13 ways to get into the Halloween spirit

Can you feel it? There's a chill in the air, a whistling in the wind. The leaves are changing colors and falling, making for the perfect crunch underfoot, either for a relaxing stroll or a terrified run through the woods. Autumn has come, and with it, spooky season.

Depending on who you are and where you live, it's possible that you've been in the Halloween spirit since July. After all, that's when retailers begin shifting their inventory for the holiday. Personally, I have a shirt that asks "Is it Halloween yet?", which I wear year-round and find is never funnier than on November 1st.

Whether it's a widely accepted time to yearn for Halloween or not, there are plenty of ways to get into the right mindset. Here are thirteen that you can participate in, ranging from ones you can do alone to ones you'll need to gather all your spooky-season-loving friends for.

1. Decorate your house

Although your HOA might protest a 12-foot skeleton being in your yard year-round, most will accept it for at least the month or two leading up to Halloween. But if that's not your style, there are a ton of different ways to decorate to get into the holiday spirit.

If you have your own house with a yard, you can put up string lights, project spooky images onto the garage, hang ghosts from your trees, and scatter ominous gravestones throughout your lot. If that feels like too much work, there are always cotton spiderwebs that you can easily spread over bushes and pin in corners for a more easy-going approach.

Although it gets a bit harder if you don't own a house, that doesn't mean you can't decorate. Many stores have window clings that are easy to apply and remove, and there's a growing availability of Halloween home decor items. Whether you go all-out or just add a few pumpkins and cauldrons to your living space, decorating can be a great way to turn the mundane into something a bit more enchanting.

2. Buy Halloween candy (and then buy it again when you inevitably eat it all)

Your dentist might not appreciate this one, but modern Halloween is inextricably tied to candy. Whether you stock up for the children in your neighborhood or for your own sweet tooth, it can be fun to shop for the jack-o-lantern Reese's cups and popcorn balls that are only available at this time of year.

Of course, the danger of buying candy early is that you might be tempted to treat yourself before the trick-or-treaters get here. That's completely fine. Everybody does it! It just means that you'll need to go shopping again a week or two before Halloween actually comes.

Unfortunately, this can get expensive, since themed candy is often priced higher for its novelty. So don't forget to look for deals when shopping or go to discount and dollar stores that might offer smaller quantities at much better prices. Don't fall into the trap of being "too old" for Halloween candy; just use the wisdom of your years to find a good deal.

3. Learn about the history of Halloween

While Halloween these days is a chance to eat candy, dress up, and enjoy some frights, it has a long history of connection with religious festivals, particularly the Celtic Samhain and the Christian All Saint's Day.

While there's nothing wrong with enjoying Halloween for what it is today, it's fascinating where so many of our modern rituals come from. From carving jack-o-lanterns to dressing up and demanding treats, everything we do now has an explanation from the past.

If you've become a bit cynical about retail holidays and stereotypical depictions of Halloween, exploring the history can be a good way to find something more substantial to celebrate. There's a lot more to it than most people know, which makes it the perfect activity when parties and trick-or-treating starts to feel old hat.

4. Watch a horror series or horror movie marathon

For many people, Halloween is the time of year to get scared, and the classic way to do that is by checking out some of the horror offerings out there. If you're not sure where to start, streaming services always pull together a collection of horror films and series for their Halloween collections, with some even helping you pick a movie by scare level.

If you'd rather come up with a movie marathon yourself, there are a lot of different routes to take. Early horror can be found by searching for the Universal Classic Monsters franchise or Hammer Horror films. More modern offerings can be broken down by sub-genre or series, letting you pick the tropes that terrify you most.

But movies aren't the only way to find horror content. There are plenty of television series that take on the genre as well, to varying degrees of success. While some are truly terrible, there are also standouts like Mike Flanagan's Netflix lineup that use the serial format to its best effect. Bottom line, if you want to be scared, there are more options out there than one person could ever see in one lifetime.

