Since I was a kid, Halloween has been my most favorite time of the year. I think I like it even better than Christmas. The coolest part of Halloween is the costumes, pumpkin carving, and of course, the bags full of candy. Here are some tips on making a fun, memorable Halloween for your family while living in an apartment.

Step 1: The More the Merrier – Get Everyone Involved

As a Camden resident, this can be easy! Camden has an activity wall, the MyCamden Community Dashboard. You can use it to connect with other parents in the community and organize something exciting for all the kids. The saying goes, the more, the merrier. This way, everyone has a chance to get involved, and no one feels left out.

Examples of groups to join in MyCamden, photo Courtesy of Camden

Step 2: Costumes – Make Your Own

Sometimes you can't afford to buy a brand new costume every year. Luckily, there are tons of great ways to create a great costume from items you already have! For example, Clark Kent/Superman is always fun, or you can all dress in red and coordinate as the Incredibles family. Here's a list of some other fun ideas.

Creating costumes doesn't just have to fall on the parent late at night with a sewing kit. You can get your child's creativity involved too. If you're a Camden resident, you can use your Xfinity Technology Package during Freeform's 31 Days of Halloween to watch family-friendly movies and shows for inspiration.

Step 3: Decorating Your Apartment

Surprise your little ones when they get home from school. Decorate their room with black and orange or pumpkin string lights. You can even put black streamers above their doorway.

If you're no longer working from home and at the office all day, it could be challenging to do this. As a Camden resident, you can use Chirp Access to give a trusted family member or friend access to your apartment to help you with the surprise.

You can also utilize the MyCamden Community Dashboard to ask your neighbors for ideas or how they put together their spooky fun decor.

Photo courtesy of Camden, example of Chirp Access smart door lock

Step 4: Visit a Pumpkin Patch & Carving Fun Designs

A great addition to any Halloween-decorated apartment is a carved pumpkin. Getting the kids together to visit a pumpkin patch is a fun activity that will be a memory for years to come. This would be a great way to get kids out of the house for the day, let them interact with friends, and keep them socially distanced.

Atlanta Parent has a wonderful list of Pumpkin Patches that you can view here. Local to Atlanta, some pumpkin patches to visit are the Yule Forest Pumpkin Patch, only 18 minutes from Camden Stockbridge. Or you can try Berry Patch Farms, only 30 minutes from Camden Shiloh.

Once you have the perfect pumpkin, now it's time to carve the pumpkin. I recommend getting a pumpkin carving kit. They have some creative, fun templates that make carving a pumpkin even more fun for kids.

When you're done, don't throw away those slimy seeds. Instead, put them in a colander, rinse them off, throw them on a baking sheet, salt them, and throw them in the oven. Roasted pumpkin seeds are not only delicious but also a healthy snack for your kids.

Another way to make this fun would be to ask your neighbors to judge your family's creations or vote on their favorites by posting photos of them on the MyCamden Community Wall. Your Camden neighbors will have fun commenting on their choices, and you'll get to share a family fun activity. Everyone, of course, will go home a winner.

Step 5: Trunk 'or Treating

A fun and safe alternative to trick or treating is trunk 'or treating. If you are unfamiliar, this is where you get together a group of neighbors and everyone decorates the trunk of their car in a spooky Halloween style. Then, each person fills their car trunk up with prizes and sweets.

This idea will work well at garden-style communities like Camden St. Clair, Camden Phipps, Camden Dunwoody, or Camden Creekstone. If this doesn't make sense for your apartment community, charities and churches also typically offer these types of family-friendly events. Here is a list of places that are hosting these.

Trick or trunk. Trunk or treat. Alternative safe outdoor celebration for Halloween

Photo courtesy of Tatyana Soares from Shutterstock