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An Old Fashioned Halloween
By Brenda Hyde
It's Halloween and you want to stay away from the big
parties and door to door trick or treating with strangers.
What do you do? Give an old fashioned party that will
please everyone and get the whole family together!
We can take some hints from The Modern Priscilla Magazine
issue from October 1915. They advised the hostess to
invite family and friends that are close to each other so
everyone can feel comfortable dressing up and joining in.
The Invitations and Decorations
Invitations and menu cards should be adorned with witches on
broomsticks, owls, black kittens and such things. Menu cards
aren't used much for family gatherings, but they are a fun
memento for guests to take home. Simply cut cards out of
stiff paper, decorate and neatly print the occasion, the
menu, date, and even a little poem or quotation. Place one
by each guest, or hand them out at the door.
Decorations in the early 1900s were simple but fun. Jack-o-lanterns
peeking from every corner, dried corn with branches of colored
fall leaves would be suspended from chandeliers. Pumpkin shells
can be scraped clean and used for soups, dips or casseroles.
Dye cheese cloth yellow and attach autumn leaves, string
popcorn spray painted orange, or a modern touch of black
plastic spiders can be added. Faces were also painted on
gourds and turnips to decorate the entire house.
Festive Food
The food was rather light and easy, which fits in perfect with our
busy lifestyles today. Egg, chicken or tuna salad sandwiches, cut
into fourths with additions of thinly sliced cucumber, herb butter,
tomato or watercress could be served on platters with colored
toothpicks holding the bread in place.
Nut sandwiches were a suggested treat. Bake gingerbread or
poundcake in loaves and thinly slice. Toast nuts for a few
minutes in a hot oven, then chop or crush. Mix with whipped
cream or honey and spread on the slices of bread. In
addition to the sandwiches serve brownies, fruit compote
or salad, hot cider and salted nuts.
Hot Spiced Cider
2 quarts cider
1 cup brown or white sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
6 cloves
1 tsp. allspice
nutmeg
Add the sugar and spices to the cider in a large saucepan.
Simmer, do not boil, for 15 minutes. Strain and serve hot
in small glasses or mugs. A little grated nutmeg may be
sprinkled on each glass before serving.
Halloween Bars
Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 well-beaten eggs
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1 cup flour
1 cup crushed nuts
Cream sugar and butter, add eggs, molasses, extract,
flour and nuts. Mix and turn into a buttered and floured
cake tin and bake in a moderate (350 degrees) oven for
30 minutes. Cut in fingers and serve warm or cold.
The Halloween Games
Bobbing for apples, dancing, and door prizes were some of
the simpler activities in the early 1900's. We can add some
modern touches too. On the bottom of each plate tape a
number. After everyone finishes eating draw numbers and
give away adult and kid's door prizes. Bean bag animals,
marbles, and card games are fun and inexpensive
for the kids. Adult door prizes can be boxes of herb tea,
jams, coffees, fancy cookies or crackers.
Be sure to have some fun music such as the Chicken
Dance, The Hokie Pokie, or songs from classic musicals
like Oklahoma or The Sound of Music. Besides dancing,
musical chairs is a great game to encourage the kids and
adults to play together.
A game of Pin the Stem on the Pumpkin can be fun for all
ages! Draw and color a large pumpkin without a stem on
poster board. Using another piece of cardboard or construction
paper cut out a stem, and attach a tack to it with tape.
Tape the pumpkin onto a cork board. Blind fold each guest
during their turn while they try to pin the stem on the
pumpkin. The kids will love seeing the adults playing
right along with them!
Old fashioned Halloween parties are a great alternative
to door to door trick or treating. It's fun, and safe, plus it
brings together family members of all ages to share in the
memories.
About the author
Brenda Hyde is a wife and Mom of three, a freelance writer, editor of three free newsletters. To see descriptions visit Seeds of Knowledge
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
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