Halloween is a night where you can dress up as anyone or anything you want to be. People dress as princesses, ghosts, ghouls, superheroes, and anything they can think of. For Annie Alvo (12) halloween is more than just a holiday, it’s a tradition. Every year she hosts her halloween party for her closest friends.
“Every year I have a Halloween party with all of my friends, so I had to finish my last high school year with a party. My hope for the party is that everyone dresses up, has a good time, and enjoys the memories and laughter,” Alvo said.
To make an amazing halloween party it’s all about the preparations and the desired atmosphere. Alvo’s house was transformed into a great halloween experience with colored lights and spooky details. When asked about the decoration process, Alvo shared how her family plays an important role with that.
“On behalf of the decorations, my family decorates for Halloween every year so there is not too much work that needs to be done. We have blue lights, floating candles, pumpkins, dark lighting, purple and red lights, and many more spooky decor,” Alvo said.
Costumes are another highlight to the Halloween experience. Each year guests and people dress up to show their creative and bold outfits. This year, Alvo’s costume was special but not just for her.
“My favorite costume was Jasmine and Aladdin because it was Peyton, my boyfriend, and I’s costume. We really wanted to get in character and find a couples costume that we could recreate. I had blue flowy pants, a gold top, lots of jewels and gold coins, and golden accessories. Peyton wore baggy beige pants and a purple vest,” Alvo said.
Besides the costumes and decoration, every party has their own way of keeping their guests entertained. Alvo has prepared a special activity her guests could do throughout the night. The most anticipated tradition is her yearly murder mystery dinner game.
“Every year we play a murder dinner game. This year we played murder in the storybook. Basically there’s a murder and a storyteller, the murder will choose who dies and the storyteller explains the death. Before the game began, everyone wrote down an ultra specific death. Once someone is killed off they read a randomly selected death. We also play charades which gets very very rowdy and intense. I have a game called death charades and you can only use body movements and noises to recreate the death. Death charades is with a group of people acting it out at once. We also watched a scary movie before everyone went home,” Alvo said.
Keeping everyone excited is sometimes hard. Alvo’s tip is to find guests that are easily pleased. Also, Alvo says the best part about the party is not just about how long it took to finish the decorations, games, or costumes, but it’s the support she receives along the way.
“I am most proud of my family for helping me with the planning and helping get everything set up,” Alvo said.
As the night came to an end, one thing became clear – Alvo’s final highschool halloween party was more than just a celebration. It was a memory Alvo and her friends will remember.
