Have you ever planned a Halloween party, only to have it SNOW? That is what happened to us the Saturday before Halloween. We had planned a small get together with a few family and friends so that the kids could have a fun Pirates theme party. Sadly a freak snowstorm and thousands of people left without power put a damper on our party plans. So we had to reschedule.
The theme for the party was pirates in honor of the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. If you haven’t seen the movie yet you are welcome to check our my review here, https://www.shescribes.com/2011/10/ahoy-mateys-pirates-of-the-caribbean-on-stranger-tides-is-now-available-on-blu-ray-dvd.html.
The first thing we needed was some pirate them treats for the kids. You can’t have a pirate party without Pirates Booty chips. Pirates Booty comes in different flavors but I only purchased white cheddar because I figured it was more “kid friendly”. Flavors like Sea Salt & Vinegar and Bermuda Onion are more for the adults.
I also made “Parrot Fingers” (chicken fingers) and “Planks” (fries). Our get together started at 6:00 PM (the only time I could round everyone up). So I wanted to make something for dinner for everyone. I also had other things on hand including “Fool’s Gold” (mac & cheese), “Parrot Beaks” (baby carrots) and “Eye balls” (grapes), to name a few. I found that the kids really enjoyed the foods being named something different. I had other foods too (regular chips, pretzels, cookies…). Oh yeah! And Goldfish crackers too.
I couldn’t think of anything creative for the fruit punch that was “pirate” related so I just called it “Witch’s Brew” figuring it would work since Halloween just passed. I made the punch using a recipe my mom used to make with 7-Up and sherbert. I also had soda, water and hot beverages for the adults.
I made sure to have the kids eat first because it was dinner time. I think it also settled them down a bit so that they could make their treasure chests.
I have to laugh. The boys wanted no part of the “jewels’ to put on their treasure chests, but the girls couldn’t get enough. One boy even drew flames on the side of his treasure chest. He said if anyone tried to steal it the treasure chest would burst into flames. Yikes! That is some imagination. LOL!
I had some fun “pirate wear” for the kids. I had pirate bandannas for the kids. We wanted to wrap the bandannas around their heads like how pirates wear them but no one could figure out how. It was a comedy of errors! We had the general idea we just couldn’t get it to look right.
We had fake moustaches for the kids to wear. I think that was the highlight of the party. Even the adults had a fun time playing around with them.
We had eye patches but the kids didn’t seem interested in them for some reason. They rather play with the moustaches. 🙂
Trying to do a pinata inside is easier said then done. We have a treasure chest pinata that I filled with Halloween candy since big bags of candy were plentiful. I couldn’t find a good enough place to hang it without someone getting hit, or hitting something. I should have put the pinata on a mop handle with a string and had someone hold it. Like a fool I tried to hang it in the door frame with a tack. A tack does NOT work! The first hit and the pinata and tack went flying and we had to stop everything to find the tack before someone stepped on it or one of our pets ate it.
Everyone was disappointed about the pinata. We had to try and shake the candy out of the hole on the side in order to get it out. I actually still have the pinata and there is still candy inside of it. I guess I need to break into it to get the candy out.
No party would be complete without silly party games. Well, I should say game (singular) because because the whole fiasco with the pinata took away from game time.
The kids did get to search for “treasure” around our home. I took plastic coins and hid them around the living room, hallway, kitchen and dining room. I also hid REAL money as well including quarters, nickles, dimes and pennies. That way the kids got real treasure and fake treasure. At best I gave the kids just a few dollars in coins. It was well worth it to see the expressions on their faces when they found the treasure. I think they were equally as excited about the plastic coins as they were the real coins.
To help the kids wind down I popped in a Jake and the Never Land Pirates DVD for the little ones (I had two 4 year olds and a 6 year old at the party).
I had THE BEST party favors to give to the kids and their parents. Aside from their treasure chest, treasures, map, tattoos and other goodies I gave each family a copy of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, compliments of Walt Disney Entertainment. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited the parents were. The older kids too (the younger ones were too busy eating candy). It’s not every day that parents get fun party favors.
I’ve heard from two of the mom’s (guests) and both thanked me profusely for the movie.
I wish the party went a bit more smoothly. The issue with the weather and then not being able to use the pinata was disappointing. Two families (three children) also couldn’t make it on the rescheduled day so I had to call up some people at the last minute which made things a bit confusing. Plus having to hold the party at dinner time was a bit awkward too.
I do have more pictures but my friend did not e-mail them to me. I was busy trying to entertain everyone and I asked a friend to take pictures. She has yet to e-mail them to me so I only have a handful that my daughter took for me (like her self portrait with the eye patch above). When I FINALLY get the other pictures I’ll have to insert them into the post.
If you are looking for a fun theme for your next party why not have a pirate party. Even better, a Pirates of the Caribbean party!
Kimberly
*I received free party samples and other goodies in order to host this party. All opinions expressed are my own.
momznite says
Sorry to hear that the weather interfered after all your planning to carry out the theme with food, games, favors, and more. Still, it sounds like those who made it enjoyed the celebration.
Christian N says
I’m sure it was still a huge blast for them despite the hiccups. We’ve had a lot of parties for the young sibs, but we’ve never had a themed party with all the bells and whistles. They really know how to pull of mustaches.