Let's Have a 420 Halloween Party!
Halloween has taken its place among America’s most popular party holidays. Last year the National Retail Federation reported that over 66% of American adults celebrated Halloween.
I think it’s high time Mary Jane joined in the festivities. Likewise I’ve come up with some easy 420 Halloween party recipes that will dress up any party table in spooky stoner style, along with some tips and tricks to help you have a Hempy Halloween!
One of the primary rules of making marijuana edibles for parties is to keep the dosages weak or alternately only medicate ONE recipe and leave the cannabis out of the rest. People will likely be smoking, vaping, or dabbing, and possibly even drinking in addition to indulging in medicated foods. A party where everyone is knocked out is no fun for anyone.
Halloween Marijuana Recipes
Hear Hear! – Top 10 Halloweed Playlist
Music makes the mood. There are lots of silly cutesy Halloween tunes along the lines of Ghostbusters and One-Eyed, One Armed Flying Purple People Eater that are easy to find, but why not go beyond the basics and add something with a little more teeth to your Halloween party’s musical mix?
- Monster Hash by The Toyes – OK so this song is silly, but it’s both a Halloween song and a WEED song! The Toyes, the same band that brought you the original “Smoke Two Joints,” riff on Bobby “Boris” Picket’s Monster Mash with a decidedly stoner spin.
- Deadman’s Party by Oingo Boingo – Always a favorite party song, Oingo Boingo’s classic is especially appropriate at Halloween, so much so that the band was known for years for their annual sold-out Halloween concerts. They retired in 1995 but the song is still going strong.
- Season of the Witch by Karen Elson and Donovan – Both the Donovan original, and the remake with Karen Elson for Showtime’s True Blood soundtrack, are great Halloween music choices, but the latter has just a bit more of a gritty edge to it.
- I Put a Spell on You by Screaming Jay Hawkins –- Screaming Jay takes the stalker relationship to new highs in his biggest hit that has been frequently covered, but none comes close to his hard-hitting original.
- Get Out of My House by Kate Bush – Any number of songs on Bush’s The Dreaming album would be right at home on a Halloween soundtrack, but none more so than Get Out of My House with its ghostly voices, screeching warnings, and braying mules. Bush credited Stephen King’s The Shining as the inspiration for this nightmarish song.
- Psycho Killer by Talking Heads – Tight sinister rhythms pulse through this intense Talking Heads hit that may cause you to be looking over your shoulder all evening long.
- Blood Makes Noise by Suzanne Vega – An apt follow up to Psycho Killer, Suzanne Vegas can’t really hear you through the thickening of fear cause “Blood Makes Noise.”
- Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon – Warren Zevon’s biggest hit may seem upbeat and boppy but what could be scarier than werewolves walking among us?
- This is Halloween by Marilyn Manson – Danny Elfman penned this tune for the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas, but Manson’s version minimizes its Disneyesque attributes and adds a more heavy metal goth tone to the song.
- Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield – The opening notes, used to great effect in the film The Exorcist, are enough to put the scare in some people, but the entire album makes for good Halloween background music as even the sweet parts quickly fade into scary minor aggressive tones and guttural vocals.
Mary Jane's Thrifty Halloween Party Tips
Pumpkins as Ice Buckets
Americans spend over $7 billion dollars annually on Halloween, but throwing a Halloween party need not break the bank. Here are some things you can do with inexpensive easy to find items, or things you probably already have lying around the house.
- Dry Ice – Made of compressed carbon gas, dry ice makes it easy to create a spooky bubbling witch’s cauldron of vapor, just drop a piece or two into a bowl or vase or other container filled with hot water. Your tabletop will be covered in a thick white harmless vapor. Add more ice for more vapor but be sure to add hot water too as this will give the best effect. You can even drop some dry ice into the punchbowl to bowl keep it cold and looking festive. Be sure to buy dry ice right before your party as it will not keep. Even in a freezer the gas will dissipate after a few hours.
- Glow Sticks – Using glow stick as drink stirrers will give your party beverages an eerie otherworldly glow.
- Lipstick – Use lipstick to write spooky messages like REDRUM! on glass and mirrors.
- Plastic or latex disposable gloves – Freeze gloves (like the ones you use when trimming) with water and chill your punchbowl with a frozen disembodied hand (peel the glove away first). The gloves also make nice little goodie bags – stuff the fingers with candy or event joints, tie with a ribbon and give to guests.
- Pumpkins – Pumpkins are the budget decorator’s best friend. Not only can you carve all manner of jack o lanterns, they can also have practical uses. For instance, cut off the just the top of an extra large pumpkin and scoop out the insides. Use the hollowed out shell as an ice bucket to hold beers or soft drinks. The shell also makes a terrific soup tureen and best off all no clean up, just toss it out at the end of the party.
- Tempera Paint – Use water soluble tempera paint to leave bloody handprints and spatters on mirrors, windows, sinks, bathtubs, and vinyl shower curtains.
These look like the perfect munchies to have at your party. Great ideas!