m obsessed with handing out candy and watching The Wizard of Oz on Halloween night. It’s a tradition my kids love to tease me about. Sometimes, I’ll throw in Meet Me in St. Louis because one Judy Garland movie just isn’t enough, and it helps me get into the Christmas spirit. Plus, who can resist little Tootie throwing flour in Mr. Braukoff’s face?
Through the years...
When my kids were little, one of my traditions was to throw my kids a Potions Party. My kids always looked forward to this event and I’m a little sad we have outgrown it. You can see one of my blog posts from 2012 (12 years ago!) on one of these parties here.
Potion parties have been replaced by corn mazes, Frightmares at Lagoon, and painting pumpkins (I hate making jack o’lanterns). And when I can make it happen, I also really love Oogie Boogie Nights at Disneyland.
And of course, I LOVE crafting for Halloween. I love making villages, decor items, and gifts. For me crafting at Halloween is always a good tradition to have.
What are your family traditions? What makes fall a special time for you?
Happy Hauntings!
Carina.
