Halloween is only a couple days after my birthday, and as a kid, I really loved that. It almost felt like all my neighbors were giving me gifts, I just had to walk around to get it. But as I got older, Halloween became less and less fun. My parents had a rule where I needed to stop trick-or-treating at 13, and so for a few years, all I did on Halloween was homework. My friends would throw parties where there was drinking, and it wasn’t something that I was interested in attending. So in my teenage years, I worked at a local gas station every Halloween night.
Then when I had my son, a switch flipped in my mind. I was only 22. And in years that were now quickly approaching, I was going to need to take a little one trick-or-treating. And the child we just had, God willing, will not be our last. That meant I was staring directly down the barrel of potentially 20 years before I could have a Halloween bash with friends. It felt important, even though in the grand scheme of things this was not a serious issue.
Still, I contacted my best friend with a pinterest board and a dream. I had not drank since before my pregnancy, and I was ready to have a party people would remember. We decided the best way to get people to socialize with each other and also incorporate our love for food and drink was to host a murder mystery party. We set out to find a pre-made set that would help us in the story, characters, and setting. When it came down to it, we found that the 1920s was a tried and true party theme for college age kids like ourselves.
Feathers, pearl strings, and candles were deliberately placed all around our home, perfectly curating the ambiance that we had been looking to recreate. We spent two days decorating and beginning food – we made pulled pork, pasta salad, and multiple charcuterie boards in order to make sure everyone was fed. We had spiked punch and cider and a champagne tower, everything was exactly the way I had hoped it would turn out. We had almost ten people sprinting around, trying to make sure everything that we had planned was ready for when guests arrive. An hour before people were expected to walk through the door, we stopped prepping the room, and started preparing ourselves.
The new home my husband and I bought is actually a very good place for multiple people to get ready. We have more mirrors than I remembered owning, which meant there were lots of places for people to look for costume adjustments and complete their makeup. As people showed up, we had one of our most outgoing people there to greet them and get them into the spirit.
People were eating, drinking, and ferociously accusing one another of murdering my husband. It. Was. Awesome. I had pumped a fair amount and froze it over the month so I was able to drink to the point of hilarity and pump and dump before bed and in the morning. After lots of finger pointing and evidence reviewing, we found my friend guilty of murder, and all had a good laugh. After a cigar on the deck, goodbyes were said to some while others did some cleaning before retiring for the night in our guest room, couch, and floor.
I’m so grateful to the people who were willing to chip in to make this night so memorable for me. I really couldn’t believe how well it went, how everyone worked together to make sure the food was ready, the rooms were beautiful, and slipped into character so easily. This past Halloween is one I reflect on the rest of my life, and will gleefully tell my kids about.