Category: Lifestyle
Explore lifestyle news and tips on health, wellness, fashion, travel, food, and culture to live smarter and better every day.
Halloween Party Ideas: 10 Themes, Food and a Timeline
Ten party themes with the decor, food and costume rule for each, a running order for the evening, and the food, drink and budget decisions that make or break a Halloween party.
Pumpkin Carving Ideas: 15 Designs From Easy to Advanced
Fifteen pumpkin designs sorted by difficulty, with the cut each one needs, the tools that make it possible and the lighting and preservation that keep it standing until Halloween.
Halloween Games: 16 Picks for Kids, Classrooms and Adults
Sixteen Halloween games sorted by age and setting, with the rules, the player count and the supplies each one takes, for classrooms, yards, parties and preschoolers.
Trunk or Treat Ideas: 12 Themes, Games and Setups
Twelve trunk themes sorted by how long they take to build, the games that keep a candy line moving, and the parking-lot layout organizers use for a trunk or treat.
Best Group Halloween Costumes: 7 Compared on Headcount and Sizes
Scooby-Doo, Ghostbusters, The Wizard of Oz, Super Mario, Inside Out, Bluey and Ninja Turtles group costumes compared on headcount, matching characters and sizes.
Most Popular Halloween Candy 2026: The Top Pick in Every State
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups top the 2026 Halloween candy rankings for a third year. The national top 10, the standout candy in all 50 states, and NRF's $4.1 billion candy spending forecast.
Best Halloween Inflatables: 7 Compared on Height and Setup
Seven Halloween inflatables compared on height, footprint and anchoring, from a 12 ft Gemmy ghost and a 9 ft Stay Puft to window tentacles, plus blower power draw and wind tips.
Best Outdoor Halloween Decorations: 7 Compared on Size and Power
Seven outdoor Halloween decorations compared on size, power source and weather rating, plus how to power a yard display safely with GFCI outlets, outdoor cords and timers.
Best Fog Machine: 7 Compared on Output, Heat-Up Time and Low Fog
Seven fog machines from Chauvet DJ, ADJ and Donner compared on wattage, rated output, heat-up time and tank size, plus which fog fluid to use, how to get low-lying fog and how to run fog indoors near smoke alarms.
Best Halloween Animatronics: 7 Compared on Size, Sensors and Power
Seven Halloween animatronics from Haunted Hill Farm, Gemmy, Seasonal Visions, JOYIN and Quntis, compared on height, motion, radar, sound and touch triggers, batteries versus plug-in power, and covered-porch ratings.
History of Halloween: From Samhain Bonfires to Trick-or-Treat
How Halloween grew from the Gaelic festival of Samhain and the Christian feast of All Hallows into souling, guising, pumpkin jack-o'-lanterns and the American trick-or-treat night.
When Is Halloween 2026? Date, Day and Trick-or-Treat Hours
Halloween 2026 is Saturday, October 31. Trick-or-treat hours set by US towns, why the date never moves, the federal holiday question, and the clock change the next morning.
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos): Dates, Traditions and Meaning
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) runs November 1 and 2: children are welcomed first, adults second. The 2026 dates, the ofrenda and what each element means, La Catrina, regional customs and US celebrations.
How to Fill Out the FAFSA for 2027-28: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to fill out the 2027-28 FAFSA, which opened on 23 September 2026: what you need, who counts as a contributor, the IRS consent step, state deadlines, and the 2026 Pell and loan changes.
How to Register to Vote in 2026: Online, by Mail or in Person
How to register to vote for the 3 November 2026 midterm election: online, by mail or in person, what you need, when state deadlines fall, and how to check you are already registered.