Halloween is right around the corner and this is a great Halloween party recipe for kids and adults alike. Wrap up your favorite brand of hot dogs in true Halloween mummy fashion! These are cute and very fun to make and serve.

Source: Pillsbury.com

Ingredients

• 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls OR 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
• 2 1/2 slices American cheese, quartered (2.5 oz)
• 10 hot dogs
• Cooking spray
• Mustard or ketchup as desired

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.
3. With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese, cut in half).
4. Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like “bandages,” stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate “bandages” so hot dog shows through for “face.” On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray.
5. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on “face.”

Try a mini version with cocktail sausages.

There is music for every holiday season and Halloween is no exception. Here are the lyrics to some of our favorite and most enduring Halloween classics.

Five Little Pumpkins Nursery Rhyme

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, “oh my it’s getting late.”
The second one said, “there are witches in the air.”
The third one said, “but we don’t care!”
The fourth one said, “let’s run and run and run.”
The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!”
OOOhh OOOhh went the wind
and out went the lights
and the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight

Pumpkin song for the very young

Just sing this to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Pumpkin pumpkin on the ground
How’d you get so big and round
Planted as a seed so small
Now you are a great big ball
Pumpkin pumpkin on the ground
How’d you get so big and round

Monster Mash

GHOSTBUSTERS

This is a very fun, creative and quite easy Halloween craft.

Making shrunken heads from apples is actually an early American tradition that started when early settlers made dolls using apples for the heads. They did this by carving a face on an apple and then drying it. Now of course, they are used for movies, videos, haunted houses and Halloween decorations. By soaking a carved apple in a solution of water, lemon and salt, the salt will draw moisture out of the apple once it has be removed from the soaking bath and the lemon will help keep the color of the shrunken apple head light and fairly uniform.

Quick tips:

1. Select an apple that is fairly round and as large as possible. Apples shrink significantly in size as they dry, so the bigger the apple you start with, the better.
2. Your carved apple head will also take up to two weeks to to dry so be sure to begin this project in plenty of time for Halloween.
3. The best way to dry your apple is to hang it from a string. Try not to hang it directly in front of a window that receives a lot of sunshine; the warmth and brightness can encourage rot. You also want to avoid very moist areas, such as the kitchen sink or near the washing machine in the utility room. If you can hang them in a cool dark garage, that is ideal.

Be as simple or as detailed when carving your apple head as you wish and have fun with this great Halloween craft project!

Ingredients

1 (or more) large-size, fairly round apple(s)
Bowl of water
2 tbsp. salt
2 lemon wedges
Vegetable peeler
Small knife for carving
Whole cloves if desired
Kite string or other heavy string

Directions

1. Prepare your water about 15 minutes before you are ready to dip your apple(s). Do this by filling a large deep bowl with about four cups of cool water. Pour in the salt and then squeeze juice from the lemon wedges into the bowl. Stir for several seconds so that the salt will begin to dissolve into the water and the fresh lemon juice will blend.
2. Peel the apple with your vegetable peeler; leave the stem on if desired (it will not affect the drying process). Coring your apple isn’t necessary for drying, but if you wish, you can create a longer, more drawn “face” by coring. (Non-cored apples will end up more round or square in shape.)
3. Begin carving a face into the apple. You will be carving inward around the most prominent facial feature—the nose. The eyes should be sunken into the apple. Don’t worry about details at this point; just exaggerate whatever features you’d like to stand out on your finished project. For deeply-set eyes, make sure the eyebrow ridge stands out fairly far, and place a clove in the center of each to make a dent once the head is dry. Make sure that you cut deep. When the apple shrivels up you will lose some of the definition in your cut so make sure to cut everything a bit bigger/deeper than you think it should be.
4. When you are done carving, soak your apple in the prepared water. Let it sit for a minimum of 10 minutes or longer if you live in a high humidity area. Spin the apple a few times as it soaks.
5. Add some white rice for teeth (just push it into the apple and the apple will shrink around it to keep it in place.)
6. Hang your apple up to dry using kite string or other heavy duty kitchen string.

Once your shrunken apple head is dry (in about two weeks) you can begin to really have fun with it. You can display it as is or add some very fun details. Glue some large grains of rice in the mouth for teeth if the original ones fell out during the dying process. Make them jagged and scary looking! Or you can glue some strands of pet hair on the top for that scary old man look.

Have fun!

Halloween is the time of year when small children (and the rest of us!) dress up in fanciful costumes and embark on social activities such as trick-or-treating, costume parties, bonfires, bobbing for apples, heading to the fruit stand or a pumpkin field to choose pumpkins for carving, visiting haunted houses and corn mazes, playing Halloween pranks and watching their favorite Halloween scary movies or cartoons.

