First of all I believe to throw a great party, one needs to have time and ideas. I am throwing my 12yr. old a halloween party this Saturday. I have been planning her party since August. Basically all of my Halloween decorations will be around after the party since Halloween will be coming soon. 1) Decorate the yard-I made a witch crash site which I hung up on my palm tree which is near the party tables. I made a circle of ghosts around a tree-6 dowels, 6 white small trash bags, 6 white sheets(best to get them at the thrift store like Salvation Army), newspaper, masking tape, string and of course black permanent marker. Fill the trash bags with crumpled newspaper push one dowel into the bag wrap with masking tape around the neck, drape sheet over each head and tie with string. Push dowel into the earth about a foot apart from each ghost, last knot the corners of the sheet together as if the ghosts were holding hands. I also decorated my porch with black & orange crepe paper, hung a ghost balloon head on each side. Note: To make a ghost head, you will need butcher string coated in glue, blow up a balloon, hang the balloon on a skirt hanger which can hold two balloons, wrap the butcher string around the balloon in all sorts of directions. Let the balloon dry for 24 hours, pop the balloon and you will have a nice form head remove any dried up glue that is in between spaces, with black and white felt make eyes and a mouth and glue to head. Hang with white string. I also decorated pumpkings and placed them on my porch. I made a skeleton using milk jugs which I have hanging in front of my driveway. I made luminarias out of orange paper bags and cut out eyes and mouths, they look very spooky at night. I also decorated my gate with spiderwebs and glow in the dark spiders. 2)Games: For the games I have Spider relay race-kids crawl like crabs attached to their waist is a belt with two sets of tights filled with fiberfill batting. Mummy wrap-kids partner up one is the mummy the other is the one covering the mummy in toilet paper, the pair that finishes the roll wins. Hot Potato using a spooky prop like a stuffed black cat or ghost. Musical chairs to haunted music, Apple on a string contest- children need to eat the apples with their hands behind their back the one to get the most out of their apple in 3 or 5 minutes(you choose how you want to judge this)wins.3)Food-Yummy! I am going to make Snake Sandwiches using loaves of  French bread I will cut the ends using them for the head and the tail. Cut one end in a split(the mouth)place carrot strips between the mouth now he has fangs with a red pepper make a tongue and place between the fangs also use the red pepper to make little triangles which could be his nostrils, with broccoli florets as eyes a radish cut in a strip to make an eyebrow. I am also going to form a skeleton using cut up vegetables served with a cabbage head filled with dip. For my fruit lovers I am also doing a spider salad which is also nice to take at a classroom halloween party since the kids will mostly be eating sweets. Make a fruit salad place in a champagne glass top with plastic spider wrap in sarowran wrap and tie with black ribbon. Since we are latin people a good pinata is nice to have before the cake and ice cream. The ice cream is also nice since I will make Frozen Witches. Now to throw a great party one needs time and ideas from all sorts of books, the internet whichever you decide but this party foods and decorations came from a great book by Disney Editions Family Fun Tricks and Treats. Have fun and hope all your parties are great.