Great Pumpkin Day is the last day of each month. Think of it as a little mini-Halloween every month. Great Pumpkin Day can be used to prepare for Halloween (make crafts, party planning, working on costumes, or other endeavors) but always be sure to add a bit of FUN to your Great Pumpkin Day…..maybe by listening to some spooky music or wearing your Halloween socks!
There are four pages under Great Pumpkin Day here at Magical Holiday Home. First we have this page: Great Pumpkin Day which will feature tips and ideas for each Great Pumpkin Day of the year!. Then we have Boo Bash Planning. That page will devoted to Halloween party planning and will feature a rundown of my Boo Bash plans and ideas along with other ideas and links for party planning. Third we have the Haunted Recipes page which will feature an autumn recipe each month for GPD. Some of these will be great for Halloween parties and some will be for general menu planning. Fourth we have The Great Pumpkin Day Book & Movie Club page. This is a page listing the books and movies that have been selected by MHH members for GPD. Many members also post about these books and movies in threads at our forums! I hope you enjoy our Great Pumpkin Day pages and find lots of ideas for a SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN!!!
Monthly Lists
January:
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It’s Haunted Plans month. This is the month to declutter and get your Autumn/Halloween notebook ready for a new year! Print out planner pages or organize your tear files. With Halloween followed quickly by Thanksgiving and Christmas sometimes the notebook/planner gets neglected. This is the month to get it in order and ready for a haunting new year!
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Great Pumpkin Day List: Time to plan the year. Find some cute autumn paper and create a GPD list with some ideas to try each month. Use the ones listed here at Magical Holiday Home or create your own custom list.
February:
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It’s Crafty Kits Month: It’s time to create some kits that you can work on during the year and when autumn rolls around. Use gallon sized zip lock bags and place directions and all materials inside them to create your own hauntingly organized crafts! I suggest checking out the Halloween Countdown and gathering supplies for the weekly craft featured there or designate your own favorites to use during the countdown.
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Great Pumpkin Day tote, basket, or bag: Take a little time to organize your materials for GPD. Place your notebook, recipes to try, Halloween mug, crafty kits and whatever else you might need into a tote, bag, or even a drawer. Keeping all your supplies together will make getting things accomplished on GPD a ghostly adventure!
March:
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It’s Books & Movies Month: Time to organize and inventory all those great Halloween books and movies. Perhaps take a few minutes to browse online and select a couple to add to your collection. Where are your books stored? Can you find a nice brown or orange basket so that you are ready to display them during October?
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Browsing Time: This month take some time to browse online. Get some ideas for costumes, parties, and classroom treats. Bookmark them or jot them down in your notebook. There’s no need to make any decisions just relax and enjoy looking!
April:
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It’s Recipe Month: Time to gather recipes, organize them in a notebook, folder, or card file. Declutter and get rid of recipes that no longer sound appealing or you have had for a long time but have never tried. Make a section for favorites and a section for those you want to try out! Plan to try one or two before May Great Pumpkin Day arrives!
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Theme Time: Are you planning to host a party? Do you want to create a haunted house or witches kitchen for the trick or treaters? This is the month to think about themes. Will your yard look like a graveyard or a ghostly swamp? Take some time this month to gather “theme ideas”.
May:
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It’s Party Planning Month: Yes it’s early but planning a party can take some time, especially since we are going to be looking for items to use as props, creating some of the decor, and other things to save money and make your celebration one of a kind. Get out some planner sheets and let’s start! Make a decision about a theme & tentative date, and start a guest list. Think about whether it will be inside or outside and what your available area is like. Start making a list of possible props and decor.
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Design party flyers or decide on a card design for invitations. Buy materials for making your invitations.
June:
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It’s Costume Planning Month: This is the time to get costume ideas and materials in place. It’s early but you will be glad you have things ready when the busy fall days arrive! Look at patterns, browse thrift shops, and get a clear plan in place. Remember: costumes can be simple and thrifty with a little imagination!
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Props and Party Decor Time: Last month you made some decisions about theme and jotted down your ideas. Now is the time to start actively looking gor items. Flea markets, garage sales, and resale shops are treasure troves for holiday decor and items that can be used as party props. From now until party time be on the look out for items. Get a big box and put it into the garage for storing your “finds”.
July:
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It’s Menu Planning Month: This month it’s time to look at those recipes you organized back in April. Let’s create fall menus. These can be used for a Boo Bash, autumn patio parties, or just quiet family evenings enjoying the fall weather. There are lots of ways to menu plan: Use a blank calendar for the months, use cards, or type up menu plans and put them in your autumn notebook. Whichever method you prefer, put together some autumn menus using old favorites and new recipes to try. Make sure you jot down the recipe location.
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Crafts: Remember those crafty kits from February. How are they coming along? Now is the time to get busy and finish them so you can enjoy them in October!
August:
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It’s Boo Month: If you are doing any “booing” this is the month to get your plans pulled together and your “boos” ready to give….October 1st is a good time to start booing so be ready! Gather little treat bags and small gifts. Create the Boo signs…and you are set for a month of Boos!! Check out the Halloween Hauntings page here at MHH for a Boo poem and other haunted ideas!
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It’s Treats and Candy Time: Soon after school supplies arrive in stores, Halloween starts appearing also. Now is the time to start buying a bag of candy a week for school parties, trick or treaters, or other holiday needs. By spreading the cost out over time, the budget isn’t thrown into shock. Also be on the look out for small items to give out as prizes, treats, or for your child’s classmates!
September:
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It’s Halloween Countdown Month: It’s time to start the Halloween Countdown with tips, books, and craft ideas!
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Address and mail invitations if you are hosting a party.
October:
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It’s Haunted Happenings Month: Celebrate and enjoy this “haunted day”.
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Pack it Up: From Halloween to November Great Pumpkin Day (November 30th) pack up your Halloween decor, store costumes, and organize items so you can locate them easily next fall.
November:
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It’s Change Focus Month: By November 30th, Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is utmost in everyone’s mind so November is a low key month for GPD. It’s time to focus on Christmas!
December:
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Make a List Month: The busy holidays are over and it’s New Years Eve! December 31st Great Pumpkin Day! The perfect time for making a list! Make a list of any items you would like to get for your next Halloween. This might include books, movies, props. costumes, or general party needs. Make a list of things you want to remember to do/not do next time. Place it in your Halloween/Autumn notebook.
Don’t forget to check out Cranberry & Co. for all the latest and greatest autumn related crafts, recipes, stories, and ideas for celebrating!
