Fall-o-ween!!!
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The Idea —
There are two types of girls in October (and some who say they’re both.)
Every month I host a dinner party, and when October came around I could not decide on a theme. Halloween party? Or a cozy fall party? Both are right. Both are correct. So I did the only reasonable thing and made my friends choose instead: Team Fall or Team Halloween. Then, once teams were established, I made them compete against each other for my own personal enjoyment! Mwahaha!
That's Fall-O-Ween. A party I made up, a rivalry I invented, and one of the funniest nights I've ever hosted.
I'm posting this in September on purpose. This one takes a little planning, and if you want to do it this October you need the lead time.
How I Prepped —
The whole party runs on one idea: split the room in half and let each side commit to its own bit.
Each team got its own table on its own side of the room. Team Fall's table was an orange tablecloth, fall florals, tapers, warm, cozy and glowing. Team Halloween's table was black: black cloth, black plates, moody, & candlelit. Same room, two completely different worlds, and honestly the decorations came together more beautifully than I expected!
I made one big sign out of kraft paper that said "fall-o-ween," with pressed leaves creeping across the fall half and bats flying across the Halloween half, and hung it in the window where everyone would see it walking in. It cost about four dollars and it's the thing people commented on most. I love kraft paper signs for cost effective decor.
The other kraft paper moment, and the one that made the whole night work: a giant SCOREBOARD taped to the wall. Two columns, "fall" and "halloween," and tally marks going up all night. You need the score to be visible. It's what turns a theme into a competition.
And then I dressed as a referee. Striped shirt, whistle, hat, knee socks, the whole thing. I was not on a team. I was the official, I awarded points, and I blew the whistle when the witches got out of hand. Which they did.
The Teams —
Guests picked a side ahead of time and even started group texts without my prompting! The competition started before they even arrived at my house lol
Team Fall showed up in cream sweaters, felt hats, brown suede skirts, and tall boots, looking like a J.Crew catalog. Team Halloween showed up head to toe in black with witch hats and tried not to break character all night.
I always host “pitch-in” style so each team was tasked with bringing a couple of dishes that fit their team’s style.
I awarded points for Best Outfit and Best Dish, which meant everyone had a reason to try on both fronts. We had a yummy fall chili, spooky brownies, some pumpkin spice lattes, green jello shots and we balanced it out with salad served in a witch bowl. There was a great spread!
How the Night Went —
Team Fall opened with a Real Housewives intro. They made title cards, they did taglines, they put it on the TV, and they performed it. It was the single best surprise of the night and it set a bar that Team Halloween spent the rest of the evening trying to clear.
Then we played fall versus Halloween trivia to test each team's devotion to their own fandom, which got competitive immediately. And we played a game of charades. I love charades because it forces everyone to let their guard down a little and be silly.
Then dinner, which slowed everything down for about fifteen minutes.
Then the witches, who were not exactly winning, disappeared into the bathroom. They came out chanting, with the lights off, yelling "get them!!" and put a curse on the entire party. That is how my dinner party ended. With a curse.
I called it a tie. Partly for peace and partly because I am the referee and the referee's word is final.
