21 SIMPLE and NON-CONFORMING ways to celebrate Halloween

You don’t have to be a child going trick-or-treating in order to celebrate Halloween. You don’t have to dress up and you don’t even have to go out. It’s annoying to feel the pressure of participating in these modern rituals such as getting a costume, decorating, trick-or-treating, going out to a party or bar hopping, etc. And sometimes you just don’t have the time or money to engage in the holiday.

Below, is a list of simple and non-conforming ways to celebrate Halloween. If you are sick of all the pumpkins, scary movie marathons, haunted houses, and all that other cliché stuff, then this list is for you. Each one is very basic and easy to do.

1. Add garlic to your dinner – keep the vampires away.
2. Watch a scary film – not your typical horror movie, but about something that scares you personally (like a documentary about insects.)
3. Play a prank on someone and then “blame it on the fairies.” This is a real, ancient Halloween tradition.
4. The night before Halloween, give someone you dislike a cabbage stump. This is a real, old Scottish tradition.
5. Rub chalk on someone’s back and yell “Halloween!” This is a real, old Canadian tradition.
6. Eat a kale salad or make kale chips — kale is connected to many ancient Halloween traditions.
7. Get a tarot reading done, or simply look up your horoscope. The veil is at its thinnest!
8. Burn sage.
9. Make pancakes — an Irish tradition on All Souls’ Day. (Bonus points if you make them from scratch.)
10. Pause and take a moment to think about your loved ones who have passed, and feel grateful for knowing them.
11. Leave a plate of food out at night for the dead. (Another old tradition.)
12. Bake soul cakes — an All Hallow’s Eve tradition.
13. Search for a black cat and pet it for good luck. (The pet store or adoption center counts.)
14. Easy craft: Pour red fruit juice into a glass jar and label it “Vampire Blood.” (Optional: embellish with stickers.)
15. Listen to a murder mystery podcast.
16. Drink vampire wine.
17. Light a candle.
18. Go to sleep under a white blanket and call yourself a ghost.
19. Drink mugwort tea or yarrow tea — herbs that are connected to divination.
20. Another easy craft: make a mask by taking a paper bag, cutting two holes for the eyes, and decorating it with markers, stickers, and glitter.
21. Ask a question and flip a coin. Heads means “yes,” tails means “no.”