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I must admit, I’m a bit of a Halloween fanatic.  Even though Halloween is still 8 weeks away and it’s over 90 degrees here, my fingers are already itching to transform my house into its full fall form.  I wasn’t always this way.  I used to see Halloween as a fun little weekend on the way to Christmas but all that changed about 7 years ago when I hosted my first Wanda Witch party.  That’s when I realized all of Halloween’s hidden potential.  I’ve been an addict ever since.

I’ve hosted loads of parties over the years, but this party is my all-time favorite.  We’ve moved 5 times in the last 7 years and regardless of where we’ve lived or how well we know the guests, this party has been a huge hit.  I’ve also passed this fun tradition to my sisters (I’ve got 6 of them) and they’ve all hosted it in different parts of the country with big success.  You should know, for the record, that this is not your average Halloween get-together.  Hosting a party like this demands a little more than a simple trip to the party store.  To pull off this party you’ll need a little creativity (don’t worry, I’ll help you there), about 5 weeks of planning, and a very good poker face.

Here’s the basic idea:  The Wanda Witch party is kind of like a very elaborate scavenger hunt (think ‘The Amazing Race’ but with a Halloween twist).  Essentially you’ll be sending your guests in teams out on a hunt around your town to pass challenges and gather hidden ingredients for a ‘grand witches brew’.  The winning team is the team that manages to retrieve all their ingredients and arrive at the party destination first.  The only hitch…no one knows who is hosting the party.  Rather than including your name as the host on the invitation, you list a witchy alias, like Wanda, Zelda, or Hilda Witch. 

Keeping your identity a secret is critical to the success of the party so you’ll go through a lot of hoops to keep it hidden.  RSVPs are gathered secretly (more on this later).  You even send yourself an invitation and place yourself on a team to keep up the illusion.  You and your spouse will play along in the game with all the others, never revealing that you’re the mastermind behind all the fun.  In fact, it’s not until the teams read their final clue on the hunt (directing them to your house) that they realize who the true host is.  You can even take it one step further and end your party in a park or restaurant and let your guests stir over who the real Wanda was for a little longer.  Once all the teams arrive at the final destination and have a chance to mingle and eat, you announce yourself as the elusive Wanda Witch, tally the scores, and award the prizes.  Then you get to sit back and revel in your success as your guests jabber on and on about how much fun they had on their hunt.

I love tons of things about this party, but perhaps my favorite is the buzz it invariably creates.  In the weeks leading up to the party, people are constantly talking about who they think Wanda is and what they think will happen at the party.  The mystery of it keeps everyone guessing and really helps build momentum.  By the time the party rolls around, everyone’s excited and ready for a great night.  Another side benefit is that, because it’s anonymous, you’re not limited to inviting only close friends.  You can invite almost anyone and the ‘buzz’ will push them to attend…it’s a great way to broaden your social circle.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “But, Maria, I’m so busy.  There’s no way I have the time to do this.” or perhaps “I’m not the creative type, this kind of party is just too much for me.”  Well, get over it!  You’ll always be busy and the only way to get out of creative slump is to kick yourself out of it.  Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll be posting a step-by-step guide with everything you need to know to host your own Wanda Witch party…all my files, great tips, detailed pictures, sample ideas…everything.  Even if you’ve never hosted a big party before, I promise that if you follow my advice you’ll have all the tools you need to host the event of the season.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

To read the other Wanda Witch posts click the family fun tab at the top of the page and choose the “Parent Parties” category.