Halloween Table Spread

Inviting friends over for Halloween makes this kid-friendly holiday accessible to all ages.

Your party can be the central focus of your evening, or invite families over for food and fun before heading out together to canvas the neighborhood for trick-or-treats.

As hostess, you can offer a spooky spread. Cover the table with an orange or black tablecloth, then scatter with Halloween-themed confetti. (DIY it by using a hole punch on black and orange construction paper.) Shop for Halloween dishes and fill with chips, popcorn and other snacks. Don’t forget to toss candy corn and/or candy-coated chocolate candies in with these salty snacks. You can also drop a piece of candy corn into each finger of a clear plastic glove, then fill the glove completely with popcorn. Tie the “wrists” of these hands with a rubber band or twist tie and place randomly around other snacks on the serving table.

Orange soda makes a simple and festive beverage offering, but you can also make a monster of a punch by combining 1 quart unsweetened pineapple juice, 1 (6-ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate, 1 liter seltzer water and 1 quart softened lime sherbet. Float a few scoops of the sherbet on top of the punch bowl for an eerie slime-like look. Serve in orange and black cups along with same-color striped paper straws. Keep the punch cold with ice cubes made by pouring water into ice-cube trays that have been loaded with a (well-washed) plastic spider ring in each hole.

Party favors will depend on age of your guests, but glow sticks, necklaces, bracelets and the like are a safe bet for anyone on Halloween eve. You can also wrap a few small pieces of candy in a round of orange tissue paper, tying at the top with green yarn or a strip of green felt. Write guests name in black marker on the “pumpkin” face and use as place holders. Guests can tear open their pumpkin to enjoy their treats. Small orange balloons filled with candy before being blown up and tied can serve the same purpose.