While our family sticks more to the Fall Festival kind of activities, many of my friends love this new Halloween tradition that is spreading rapidly grass-roots fashion throughout the culture and I thought I would share it from my last traditions newsletter.
Called “Getting Booed,” it involves a family making a Halloween gift basket and leaving it anonymously on a neighbor’s door step with a sign “You Got Booed.”
The receiving family’s job, then, is to make up another gift basket and play the trick on another family in the neighborhood who doesn’t have a ‘got booed’ sign on their door. (There’s a fun free printable from Tomkat Studios here.)
Here is a poem you can use for your “Got Booed” sign.
The air is cool, the season is fall, soon The spooks are after things to do; in fact, a spook has brought this to you.
“BOO” is a shield, from witching hour, Just hang it up and watch its power.
On your front door is where it works, it wards off spooks and scary jerks.
The power comes when friends like you will copy this and make it TWO.
We’ll all have smiles upon our face. No one will know who Booed our place.
Just one short day to work your spell or a big ZAP will strike your tail.
And don’t forget a nifty treat, like something cute or something sweet.
Please join the fun, let’s really hear it!
Spread some Boo’s and festive spirit!
Halloween is not just for kids! With these tips and ideas you can start your own family Halloween filled with traditions to cherish year after year.
Count Down To Halloween
3 -4 weeks before Halloween: Decorating the House
Make it a family event! Either assign different areas to different people, or give them a certain topic.
Who’s in charge of spider webs and spiders? Hanging lights in just the right spot?
1 – 2 weeks before Halloween: Picking the Pumpkins
You don’t have to go to your local supermarket to find great pumpkins – there are plenty of places around within driving distance to take the family to not only pick out the best pumpkins, but to have a day filled with fun! Watch for the signs on the road, check your local paper. Many people grow pumpkins and then sell them at this wonderful time of year. Most don’t just sell pumpkins either! You can get a nice cup of hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick, go for a hayride, check out a corn field maze, or take a walk through a haunted barn. These kinds of places are usually family owned and know what kind of entertainment other families are looking for. Enjoy watching your child rolling a 20 pound pumpkin back to the hay wagon instead of digging through a large wooden crate outside the grocery store.
2- 7 days before Halloween: The Pumpkin Carving Party
Make sure you have enough pumpkins for everyone to carve at least one.
Can’t wait for the pumpkin seeds to be ready? Pick some up from the store
so you can have some ready on hand to enjoy while carving! Prepare a spoooooooooooooky meal to
eat along with your party.
Try some “ghoulash” or “Spooketti” with a “blood” red drink.
Make “bones” (breadsticks) to go along.
Have plenty of candles on hand so when you are all done carving you can run outside,
place your jack-o-lanterns and end your party with a firey show of evil, happy, and scary faces!
The Main Event
The most important part of a Halloween party is to have fun together. Bob for apples, play ghost in the graveyard, watch movies, read a story by candelight or flashlight. If your area allows it, have a campfire and tell stories outside. For dinner, serve something inventive – give it a crazy name – werewolf burgers, eye ball soup, what ever you can think of.
For dessert and snacking try popcorn balls, taffy apples, and of course, pumpkin pie!
What are some of your favorite things to do for Halloween?
I would love to be added to your traditions newsletter… my email is julie(dot)anderson(at)ccci(dot)org
I like this idea, but they don’t celebrate Halloween here or anything like this, so it wouldn’t work. They would all be so confused!
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Pretty much all the neighborhoods around here to this and it is so much fun!
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We did this in my neighborhood in high school. It was fun to watch it spread from door to door! Love the Halloween ideas!
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Last year several of my friends got “Booed” and it sounded like the cutest idea! This makes me want to do it this year.
By the way, watched your video from last week…y’all sound so great! I wish we would do that Chris Tomlin song you led off with, but we’re already onto songs from “Hello Love.” Just today we did “Jesus Messiah,” which we’ve done before, and “I Will Rise” for the first time. Man, oh, man. We had choir this week and as the director this time they blew me away! Isn’t it exciting to get to do what we do every Sunday? It’s such a gift!
I wish we lived closer so I could come to your church and see how y’all do your services. My husband would like too, too, being the sound man that he is…maybe one of these days we’ll get to your neck of the woods.
Oh, and I’m singing on the Praise Team for Wednesday night, so I’ll be singing the exact same thing you were singing on “Your Love, Oh Lord”! : )
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I love this tradition! We did it in my old neighborhood and it was really fun. So far the new neighborhood has been a little reserved. Maybe I could break the ice by starting this. Thanks for the reminder!
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Oh I love the Got Booed idea! I will be doing this! I can’t wait!
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My neighborhood in Utah did this every year. It was so much fun! It was about the only thing that would get me to actually make homemade treats! My kids were always shocked I didn’t just go to the store and buy something lol.
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We do not do Halloween either, but this idea is cute. Too bad we are out in the woods with no neighbors!
Lisa Q
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I stopped by your post about an hour ago. I thought the BOO thing sounded pretty cute! I’ve never heard of this before but I may just have to try it this year :o)
Anyway, I came back because I was just reading through the Sunday paper. This weeks Target ad has the Book idea in it and is even selling BOO! kits!!! Just had to come back and tell you.
Have a great day :o)
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What a great blog…we did Booing in our old neighborhood…my kids loved it! What a great idea…love all your planning!
I am not sure what blog it was but one blog did booing with apples and carmel kits in a basket…so cute!
-Sandy Toes
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So glad you shared this. It’s been a tradition in my neck of the woods since all mine were little. Last year, at our Target, they even sold little kits in a plastic package to get it started. Sooo FUN! You just may be responsible for spreading it nationwide. : )
M.L.
