Please help - 3 hours to organise Halloween!!!

[StillRunningOnCoffee]

Hi - very difficult ExH has had the kids all week and just confirmed he would drop them to me at 4pm. I’ve been ill all week with flu and still very weak. DD has invited 4 friends over to meet here at 5:30 plus have a sleepover! I don’t even have a pumpkin. DS doesn’t have a costume - may have an old one we can resurrect. I am happy to throw some money at this to try to conjure up some Halloween spirit. Any ideas? Please tell me your Halloween life hacks??!! Anything I can order to the door on uber eats.. emergency grocery etc. We are in London. Thanks so much.

How old is dd?

Facebook marketplace for costumes/decorations. Big tub of sweets on uber eats. Some apples? You could get them to do old school apple bobbing 😂

Frozen party food
Ready made cupcakes with strawberry laces etc to do spooky decorating
Pumpkins hopefully there's some left
Apples to do bobbing the bath if no large bucket
Fake blood can turn pretty much anything into a costume if you can find some

DD is 12 hence the independent organising and DD is (a young) 10.. feel like it’s the last couple of years of Halloween so I should make a effort!

Do you mean find someone selling things locally in FB marketplace.. Will have a look!

The house is also a complete tip as I’ve been barely able to function - think my head is going to explode with stress..

Have you got a street WhatsApp group or similar. Ours is pretty good with coming to the rescue with things like this.
Order a couple of tubs of sweets and some pizza. Find a ghost film to watch.

I’m mainly worried about pumpkin plus decorations.. going to be such a let down coming into a normal / boring house.. all the FB marketplace decorations either look like tiny bundles or are in Kent..!

The kids won’t care how messy the house is.

Head out to grab some pizzas, sweets & drinks. And whatever you fancy for yourself! Pack of Croissants for the morning. Send them trick or treating straight away at 5:30-6:30 then into PJs for pizza and a movie. Job done.

Morrisons still had stuff this morning. But honestly I doubt they’ll care and one less thing to tidy up tomorrow!

Lean into the mess and have a pretend body underneath stuff(just shoes sticking out) if there aren't any pumpkins, could you decorate red peppers for the windowsill?

I feel for you. Just imagine this happening in reverse (OP dropping off at exH). Just one of those mad scenarios which you don’t realise how sexist it is until you swap them.

Honestly? I’d be telling my 12 year old that they should have checked with me first and it’s not a good time for a sleepover! I’m all for independent organising but it still needs adult agreement!

Can you just send your daughter out to do the shopping when she’s back at 4? Pick up whatever she fancies for snacks, grab a pumpkin if she sees one (though that’s super optional really). If you let her and her friends order whatever they fancy on uber eats while watching Wednesday or whatever am sure that will be enough fun for them.

I agree with this. Give her some cash and let her blow it how she likes on decorations, food etc. The first part of the evening can be decorating. They could probably do something with toilet rolls if other decorations are limited!

Thank you so much for the Morrisons suggestion! Found one about a 10 min drive, dragged myself there and it was amazing - had tons of halloween decorations - spider web lights, spooky projections etc. and such good value!! Will make the kids set them up when they get back

Still no actual pumpkin..

But I think they will cope - and I will embrace the failure.. bought a black plastic one with a led light - not sure I could manage the whole carving mess palaver at this stage anyway.. will have to make sure we have a proper Halloween party next year so we can reuse all the tat..

The local shop made me explain myself twice for not coming in earlier to buy one of their pumpkins before they sold out - ha!! In front of the rest of the queue - found myself apologising for having flu

Sainsbury’s on uber eats have pumpkins, you can get a delivery. Just draw the faces on in black marker - no mess or carving!

100%.. although if I did the reverse, he would probably close the curtains and cancel Halloween.. he was ‘too busy’ today to buy DS a costume - DS was still in PJ at 1pm.. the bar is low

Games to make it different:
marshmallows for chubby bunnies
the flour game
bobbing apples?

Havent rtft but in case it helps We're having these for tea

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8284459/jack-o-lantern-stuffed-peppers/

And mummy hot dogs (sausages wrapped in pastry)

Hope you've had some good suggestions!

If they're the type to enjoy crafts we made these and it was very easy

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBAFqrEyn9k/?xtok=bWR5Y2pramJkc3o=

I don't have a gluegun or wire or anything, just used regular glue and some string.

Made these last year, bit more faffy and not good if you've already done your recycling for the week

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2922952174710044/

Have the kids decorate, serve easy oven chips or similar, and turn on some fright fest movie.

Do not feel you have to make miracles happen here. 12 year old should know better than to spring a party on you.

It's concerning that you felt you had to apologize to the shop for not coming in earlier to buy a pumpkin, and also that you have essentially been told to jump and responded "How high?" here wrt the dropping off of the kids and the surprise party, etc. Have you had therapy since splitting with the difficult ExH?