This year, there's no need to dig deep into your wallet and buy new, horribly over-packaged accessories. Especially ones that serve no purpose the rest of the year. You can create a perfectly petrifying display with things that have been lurking long-forgotten in your cupboards and wardrobes.
No need to be afraid, just gather round and listen carefully. You’ll be sure to strike terror into the hearts of trick-or-treaters, young and old alike…
They’re timeless, seasonal, sometimes scary, come in various shades of orange and are delicious to eat... Have you picked one yet? We’re talking about pumpkins, of course! Why not get into the spirit of Halloween by persuading your children to help you carve one into a creepy lantern with a toothless grin? On the pumpkin, of course… Alternatively, they create an equally eerie effect when placed under dim lighting in various corners of your house. Feel free to vary the size and colour of your pumpkins for added effect. They’re also delicious to eat once they’ve been hollowed out, or after the party’s over. You’ll find plenty of recipes: soup, gratin, purée, pie, roast, etc. A word of advice: Keep any carved pumpkins indoors. Outside, they will attract small animals.
Get a head!
This is also a great time to use any glass jars that are lying around at the back of your cupboard! You can fill them with horrors such as brains, eyes or spiders... Sorry, we meant cauliflowers, peeled hard-boiled eggs or old animal figurines! Simply immerse them in water along with red, green or blue food dyes... Don’t get too caught up in the details, let your children's imaginations run wild!
Light your decorations with old garlands or candles, ideally in plastic- and aluminium-free containers (be careful with candle flames, Halloween is all about horror, not tragedy).
Hunt for witches and old fabrics!
When searching for supplies, start by looking at second-hand or charity shops, clothes swap events, or simply see what you can find lying around at home or in grandparents’ wardrobes. Ask friends, colleagues or neighbours if they have anything they no longer use and see if they’ll let you borrow it. Once you’ve gathered up enough materials,you can use them to create the perfect costumes for little ghosts, mummies, zombies or other devilish creatures. Hang up old white sheets and cloth pennants held together with a bit of string. Dare to take out that old, badly stained, hole-ridden bedsheet you've been meaning to get rid of - it will made a hideous tablecloth. Cloth scraps make excellent serviettes. And for once, you won’t have to worry about getting them dirty! Task your children with drawing and cutting out terrifying monsters from old bits of cardboard.
Halloween and autumn go hand in hand!
Take a stroll along the pavements, through parks, or in the garden (your own or a friend’s) and collect some colourful leaves, seasonal fruits such as chestnuts, conkers, pine cones, or anything else that takes your fancy. Dot them around various rooms in your house as decorations.
On the 31st, we get ugly!
Use your everyday make-up to add the finishing touches to your costumes. It should preferably be skin friendly if used on children. For blood, mix red fruit syrup with honey. To create that pale-as-death look, whiten your skin with a flour or cornstarch mixture. Ash and charcoal are perfect for staining clothes, if you know where to get your hands on some.
Trick or treat?
Now all that’s left is to figure out what to offer the daredevils who come knocking at your door. Try to avoid sweets with too much packaging, or those that contain disposable elements. Why not bake some homemade cakes or biscuits? You can also find handmade unpackaged sweets at local shops or markets.
You have everything you need to celebrate a Zero-waste Horrible Halloween.
