Halloween Trends

Halloween dates back thousands of years, but today we celebrate it with more than 41 million trick-or-treaters dressing up and knocking on doors in hopes of goodies and treats. Finding the perfect costume often becomes the main event.

Some start thinking about it as soon as Halloween is over, while others come up with a fun idea a few days ahead of time. Popular costumes range from the spooky and scary to singers and superheroes. Then, in the last couple of years, we see our pets getting in on the action.

So for those of you who are still searching for the perfect Halloween costumes and decorations, I went to one of the most recognizable lifestyle experts and best-selling author, Sandra Lee. She has the tips and tricks for your next Halloween party.

Welcome back, Sandra. Now with Halloween right around the corner, I'm sure you have some fun ideas to help get everyone in the spirit.

Of course! I'm Sandra Lee. That's my job.

So what are some of your favorite things about this holiday?

This particular Halloween, I love that everyone is getting into the season and the festivities fast and early. Costumes have been selling out everywhere, so you want to be very smart about getting it or getting it done. Kids are wanting costumes sooner than ever, because they want to live in them. They want to sleep in them, play in them, and wear them during the weekend. So, that's very fun and very festive.

Also, people are decorating like they've never done before and getting their kids involved in a lot of really fun crafts such as paper plate wreaths. They're doing smart, fun things, and I think it's because Halloween is on Friday this year.

I think you're right. I think that because people don't necessarily have to worry about going to work the next day or to get the kids ready to get up for school the next morning that they can relax and enjoy without having to worry about staying out late.

That's exactly right. The kids will then enjoy it because not only is it the weekend lead up to Halloween, but Halloween can be a whole weekend long. And trust me, they will make sure it last through November 1st and 2nd.

Oh yeah. It's a great excuse for people to get into the spooky spirit a little more than they would in previous years.

Now this year, I have partnered with BuyCostumes.com, and they have all the hot costumes. So you'll want to get online as soon as you can to have your costume before they run out. Everything is going fast this year. They have characters like Maleficent for women (the Sleeping Beauty character made popular by Angelina Jolie), Frozen characters for the little girls, Captain America for dad (of course that's what hot for dad), and ninja warriors the boys. You've got to plan ahead, get your stuff, and really enjoy the season.

Oh, and of course decorate. Don't let yourself get by this year without decorating.

I'm not surprised that Frozen tops the list for little girl costumes, especially knowing how popular the movie and the song “Let It Go” are and then also looking at the crossover with the show “Once Upon A Time”.

Yeah, those Disney folks are really smart. And Maleficent isn't a surprising choice either. Everyone seems to want to look like Angelina Jolie in that movie....she was GORGEOUS. That character was so different from what we expected, and I've never seen a prettier costume from a costume house then this one on BuyCostumes.com. The detail is crazy, and the lines on your body are wonderful. And you know what, if size matters then this is like having your own Spanx on. You can't not look great in this. The headpiece is also phenomenal. All you need is a wig and some liner and you are going to look amazing.

So it's definitely something to show off at those Halloween parties?

Absolutely.

Wow! And you did mention the decorating earlier and how we shouldn't get away from that spirit. So what are some things that we can do to really get in that Halloween spirit?

Well, you need to decorate the outside of your house, of course. I love pumpkins, but I love decorating the door more. From the borders to the paper fans.

Now I got into the decorating spirit and spent three days on it. My house is pretty phenomenal, I just started putting up pictures on my Facebook too. I even got my pet cockatoos, Phoenix and Halo, in on the action. If you check out the pictures on my Facebook, you will see they are in the tree in the backyard, and notice that Phoenix took the Trick or Treat for Unicef box and carried it into the tree as his own little toy.

Now I also love decorating the inside of the house as well, because everyone loves to come into a home beautiful baked goods (I.e pies and cakes). So the key is to make it a fabulous season because it's the only thing that matters.

Now, I just went to your Facebook, and the picture of Phoenix is absolutely adorable.

How cute is that?! And Halo is behind him, and he's only 4 months. Phoenix is actually a Halloween baby, and he'll be four years old.

Aw!!! So you'll have a little birthday, Halloween celebration for him?

Yeah. Of course. All of my pet babies have been Halloween babies. They are just the best ones. I just love them.

So, this holiday means that much more to you since it's also celebrating their birthdays.

Yeah, and you know what, I used to dress up Aspen. He's my dog that passed away a little while ago, but I used to dress him up all the time. At BuyCostumes.com they have cutest pet costumes. One I was looking at today was a Yoda costume then they also have Waldo from Where's Waldo. It's so cute and funny.

Aw that really does sound so cute and then funny at the same time.

Yeah, and I wish you a very happy Halloween. Enjoy yourself.

Yes, and those baked goods that you were talking about sound delicious. We will have to check out your website to really enjoy those.

And go pick up my magazine in the grocery stores. It's called Sandra Lee, and has Halloween on one side and Fall on the other. It will give you all sorts of fantastic ideas for decorating, food, parties, and tailgating. It's not just about Halloween. It's about the heart of Fall.

And it's definitely worth picking up to not only get in the Halloween spirit but also the Fall spirit.

Right, and thank you so much for having me.

Thank you so much for chatting today.

I'll talk to you again soon.

So with just a couple days left until Halloween, there's still time to get your decorations up and finished and to make sure your put the final touches on that Halloween costume.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!