Halloween costumes are traditionally modeled after supernatural figures such as monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Over time, the costume selection extended to include popular characters from fiction, celebrities, and generic archetypes such as ninjas and princesses.

Here are some fun and sometimes silly facts about Halloween. Early traditions that are believed to be the precursors to Halloween include:

• The Celtic tradition of giving thanks at the close of the harvest season.
• The European tradition of lighting candles and masquerading in costume to scare evil spirits away
• The Irish custom where wealthy landowners would give food to the poor in hopes that the ghosts would look favorably on them and spare them from mischief.
• In Scotland and Ireland trick-or-treating began as “guising” where children disguised in costume going from door to door for food or coins — is a traditional Halloween custom, and is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895 where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money.
• The practice of “guising”at Halloween in North America was first recorded in 1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children going “guising” around the neighborhood.

Did You Know That

• Halloween was formerly known as All Hallow’s Eve?
• The name “Halloween” comes from Scotland and the Celtic Feast of the Sun which marked the end of summer was known as “Hallowe’en.”
• The Celtics would carry a lantern when they walked on the eve of October 31st?
• The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1930s when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States.
• The telling of ghost stories and viewing of horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series and Halloween-themed specials (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before the holiday, while new horror films are often released theatrically before the holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere.

Jack -O-Lantern Trivia

• The “jack-o-lantern” gets that name from a mean old man named Jack who was too mean even to get into hell. The Devil gave him a piece of burning coal and sent him away. Jack used a turnip to hold the burning coal and serve as a lantern.
• The first “jack-o-lanterns” were carved with faces to scare evil spirits away. They used turnips not pumpkins for those original jack-o-lanterns.

Do you have Halloween traditions that are not listed here? We would love to hear of them!

Halloween is nigh! And what an opportunity to use your creativity and imagination to create your very own Halloween costume. You can even make it a family affair by sitting down with pen and paper, designing your ideal costume and then going on a “scavenger” hunt through boxes, attics and second-hands stores to find the perfect Halloween props.

As it is just barely September, you have plenty of time to get your idea’s down on paper in and imprinted on your mind. Grab a large box to store your finds as you poke around through boxes, cupboards, the back of closets, yard sales and Goodwill!

If this is a family activity, don’t turn up your nose at something that won’t work for your costume, but may well be perfect for somebody else’s. At this stage, just pick up everything that catches your eye. You never know… you may want to change your costume to something else entirely as Halloween gets closer. That is the fun of collecting all of these bits and pieces!

So where do you find these treasures?

• Attics
• Basements
• Garage
• Boxes and trunks
• Closets
• Drawers
• Family members – think Grandma if you are going for a vintage look!
• Garage sales
• Good Will and Salvation Army

Have fun with it!  You can even make some great Halloween decorations doing this.

Each year as Halloween approaches, we create a life size witch who sits very placidly on a bench in the front courtyard. The only three items that had to be purchased were a scary latex witches mask (full mask with hair and all!), a cane that we purchased for $1 at a garage sale and of course, the pointed witches hat that you can get at any dollar store.

The witch is made up of the following items that were found in the back of my closet and in other places around the house.

1. Floor length black skirt that was going to be sent to Goodwill.
2. Long sleeved black tunic top that was also going to Goodwill.
3. A discarded pair of black ladies high heeled boots. Long since out of fashion, but perfect for our witch!
4. A pair of life size rubber hands that we found at a garage sale. They were apparently part of a CPR training dummy and are quite life-like!
5. 3 old pillows to make up the body.
6. A small flash light to put inside the mask at night to light up her eyes. We taped a piece of red construction paper behind her eyes to make her glow! Quite scary.

We then sit her on the bench and surround her with pumpkins, a cow skull (found in a field) some dried flowers and just about anything else comes to hand.

Then…

On Halloween, I dress up exactly like her, take her place and rise up to offer candy to the neighborhood children.

Halloween is nigh…

The history of Halloween may be rooted in fear and scaring away the evil doers with tricks, but these days that is not how we celebrate it. In modern times, it is about having a little fright, a little candy, and a LOT of fun. Keeping it that way is everyone’s responsibility so let’s take a look at how to stay safe while having fun during Halloween:

Trick-or-treat during daylight hours – Nighttime is scarier but it is also a time of greater safety risk. If you have small children, start your journey around the neighborhood well before dark. This ensures that you will be on the home stretch as the sun goes down.

