OK, let's face it, you wouldn't let your little one go door to door begging strangers for food any other day of the year, you wouldn't even let them talk to those same strangers in the mall or on the playground. Why would you want to send them out on their own, or even supervised, to demand treats, “or else”.
For various reasons, we have decided not to celebrate the eve of All Saints Day, as is widely accepted by the general population. This poses a problem as the parents of young children growing up in the information age. “Why can't we dress up for Halloween Mommy? Why can't we go trick-or-treating?” “Because we are having a party! That's why!”
A friend of ours told us about the “Tacky Party” a few years ago, and the kids look forward to this tradition every year. Whether you host the party on October 31st or April 1st it is sure to be a hit.
The Invitations
This is a tacky party, so don't spend too much on your invitations. In fact something just typed up on the computer will work just fine. Make sure your guests know your theme, tell them to dress tacky and bring a tacky treat to share. (Using an old invitation with crossed out information and your own information inserted is pretty tacky).
The Set-Up
To get ready for this party you can go all out, or do very little. Do what you feel would be unacceptable before having guests. Here are some suggestions for decorating for your party.
- Put a toilet on your front porch as a flower pot. (You can pick one up a Goodwill or St.Vincent De Paul)
- Sweep the floor and leave the pile and the broom in a corner
- Hang a clothes line in the living room with a few articles of clothing
- Clip a steel wool around the bathroom sink, this looks a lot like razor droppings
- Fill a few diapers with water and yellow food coloring and hide them around the house, (avocado turns a really yucky color and has a lumpy consistency)
- Put out napkins from the various fast food restaurants you have visited, they might even give you a few plates, forks and spoons too
- Fill a new all-purpose bucket from Home Depot with lemon-aide (makes a nice punch bowl)
- Get some trophies from a thrift store and put tape over the names, these will be given to the winners of one of the various contests you will make up as you go along
These are just a few things, use your imagination, I am sure you can come up with some great preparations on your own.
The Food
The food is a very fun part, but can be very challenging. “Dog food” is a very popular treat, it tastes good and you can find a really good recipe for it on the internet. Kitty litter cake is a good one and so is dirt pudding (you can find these recipes on the net too). Baking cookies and cutting a bite out of many of them is fun, so is serving a cake that looks like it has been dropped and put back on the plate. This is always my favorite part of the party.
Have Fun!!!
Wear something you would never wear in public; I cleaned and decorated the house and didn't bother to change my clothes afterward. Some people have worn their loudest Hawaiian shirts; some just don their sweat pants with a nice sweater and flip flops. The tacky possibilities are endless. Have fun with it; enjoy the laidback environment it creates. I do have to say that some of the tackiness is wasted on small children, they really don't get it, but it is a chance to get together with some of your adult friends with your children and everyone is sure to be entertained!
