Halloween is right around the corner and if you plan on hosting a ghoulish get together, a spooky soiree, keep it simple!  Here are six tips to hosting a Halloween party that won’t leave you or your guests feeling any of those scary side effects.

#1 Cast a Spell on Your Home 

Before the party, cast a spell on your home with handmade Halloween decorations that will bring your Halloween party to life. If your home is short on actual ghosts to provide haunting background music, create a Halloween themed playlist. Be sure to include classics like “Monster Mash” and “Ghostbusters.”

#2 Ditch the Candy

If you find yourself grabbing for the candy cauldron long before the trick-or-treaters show up to your doorstep, consider ditching the candy all together and swapping it for non-food items like Halloween themed pens, pencils, spider rings and stickers. If you want to have a few favorites for your party guests, consider recreating some classic Halloween candy and treats.

#3 Serve Spooky Sweet Treats

Bake up a batch of spooky sweet treats that guests will die for, not literally of course! Here are some spooky sweet recipes:

Candy Halloween Brownie Bars
Protein Pumpkin Brownies
Pumpkin Spice Latte Mini Pumpkins
Spider Web Pumpkin Cupcakes 

#4 Make Monster Munchies

It’s the season for tricks (and treats), so get creative with your party food. With little to no effort, ordinary snacks can transform into extra special treats like Apple Monster Mouths or Tangerine Pumpkins and Banana Ghosts. Serving a vegetable tray? Harness the Halloween spirit and design a vegetable pumpkin or skeleton. If you plan on making a homemade dip like Paleo Pumpkin Hummus,Pumpkin Spice Spread or Roasted Jalapeno Avocado Salsa, place it in a small hollowed out pumpkin or carve a face in a bell pepper and use the jack-o-lantern pepper as your serving bowl.

#5 Keep It Simple 

When planning a better-for-you Halloween party, keep food simple so ghosts and ghouls can easily meet, mingle and show off their Halloween costumes. Serve dishes that are easy to enjoy and aren’t too messy like:

Jalapeno Poppers 
Halloween Mummy Bites
Pumpkin Pizza
Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Bites

#6 Get Your Game On 

Set up some classic games for guests to play and put together an array of Halloween treats for winners to take home as prizes. Be sure to include some of your favorite soft baked cookies and crunchy cookies to complete the winning prize packs. 

Hosting a Halloween party doesn’t have to be a scary ordeal, keep it festive and simple with these six party planning tips.