Maybe you're familiar with the idea of the Halloween "boo" - leaving an anonymous gift of goodies for two people who are each supposed to pass a gift on to two more people. It's like a chain letter for gifting, and you usually need to hang up a sign once you've been "booed" so that no one else gifts you.
Well, imagine our surprise the other night to find a "boo" hanging from our front lamppost! I had done this a couple of years ago at work, but never in a neighborhood sense. So of course we were all excited to pass on our own boos to some friends and neighbors.
The photo here is the boo we made to give, not the one we received. If you'd like to start your own booing with two friends or neighbors, here are my suggestions:
1. Get something sturdy to put your goodies in. Even if it's not pouring out - like it was this weekend - you probably will have your boo sitting on the ground overnight on someone's porch. Hence our plastic pumpkin.
2. Include a "ghostie" for the booed family to hang on their door. (You can see ours in the photo; here's a printable version, though you can certainly draw him - it's not hard!) Here's an extra tip - given our bad weather, dig up a sheet protector, tape your boo on a piece of black construction paper and slide it inside. That's what we did, and it's not only keeping him dry, it also makes him stand out on our white front door. Don't forget to "boo" yourself if you're starting the booing!
3. Choose a bunch of small goodies, mixing candy-type stuff and other items. We gave some candy, but also some "rubber eyeballs," a little orange decorative pot, a small fall cookbook and a notepad. (Target's dollar bin was a source of most of our items; any dollar store is also a good start.)
4. Include the directions! If you've gotten booed already, you can copy or rewrite them, but if you're starting the chain in your own neighborhood, feel free to print copies of my direction sheet. Ours came handwritten, but the copy editor in me had to jazz it up a little.
If you give this a try, or if you see any neighborhoods around town that have had a booing going on, leave me a comment! Bonus points if you e-mail photos of your booing to me at jconcilio@ydr.com.
That's awesome! Sometimes living in a rural area has its downsides. This would be one of them, no Boos!