Oooo oooo ooooh! Halloween is around the corner, and it's time to start preparing for the best Halloween ever! Here are a few ideas to make your spooky holiday sure to be a great and memorable time!

Don't buy pumpkins from the grocery store! Make an event of traveling to your local pumpkin farm to pick out your own! You can usually find listings in the phone book, or on the internet, for the closest pumpkin farms to your home. Get a bunch of kids, or friends, or both, and someone with a truck or sizable trunk, to get together and carpool for a pumpkin-picking party. Be sure you pick up enough for all the adventures, and a few extra in case those pesky pumpkin smashers target your home!

Have a pumpkin carving (or painting) party. This can be done anytime before or on the holiday. Invite everyone you know to join you, and you can provide refreshments, or have people bring potluck. Everyone should bring their own pumpkin, as well, but you might want to have a few extra on hand, just in case! Enjoy the fun of watching everyone carve their favorite style of pumpkin. You can post fun rules for original carvings only, or you can provide or allow pumpkin-carving stencils for everyone's enjoyment. Have a vote and give away a little Halloween prize to the winner. Save all the seeds. See the next step for ideas.

Search Pumpkin Seed Recipes; There are many recipes available, and ways to cook pumpkin seeds. Recipe books are available at retail stores this time of year, or you could Google terms like 'roasted pumpkin seeds,' 'spicy pumpkin seeds,' 'how to cook pumpkin seeds.' There are also some great articles here on e-how for pumpkin seed recipes.

Have a Halloween fancy, freaky and fun dinner before trick-or-treating. Find pumpkin and other Halloween main-dish, appetizer, and dessert recipes, or simply go out to a festive restaurant. This is a great way to celebrate the special occasion, and also helps to curb the appetite when all that candy gets poured into your pillowcase! No matter if you have kids, or if you'll be trick-or-treating yourself, you'll want to have some candy for later!

Get in the spirit of Halloween by having a spooky movie night, or two, or three. Start early, for the kids, with cartoons or G-rated Halloween movies like 'Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie,' 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,' and 'Casper.' Once the kiddies are tucked soundly into bed, bring out the scary with 'Helloween,' 'Dawn of the Dead,' or 'Dracula.' A Google search for scary Halloween movies should give you plenty of ideas.

Visit a Haunted House, for sure. Look through your local internet listings or local newspaper for all the Haunted House events in your area. Start early so you don't miss any of the festivities. Be sure you're ready, and in your spookiest mood. You could even dress up for the event!

Always be safe. Make sure to thoroughly check candy before eating. Always make sure store-bought costumes are flame-retardant. Give detailed safety instructions before leaving with a pack of kids for trick-or-treating, ie: stay close, don't walk through dark areas, watch the area around you for obstacles or pitfalls. Keep your own areas clear so everyone can be safe. Remember, masks make it harder to spot cracks in concrete, pumpkins on the walkway, or tree branches. Plan your route ahead of time.

Here's a tip to continue the fun once Halloween is over! When your pumpkins start to rot, don't throw them away. Get everyone back together, rotting pumpkins and all, and have a ceremonial burial, complete with headstone and refreshments. What a great excuse to get people together for a social event, and give back to the Earth! Go all out, if you like. Have everyone wear black, or have people speak at your event.