How to Set Up a Trunk or Treat Without Losing Your Mind
Trick (or treat) out your ride
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On the calendar, Halloween takes place on Oct. 31st, but as any parent—or spooky season enthusiast—knows, it’s really a whole month. There are costumes to make, candy to buy (and re-buy, once you’ve accidentally snacked through the bag), pumpkins to carve (or decoupage), parades to attend. It’s fun! So much fun! But then it’s two days before the trunk-or-treat you signed up for, and you’re scrolling Pinterest, locked in a tyranny of choice. Do you stick to a theme? How extreme should you go? And how did some basic decorations suddenly add up to a car payment?!
I’ve been participating in trunk or treats—aka outdoor parties where a bunch of parents or people in your community take over a parking lot, decorating the backs of their cars and letting kids trick or treat from trunk to trunk, collecting candy—for the past six years. And over time, I’ve learned a few keys to decorating a fun trunk or treat, without costing a small fortune or having you pull an all-nighter to papier mâché a replica of Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. (Though if you do, can you send me a pic?) Here’s the formula to follow.
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Not sure what theme you want to try? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Candace Davison
VP of editorial content
- Oversees home, food and commerce articles
- Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
- Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business
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