Drive the route – If kids want to go out after dark, chauffeur them around in your car from house to house. Small legs won’t get tired and you can keep tabs better.

Examine all candy first – Before the first piece is eaten, inspect all wrappers for pin holes and any candy that is half wrapped or not wrapped at all. Discard any candy that looks homemade unless you got it from someone you know well.

Stay on the doorstep – When kids go out in groups, remind them not to step any further into the home than the front step. Even friendly looking neighbors may be strangers and precautions need to be taken. You can not be sure your friendly neighbor is the one home to answer the door.

Carry flashlights – Kids and teens that go out at night should be aware of possible dangers such as obstacles in yards and potholes in streets. Stick to the sidewalks, but if you do have to cross the grass, use a flashlight to guide you away from potential hazards.

Use good judgment – When out with a group of friends, the goal is safety and fun. If they want to egg people’s cars and homes, toilet paper trees, or any other mischief, don’t go along with them.  Parents and kids should talk this through before the big night so you already have a plan in place to resist peer pressure.

Stick to sidewalks – Even in your neighborhood, sidewalks is safer than walking in the road. Take a route where you face traffic so you can get out of the way of oncoming cars. 

Use lights for pumpkins – It is eerie to use a candle but they can fall over and catch something on fire. Especially for parties, use flickering battery-operated bulbs for jack-o-lanterns and window illumination.

Wear costumes with full movement and vision – Oh, I know those masks are cute, but if they obstruct your child’s peripheral vision, don’t let them wear it.  The same goes for tight dresses that restrict walking.  If your child is in danger of tripping or not seeing oncoming traffic, choose a different costume.

Wear light colored costumes – Choose a costume with glitter, sparkle, and light colors for trick-or-treating.  You may even want to attach some reflective tape to your child’s costume.  You may be watching for cars and assume the car coming sees you because you see it.  That’s an assumption that can not and should not be made.

As you prepare for Halloween, remember that staying safe is the first priority.  Once you’re safe, you can start having fun!

Halloween is just around the corner! Kids like to have fun, and what could be more fun than a Halloween party? If you want to have an entertaining Halloween party without too much sweat and toil, make sure that there are plenty of activities for your child and their friends to enjoy. Here are a few games you might want to include on your list of activities to hear roars of laughter from your kids:

Bobbing for Apples – This was great when you were a kid, and is still a favorite. Find a large metal wash tub and fill it with cold water. Add crisp, pretty apples. Each kid takes a turn bobbing his or her face into the wash tub, hoping to bite into, and bring up, an apple.

Pumpkin Carving – Kids love competition. Provide each child with a small pumpkin and a safe carving kit. Pick themes or let their imaginations drive their creations.  Give prizes for different categories (scariest, prettiest, most unusual) and be sure everyone gets a prize of some sort. Operation Letters to Santa’s Halloween section has plenty of Halloween Stationery and Halloween Certificates that you can print from your computer and personalize with your own name!

Mask Mania – Use construction paper or pre-made mask shapes. Provide paint and plenty of embellishments so each child can create a fanciful mask. Offer prizes for several categories, ensuring that each child walks away with some sort of recognition.

Haunted Hayride – If you have the space and the equipment, this is a very fun party. Hitch a trailer to a truck. Fill the trailer with hay bales for the kids to sit on and carry them through the field while someone tells ghost stories. See who can tell the scariest story. This is also a great idea for small, scattered neighborhoods where walking between them may be a little dangerous because of the roads. It allows the parents and the children to all be together in one group and is a lot of fun for everybody!

Trivia Games – What’s your favorite scary movie? Come up with challenging questions about everyone’s favorite movie and see who can get the most answered correctly, for prizes, of course.

Scavenger Hunt – Use your own backyard or even your house, basement, or garage to set up the hunt. Divide kids into teams and provide ghastly clues to each piece of the puzzle that leads to  the largest treasure.

Haunted House – Halloween is all about being scared, right? Create a haunted house in your backyard, garage, or basement in the form of a maze. You get to laugh at all the screams you hear as they make their way from spooky beginning to frightening end.

Dance-a-Thon – Let’s see who can dance the longest to a non-stop reverie of new and old haunted Halloween songs. Even see who can perform the classic dances like “Monster Mash” like a pro. Those who dance the longest win a prize.

Who says that Halloween has to be all about trick-or-treating? You can host a party for your kids and have a spooky great time.

Visit us at Operation Letters to Santa for almost 1000 pages of Holiday Activities, Christmas Carols, Christmas Sheet Music, Holiday recipes, Free gifts and downloads and so much more!