Easy Party Prep for Last Minute Halloween Gatherings

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My children love to plan seasonal parties. But this week, my to do list was huge suitcases to unpack, laundry to do, work to finish, and a packed calendar too. So, when my girls started brainstorming a Halloween gathering it was all I could do not to nix the idea immediately.

Instead, I handed party planning, prep, and clean up over to my girls.

Easy Party Prep for Last Minute Halloween Gatherings

Don’t run all over town for party supplies

Shop at Martin’s where you’ll find both the week’s groceries and everything you need for a Halloween gathering.

Set a budget

Know how much you want to spend on the party before heading to the store. Martin’s had budget friendly food and decor that made staying within the budget easy.

Choose dual purpose seasonal decorations.

Cute pumpkin buckets work great for serving food at the party, and we can also use them all season for decorations, and as buckets for Trick or Treating.

Using existing neutral serving pieces and table linens is another great way to keep party costs down.

Stick to a theme

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the party options, but a theme helps narrow choices. My girls chose a pumpkin theme for their gathering.

Keep it simple

Rather than spending the day in the kitchen, buy seasonal ready-made sweets, and prepackaged snacks. 

Think of easy ways to continue the party theme such as drawing Jack-o’-lantern faces on oranges.

Chose party food tweens can prepare independently such as a bucket of popcorn mixed with candy corn and candy pumpkins. 

Use simple decorations and a cohesive color to tie the party table together.

Pick your party time wisely

Invite friends over for an afternoon playdate- after lunch but before dinner. Serving finger food snacks, rather than a meal, is a great way to keep the party costs down. This finger food party also cuts prep and clean up effort too!

Party outside

No time to clean the house? Is the thought of cleaning crumbs from the sofa cushions too much?

Plan your Halloween gathering for outside. Setting up a table of goodies on the porch, keeps the mess outside! During our Halloween gathering, we had such a lovely afternoon lounging in porch rockers with snacks while the children ran their sugar high off in the yard.
Keeping the party outside meant that the only clean up required was one garbage bag to take the trash away.

 

Fall is always jam-packed with responsibilities, fun activities, and get-togethers. It’s easy to stress about getting it all done, when sometimes the best option is to take a few hours to enjoy friends and family. Use these simple tips to keep your Halloween gathering simple and stress free!

Head to Martins, where you’ll find everything you need for an easy Halloween gathering. Be sure to check out the  Limited Time Original products with season specific flavors, perfect for a Halloween party!

Get a $5 off coupon for new online Martins customers here.