5. Paint or carve pumpkins

A classic past-time for the Halloween season is carving pumpkins, but there are a few different ways to play with that idea. The most obvious is the classic route: pick up a carving pumpkin from the store, cut it open, scoop and scrape out the guts, and carve a spooky or silly face. It's messy, but it's a lot of fun!

However, carved pumpkins have a tendency to mold quickly. If you carve one too early, it'll be little more than a spoiled mess by October 31st, no matter how well you take care of it. Because of that, many people are turning to painting pumpkins instead, since it hits a similar impulse without opening the pumpkin up to decay. It's also much easier to do, since no knives are involved and the paint can be removed if you mess up.

Whether you choose to carve, paint, or go for a more extreme design strategy, pumpkins provide the perfect canvas for creativity. It's the sandcastle of the fall season, allowing participants to spend a lot of time or a little, carve a simple face or create detailed artwork, and express themselves in a way that's not prioritized at other times of the year. So go pick out a pumpkin (or other gourd) and let your imagination run wild!

6. Explore nature

Halloween is the highlight of the fall season, which means that just about any autumnal activity can get you in the Halloween spirit. Luckily, there are a lot of different ways to enjoy it, including several options that won't cost you a penny.

To start with, nature is going through major transformations. It's a good time to take a leisurely drive or walk to enjoy the colorful leaves. If you have the frustrating task of raking up the fallen leaves, consider letting your inner child out to jump into the piles once they're all together. With the right view, just sitting outside can make you feel like it's Halloween season.

For those who want a more intentional activity, look for farms and orchards in your area. Many locations offer pumpkin patches, apple picking, and hayrides. These fall favorites can get you in the right headspace for other Halloween activities. Whether they host fall festivals or offer u-pick harvesting experiences, it's a good way to get in touch with nature and appreciate the changing seasons.

7. Play horror-themed games

One of the great things about the modern game industry is that players have infinitely more options than just classics like Monopoly and Scrabble. That includes some great horror games, which can add a spooky feeling to any gathering.

Some games are based on a specific franchise, like the Funko Scream board game, but I would recommend the more innovative games out there that play with multiple different sides of the horror genre. My personal favorite would have to be Betrayal at House on the Hill, where the players build a creepy house, coming up against various horror tropes and threats before activating one of dozens of possible "haunts." It's got a lot of replayability, which makes it an ideal option for those who want to experience as many hauntings as possible.

If you're looking for something on the cheaper side, some games can use standard cards, like Murder in the Dark, or no supplies at all, like Hide and Shriek. If games are how you connect with people, just do some digging to find plenty of different Halloween-themed options.

8. Throw a costume party

Perhaps the only thing more Halloween-y than candy is costumes, bringing us back to childhood trick-or-treating. It's a lot of fun, presenting the opportunity to pretend to be someone or something else, dress up, and feel like a kid again.

As an adult, it can be harder to get away with dressing up and begging for candy, so costume parties are the next best thing. Whether you decide to pick a theme or allow for a free-for-all, a costume party lets people play around and show off their interests in a light-hearted way.

There are a ton of different contests and games you can play that specifically work off of people's costumes, as well as TikTok trends that work well with costumed guests. Have people stay in character all evening, or put their characters inside a murder mystery. However you want to play it, a costume party lets you enjoy the best of Halloween even when the traditional activities aren't considered age-appropriate anymore.

9. Eat fall favorites

When people think about Halloween foods, they often think about decorations on regular food, with sausages turned into spiders and cakes turned into monsters. If you have a talent for that kind of food design work, it can be a lot of fun to transform ordinary foods into spooky snacks and horrifying hors d'oeuvres.

For those of us who don't have a talent for that kind of cooking, there are more traditional fall flavors that can be added to all sorts of meals. The classic example is pumpkin spice, which is going to be everywhere from Starbucks to glazed donuts, but that's not the only option. Other classic fall flavors include apple cider, hazelnuts, pecans, maple syrup, and caramel.

