Halloween fun comes in many forms and there are countless things you can do to ensure you have a happy Halloween this year, whether you're a curl-up-with-a-book type of person or a haunted house type of person.

You can travel to Universal Studios Florida or Greenwich Village (NYC) for Halloween festivities or you can stay right at home, handing out Halloween candy to costumed ghouls and goblins. Yet there are many ways to rekindle your Halloween spirit and ensure that you have a happy Halloween after all. Who knows, you might have so much Halloween fun it will scare you!

Halloween party
It's a lot of work, but if you want to have a really great Halloween costume party, then plan months in advance! Perhaps you'll choose a theme to get started, such as a masquerade, Renaissance vampires, pirates, monsters, 1920s gangsters or any other decorating and costume theme.

If it's your first time, then you might want to host a simple dinner of ghoulish delights, followed by a movie. If you're looking for something outrageous, then just throw some Halloween drinking games or board games into the mix and watch the party explode with laughter.

Murder mystery parties come in a box that provide suggestions for food, decorations and costume ideas, as well as providing invitations, character booklets, scripts and a CD/DVD with the compelling conclusion for your "whodunnit" mystery. Check out the Bepuzzled brand for the best selection of murder mystery kits.

You can play a game to have a happy Halloween this year, whether it's a "Halloween" movie/Michael Myers drinking game with your friends or a few rounds of Halloween Jenga and Halloween Twister with the kids. At Universal Studios and Disney each October, there are a number of spectacular displays.

costume accessories
Universal's "Fangoria Weekends of Horror" will give you intense haunted house displays galore and it was rated one of the best theme park destinations for Halloween, along with Knotts Berry Farm and Tampa Busch Gardens. Greenwich Village in New York City has an annual Halloween parade and street festival beginning at 7pm Halloween night.

On Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, you'll see an impressive annual Halloween Carnival extravaganza. Salem and Philadelphia have special historical haunted ghost tours if you dare.

At www.hauntworld.com/page_2007.htm you can find a list of some of the best Halloween attractions around America. If you'd rather stay local, then check for haunted hayrides, haunted house, corn mazes or walks for ghost hunters in your area.

Perhaps your Halloween party is diminished by fear after all. You're worried about the kids on their trick or treat mission in the dark. You worry that you'll run out of cupcakes at the party. You fear vandals will trash your house with eggs and toilet paper.

haunted house
Take a deep breath and realize that Halloween is statistically no more dangerous than any other night. Be sure your kids carry flashlights, stick together, wear reflective tape and cross together at crosswalks.

Share with them the very real traffic concern and let them know they'll have to take the adults with them if they can't follow your rules. When planning a party, understand that not everything will be perfect and you can't guarantee that everyone will partake in the Halloween fun. You don’t have to go all-out as you would on Thanksgiving, but adding some sustenance along with all that Halloween candy is a great idea.