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Trick-or-Treat...Already?

Have you ever noticed once Labor Day is over, how fall arrives so quickly? The greens and blues of summer somehow fuse into the oranges, reds and yellows of autumn. But Halloween is one of those holidays that literally creeps up on you.

The good news is I have some quick Halloween ideas to help you throw a Halloween Bash that both kids and parents will love, without much fuss.

So gather up your costume, grab your snacks and get ready to learn some of my secrets to make your Halloween party a frightening success.

Halloween Trick-or-Treat Tips and Ideas

1. Take the kids trick-or-treating, even if it's just for a little while. My best friend has a big bash every year and we start off the party with our huge group visiting all the houses in her neighborhood. Make sure there are plenty of flashlights to guide the kids safely along the streets. And hold on tight to those little ones because they will want to chase the bigger kids from house to house.

2. Offer lots of drinks and snacks on-hand for the famished trick-or-treaters — lots of bottles of water and juice boxes, too. Healthy snacks are great for them to eat before they enjoy their treats. We like serving finger sandwiches, which can be cut into fun holiday shapes with cookie cutters. Another popular favorite is Town House Crackers with hummus spread for the kids or bruschetta for the grown-ups. Get creative with the dips and Town House Crackers you pair together!

3. Have a costume contest, with different categories like cutest, scariest or most creative. Reward the winners with Halloween-themed favors or toys. Or have a costume parade where the "spectators" (moms and dads) put beads on the kids and throw orange, purple, and black confetti into the air as they pass.

4. Set up a craft table for the older kids to make souvenir frames out of craft foam. Then take pictures of them wearing their costumes during the party to insert in the frames. For the smaller kids, lay out modeling clay or construction paper and crayons so that they can make their own souvenirs, too.

5. Relax, have fun, and enjoy making memories everyone will remember for a long time. It's inevitable, the house will be a mess and the kids will be running around on a sugar high, but remember Halloween comes only once a year!

Load up with any of these tasty grahams to keep those little monsters smiling!

Keebler® Grahams Crackers Bug Bites
Keebler® Grahams
Keebler® Gripz® Grahams
Keebler® Scooby-Doo! Baked Graham Cracker Sticks

Try these single serve snacks for more ways to turn a mean witch into a good witch!

Austin™ Crackers
Austin™ Cracker Sandwiches
Cheez-It® crackers
Rice Krispies Treats® snacks

Stock Up for Trick-or-Treaters!

No one wants to run out of tasty treats when the masses of zombies, scores of skeletons and packs of princesses come calling with open bags. Whether you stock up in-bulk or single serve, the following Grab-n-Go snacks are a tasty alternative to traditional Halloween treats all season long!

Spooky Lunch Box Notes

Try writing your own spooky messages weeks before Halloween to help your little ghosts and goblins get in a scary mood! Include lots of jokes, a few fun facts and one or two "Halloweeny" messages, too. Have leftover notes? Toss them into a Halloween party bag or hand them out to your children's friends as they trick-or-treat around the neighborhood! Create your own simple Halloween bags by tying up your favorite treats in a square of colored cellophane or colored paper and attach one of the notes!

Create-your-own-Crafts

Great for parents AND kids, a pumpkin-seed necklace is a great accessory for a Halloween party! Things you will need for your pumpkin-seed necklace include:

Roasted pumpkin seeds
Your favorite crafts
Needle and thread
Newspaper
Aluminum foil on which to paint the seeds

Instructions:

Step One: Paint your pumpkin seeds. The easiest way to do this is to put them on aluminum foil so that they will not stick to anything while they dry. Warning: This is the messiest part of the job!

Step Two: (After your seeds are dry) Thread your needle with a length of thread long enough to go over your head with 3 or 4 inches to spare. Put your seeds a few at a time on a pile on newspaper.

Step Three: One by one, push the needle down through the seed - when you have pierced the seed safely, pick it up and pull the thread through the strand.

Step Four: When your thread is about two-thirds filled, tie the ends together tightly.

Step Five: Enjoy your new pumpkin-seed necklace!

Note: A sharp needle is required to thread the pumpkin seeds so make sure children are well-supervised or that an adult does the threading.

Just The Facts

The information on food labels can help you find what makes up your tasty treats! Start with the Nutrition Facts panel to get the 4-1-1 on most packaged foods. The Nutrition Facts panel on a package of food states the:

Serving size in common measures such as cups or pieces. Serving sizes are standardized so it's easier to compare foods.
Number of calories per serving
% Daily Value generally based on recommendations for a healthy diet
Provides amounts for key nutrients such as fiber, vitamin A and C, calcium and iron and to also make you aware of fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium.
Also included are total carbohydrates, sugars and protein

Note: It's important to remember that all this information applies to one serving. If a serving is one cup and you eat two cups, you consume twice the calories and other nutrients given on the label.

Visit KelloggsNutrition.com for more information.