I had never heard of “Boo-ing” until I moved south.  It’s not something we did growing up.  But boy, would I have loved it!!  It is right up my alley.  Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree–my kids think boo-ing is the best part of Halloween… it even trumps getting a pile of candy so big it could last until Easter.

The first time we found a surprise treat on our doorstep, I had no idea what it was… but I thought it was the coolest thing ever once I figured out what was going on!  My husband and I were new in our neighborhood, and we didn’t even have kids yet.  But that didn’t hold us back–within 48 hours, we were sneaking around our neighborhood delivering candy on the sly.  It was a blast.

Now we are boo-ing experts, and more often than not, we get it started in our neighborhood.  “Boo-ing” is serious business in our house, and our girls even dress in black from head-to-toe.  It’s like an unwritten rule that we all have to do it together, too.  So the whole family piles in the minivan, and we drive throughout the neighborhood to figure out which lucky homes (in our opinion anyhow!) will receive our treats.  The girls then sneak up to their front door, ring the doorbell, and get the heck out of there!  Of course they are giggling the entire time as they race to our get-away car!  Now that is some family fun at its finest!

How, exactly, does “Boo-ing” work?  Follow the steps below and start a new tradition in your neighborhood!  :)

1.  YOU NEED A LETTER AND A GHOST FOR EACH TREAT

First of all, you need to tell your neighbor what is going on and what to do next.  Here are some options:

Click HERE to get a free printable Boo-on-the-run letter

Click HERE for a different free printable “Boo” letter

Click HERE to get a free printable “Letter of the Phantom” version

You will also need a ghost.  I just draw one with a marker.  Easy!

2.  GET YOUR TREAT READY:  DON’T FORGET THE LETTER AND A GHOST!

Remember to make two copies of your letter and your ghost–one for each treat you’ll put together.  If you were “Boo-ed” yourself, you also might want to get your ghost on your front door quickly or you could get “Boo-ed” again!  :)  (Speaking from experience here… although my kids love when that happens because that means we get to do the whole thing over again!  We often “Boo” more than two families, too, to really get it going.  I think one year we “Boo’ed” about 10 houses!  The kids were in heaven!)

3.  DELIVER YOUR TREAT

This is the fun part.  Remember to find a home that doesn’t already have a ghost on their door.  We especially love to surprise new neighbors.  :)

Don’t skip this step!  It’s not as exciting to leave a surprise on someone’s doorstep if they aren’t home or if you don’t try to get them to come to the door.  My kids have taken cover in bushes or behind trees many-a-time as they’ve giggled and watched the neighbors trying to figure out what’s going on.   I know my own heart is always racing, and I’m usually just the one driving the get-away car!

Do your best to share the Halloween spirit on the sly.  You and your neighbors (especially the kids) will love trying to figure out who “Boo-ed” them!  :)

What Halloween traditions do you and your family have?

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