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We’re totally not into Halloween and love harvest type festivities…we’ll be doing the Trunk or Treat type activity at church, too! I’ve never heard of Got Boo-ed … sounds like a fabulous idea!! Love it! I just may have to Boo someone! 😉
~melody~
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I love that “Booed!” game! I remember when my now 13 year old got Booed for the first time in the 2nd grade, it was so much fun…what a great idea 🙂
You get to meet Kimba this week? How fun!!!
Bella 🙂
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I heard about this game last year….might have to start it in the neighborhood!!
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Jen,
I love the idea but I have to say I’m one of those people who feels guilty for three days that I haven’t been able to find time to spread the ‘boo’ around and then finally just resolves that I just can’t do ‘chain’ letters or chain ‘booing’. Am I horrible?
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What a fun tradition!
You always inspire me, girlie!!!!
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I love these ideas!!! thanks for sharing!!
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We don’t decorate for Halloween either. This Booed game though is so cute! Great ideas!
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Thanks for commenting on Like Mother Like Daughter!
I’ve enjoyed your blog — you are a powerhouse, I must say! While you and Kimba visit I’ll take a nap, okay? Yes, a week-long nap 🙂
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What a great tradition!
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Hey, Jen! Got your comment about NC lunch…I never got an e-mail so here it is! 🙂
thekopchicks@earthlink.net
Talk to you soon!
Stacey
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I love this tradition, Jen. We’ll have to start it up in our neighborhood. And I just read your 7 random things post. Are you kidding me? You trained for the Olympics? Girl. I’m so glad you have a blog so those of us IRL can learn things about you!
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GREAT ideas!!
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I’ve read about the “boo” game before, but have never done it. It’s a very cute idea! Although I do enjoy Halloween, I also love all the fall and harvest activities this time of year.
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Interesting idea! I’m not much of a Halloween person either. I do want to do something (not necessarily for the holiday) for my elderly neighbor.
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I never once Trick-or-Treated and people are convinced I grew up deprived. We always had a fall festival at my church with games and food and tons of candy and I always had a fun costume. My parents felt very strongly about my not being exposed to all the scary stuff that comes around at Halloween, and I look back now and while it is all I know so I can’t speak from a perspective of knowing what I missed, I’m glad they did it that way!
As I put up Halloween decorations for the first time I find I like the cute/spooky elements (black cats, crows, owls, pumpkins) but none of the scary (scary to me: witches, ghosts, demons, skeletons, spiders). I am pretty sure that I will continue the non-Halloween traditions I grew up with when my children come along.
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I have never heard of this. So much fun. We don’t really do the whole Halloween thing either. I do decorate for fall and leave that up until Thanksgiving.
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Love your blog. I’m a new reader and the coupon frenzy had me hooked. The fall traditions post came just in time for our own backyard gala. So fun.
I’m still in a quandry over the coupon thing. Although I’m new at it- I’m just not convinced yet that I’m coming out cheaper than typically Great Value brand at Walmart. plus odd and ends. I wondered if the secret for your 500$ a month food bill could also be in y our saavy meal planning and how much you buy or don’t buy. Could you elaborate on that sometime in a post.
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Getting Boo’d is big in our neck of the woods. The kids go nuts!
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Totally love boo’ed.
I am planning on booing someone this year.
Please add me to your newsletter.
mkw70 (at) comcast (dot) net
Thanks!
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oh – please add me to the newsletter to. fuhrmon@gmail.com
Your response was very helpful with the coupons. Shed much light. Thanks again.
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I’ve never heard of this one before, but from the comments, I’m the only one! Maybe it’s because we live in the country. I could play, get MOOED!! LOL!
Thanks for sharing!
Sonya
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That’s a cute idea but living in the South, so many of my neighbors don’t do Halloween they do Fall festival type things instead.
Manuela
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Wow, this post has some really great ideas!! We really aren’t into Halloween either. I’ll get a costume for my 2 year old daughter for daycare, but other than that wasn’t sure what we are going to do since we don’t celebrate it too much. Nice ideas though, thanks. 🙂
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Like your blog! Love to hear about your lifestyle and the 19 cousins growing up together. That is a dream for sure. Happy for you!
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Commenting again just to say that I’m here! 9 hours in the car. Gah!
And remind me to tell you why we were two hours late leaving Pgh. Truly a bedlam moment that would have made you proud.
Thanks for coming to my party.
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I like your trunk or treating idea. We don’t do that here, but it sounds like such fun.. much better than wandering around strange neighborhoods, lol.
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I love the idea of booing. We live on a busy street and the neighbors pretty much keep to themselves so I'm thinking it wouldn't work but it sure would be fun. I love the pictures of your son & the horse.
Annabelle 🙂
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Our neighborhood has been doing the “Boo-ing” tradition ever since we moved here about 10 years ago! It’s a whole lot of fun to get a mysterious knock at your door at night, and when you open your door there’s nobody there but a big “Boo!” sign on your door and a bag of candy on the door mat! Fun!!!
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Our neighborhood has been doing the “Boo-ing” tradition ever since we moved here about 10 years ago! It’s a whole lot of fun to get a mysterious knock at your door at night, and when you open your door there’s nobody there but a big “Boo!” sign on your door and a bag of candy on the door mat! Fun!!!
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Enjoyed to read that Halloween poem. Well, Halloween is my most favorite holiday of the year.
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I too would love to be added to your traditions newsletter. Thank you! (3amigos@accesscomm.ca) Heather
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A lot of the neighbors here do it (in Utah) and seems to be getting more popular.
An easy web site to print the poem and ghost is at
http://www.beenbooed.com
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