Top 10 Things to do during October

Halloween is upon us! I just love this time of the year. As a kid, you know how much fun trick-or-treating is, and as a teen you look forward to going to the haunted houses and getting scared as you turn each corner. Then you get a little older, and it is off to the bars and clubs to enter (or watch) the costume contests. After that, if you are fortunate enough to have children, you get to start all over and take your little one out to trick-or-treat and re-live your entire childhood splendor.
This week’s Top 10 list is the things you should do during the month of October.

1. Carve a pumpkin. This is easy to do, and through the years many advances have made this age old tradition even easier to do. I buy the carving kits at Target, Wal-mart, or Michael’s. They have great stencils and precision carving tools to get the job done. My family and friends even have a competition with awards for each style of jack-o-lantern.

2. Decorate the house, inside and out. This really gets you into the spirit. We have window clings that are easy to set up and take down. There are tons of great decorations, and the best deals of the season are the day after Halloween. We get a lot of stuff then, and pack them away for the next year.

3. Take the kids to a kid friendly haunted house. In our area, the Monster Manor runs a Frite Lite Pirates’ Landing which is specially designed not to scare the little ones, but they still get to walk through the maze and look for pirate treasure. This is for toddlers to pre-teens, and fun for the whole family.

4. Go to a local pumpkin farm and pick out your own pumpkin to carve. We go to the one in Lakeside each year, and have a great time walking through the corn maze, petting the animals, jumping on a flatbed truck and having a hayride, and then we pick a huge pumpkin. It is a great family tradition.

5. Have a Halloween party. This could be for the kids or adults, with a costume contest, bobbing for apples, or fun contests to keep everyone entertained. There are tons of Halloween themed CD’s that have all the scary and fun music for your monster bash. Party City has everything you need to pull this off in style.

6. Make a trip to Disneyland / California Adventure if you have little ones, or Knott’s Scary Farm for their annual scream fest. These theme parks go to great lengths to transform their normal rides and activities into must-see entertainment each year. Disneyland is recommended for pre-teens and younger, while your teenagers to young adults will love Knott’s Berry Farm, or Knott’s Scary Farm as it is transformed into each October.

7. Check with your local schools for the Halloween Carnivals and parades that they run. These are great ways to raise much needed money for the schools, and it is fun to see the neighborhood kids having a great time. We know they all need the support.

8. How could I forget Oktoberfest! For those adults that love beer (of which I am definitely qualified) several communities hold Oktoberfest festivals, with great food and beer, entertainment, and parades. Check out the website for a list of events that are near you.

9. Watch the classic movies to get you into the spirit. Personally, It’s the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown is my favorite. There is also something about the classic Halloween that just scares you every time. That is R rated, and not suitable for all ages. Check your local listings the week prior to Halloween for your favorites.

10. Take your kids trick-or-treating. I used to think it was more fun to stay home and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters, while my wife went with the kids around the neighborhood. Now I love not only watching how much fun my son has, but also meeting my neighbors that I wave to as I drive by but don’t even know their names. Through the years, we all look forward to Halloween, and sharing this time with our kids. Have a safe & fun Halloween!