I know several young adults who look back at their childhood years with nostalgia, missing the crisp Autumn day of October 31^st, when witches, princesses, Power Rangers, and sheet ghosts roamed the streets of neighborhoods in search of all the candy one could obtain within a few hours. I look back on my own childhood wishing I could relive some of the greatest nights of my life…or so I thought at the time. Either way, it was always fun getting dressed up in a costume I had planned for months and pretending to be someone else for the night. Many of us wish we could raid a neighborhood for free candy still. I’m here to grant your wish. Well, sort of.

1. Steal a kid for the night!

You could contact one of your family members or friends with a child. The younger they are, the better. If you sneak all of the good candy out of the bag, they will never know the difference. Even so, if you take a child trick-or-treating, you get to dress up, and you’ll likely to able to sneak some candy from some of the neighbors. Sure, it isn’t fully like our childhoods, but at least it’s something!

2. Take the dog trick-or-treating!

If you don’t have a dog, you could borrow one for the night from either a friend or go to your local Humane Society and have a dog sleepover. Take the dog out for some people experience. The pup is sure to enjoy all the love it’ll get from all the sugared-up kids on the street, and you can still go from house to house in search of dog treats! Maybe it doesn’t include all of the candy you wanted, but who needs cavities anyway? Dental bills are not cheap!

3. Buy the candy and go into a sugar coma!

You could do as many adults do, and buy all the candy you could ever want when it goes on sale on November 1^st. Get to the stores early so that you aren’t stuck with the dud candy though! Don’t want to miss out on saying Trick-or-Treat? Go ahead and say it to the cashier when they ring up your total!

4. Switch up your Halloween plan!

You could sign up for a local Trunk-or-Treat! This gives you the chance to dress up not only yourself but your car too! You can hand out candy to all the kids that are trick-or-treating, and you can save all the leftovers for yourself! Don’t have a car? Get creative! Sign-up your bike, and go with an “E.T.” theme!

5. BOO your neighbors!

No, but literally. Create some little treat bags filled with some candy, and deliver them to your neighbors. Print up some fliers that say “You got BOO-ed” and encourage your neighbors to pass it on! Eventually, a little treat bag will end up on your doorstep, surely lifting your spooky spirits!

6. Brew something up in your cauldron!

Get together a group of your friends for a Halloween Shot Swap! Have everyone brew up a festive shot for the event. When the night starts, you can swap your ghoulish shots and see who ends up Monster Mashing first! Don't forget to dress up, too! Need recipes for this? Check out these awesome ideas at: https://breadboozebacon.com/25-halloween-jello-shots-recipes/

7. Get a little BOO-zy!

Pun intended. Maybe shots aren’t your favorite, or maybe you have a neighborhood or apartment complex with folks that can’t necessarily stop what they’re doing for the night. Deliver fliers out prior to Halloween Night, and have everyone mix up some toil and trouble for the adults, even if you are taking some of the kids out for candy. Go door to door collecting some festive Halloween mixed drinks! Trick-or-Treat yo’self to some adult beverages for the night.

Remember that if you decide to taste the spirits this Halloween, please drink responsibly! Don't drink and fly (or drive), and make sure that you're obeying your local laws!