You can add these flavors to just about any dessert, but they can also be used in savory dishes, with the right balance of seasonings. Because these are such iconic flavors, it's easy to find recipes online for any meal, and the traditional taste can immediately put you in the Halloween spirit.

10. Go somewhere scary

To get your whole body involved in the season, there are experiences that are either scary by nature or have been crafted for exactly that purpose. Most major cities have ghost tours throughout the fall that you can participate in, but a look through local event calendars can give you an idea of even more options.

One booming industry during the Halloween season is horror-themed amusement parks. There have been plenty of these in horror movies, but they do exist in real life. Some of the more famous ones include the Six Flags Fright Fest and Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights, but there are also traveling theme parks that play into all things that go bump in the night.

For a more specific experience, there are plenty of haunted houses to visit, either that have been constructed to scare you or have a documented history of paranormal activity. These can be a lot of fun, but you need to be prepared for them to stick with you long after leaving. Some more somber versions of these explore historical cemeteries, honoring the dead while offering a chance to experience the supernatural if the conditions are right.

11. Introduce Halloween into your wardrobe and/or makeup

Even if you don't have the time to actually participate in Halloween events, you can always use your appearance as a way to get in the right mindset. Clothing is the easiest option, with possibilities ranging from horror-themed graphic tees to more traditional Halloween symbols and aesthetics built into regular outfits.

If you have more of a creative side (or a workplace that lets you go more extreme), you can also use hair and makeup to add to your themed ensemble. Spiderweb eyeliner is a classic this time of year, and the right eye and lip makeup can easily show off your more witchy or vampiric side.

Our outward appearance provides us with the opportunity to tell the world who we are and what we love, and there's no reason that Halloween shouldn't be a part of that! Add a bat-wing shawl to a dress, or quirky socks with classic monsters on them under work pants. Depending on the situation, you can go subtle or dramatic, putting your love for Halloween out there for everyone to see!

12. Make a Halloween playlist

Music has long been one of the most important elements of the horror genre, so why shouldn't it be an important part of your Halloween season too? Most music services have Halloween-themed playlists you can download, or you can make your own based on your interests.

There are the classics, like "Monster Mash" and "Thriller," which you'll see on everybody's lists, but a personalized playlist gives you the opportunity to customize your soundtrack to your preferred music. For those who like instrumentals, horror soundtracks will provide some chilling backtracks for your day.

Adding lyrics gives you even more options. There are childhood favorites, like The Nightmare Before Christmas and "The Purple People Eater," or pop songs that have gained a spooky reputation like "Somebody's Watching Me" and "Disturbia." Musical theatre fans can fill their playlists with horror musicals like Jekyll and Hyde, Sweeney Todd, and The Addams Family. Whatever genre you prefer, you can bet there are some great Halloween classics when you need to add some spooky fun to your day.

14. Watch a childhood Halloween favorite

Although Halloween is often viewed as the time for horror and thrills, that's not necessarily what it represents for everybody. It's also a time to celebrate differences between people, and enjoy the thrill of being childish. This is where nostalgia comes in, providing a path to Halloween past.

There are so many great Halloween episodes and movies for children, which means that you have options when trying to get back to your own inner child. Most streaming services have collections full of TV specials, animated movies, and childhood favorites, along with their horror collections. This gives you the chance to go back to The Suite Life of Zack & Cody's "The Ghost of Suite 613," Casper, Hocus Pocus, and more.

My Halloween traditions include a mix of my favorite horror franchise and my favorite childhood classics, such as the Halloweentown franchise and Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. If you don't feel like watching horror, you can still celebrate the season and get into the right spirit by returning to your old favorites, which are light on the scares but high on nostalgia.

Halloween is a time to enjoy the more macabre elements of life, remember childhood freedoms, and relish in a good scare. No matter what your schedule is or what your hobbies are, there is a way to enjoy the Halloween season all autumn long. These thirteen are just a handful of ideas to set you on the right path to make the most of this spooky season.