A Week of Hallowe’en · The Final Gathering
An Old-Fashioned Hallowe’en Party: Games, Favors & Amusements from 1928
Ghostly conventions, pumpkin-headed hosts, paper-party treasures, and the delightful business of entertaining at Hallowe’en.
The decorations have been hung. The supper table is ready. Outside, the October evening has settled around the house, and somewhere beyond the windows the autumn leaves are stirring.
But a Hallowe’en party needs more than a pretty table and a welcoming room. It needs a little laughter, a little mystery, and perhaps one or two guests willing to make complete spectacles of themselves.
For our final gathering in A Week of Hallowe’en, we’re returning to the pages of Dennison’s Party Magazine, October–November 1928, to discover how its contributors imagined an evening of games, costumes, make-believe, and merrymaking.
And before we say goodnight, we have a small paper-party present from an even earlier magazine to send home with you.
A Party Where Imagination Was Invited
One of the pleasures of exploring old entertaining magazines is discovering how much could be accomplished with ordinary household materials, handmade decorations, and a willing company of guests.
The Hallowe’en features in Dennison’s 1928 issue offer something more elaborate than a single parlor game. They imagine entire party occasions, with characters, costumes, decorations, and entertainments arranged around a theme.
Two particularly delightful examples are Nell W. Scott’s Mister Jack o’ Lantern’s Party and Crawford N. Burroughs’s A Ghosts’ Convention. Each offers a different sort of Hallowe’en amusement.
Mister Jack o’ Lantern’s Party
First, let us meet our host.
In Nell W. Scott’s contribution, Mister Jack o’ Lantern presides over a children’s party built around his cheerful pumpkin-headed personality. The accompanying illustrations show the possibilities of a coordinated Hallowe’en table, with orange paper decorations, little figures, and a striking pumpkin-face mask.
What makes this feature so appealing is the way it treats the party as a little world of its own. The decorations, costumes, and table arrangements all help tell the same playful story.
We needn’t reproduce every detail to borrow that idea. A pumpkin-faced host, a few paper favors, and a table dressed in orange and black would make a charming starting point for a present-day gathering.
From the archive to the modern home: The magazine page above is the historical source. The expandable activities later in this article are modern ideas inspired by its playful approach, not transcriptions of Nell W. Scott’s instructions.
A Ghosts’ Convention
Our next gathering is rather more unusual.
Crawford N. Burroughs’s A Ghosts’ Convention begins with a wonderfully theatrical premise: the guests are to become ghosts, and the evening takes the form of a ghostly assembly.
The original feature provides a programme for this imaginary convention, complete with a ghostly setting and characters. Its accompanying illustration shows sheet-draped figures gathered among gravestones, turning the room into a playful imitation of a midnight meeting place.
It is easy to imagine the laughter as familiar friends, temporarily concealed beneath their ghostly disguises, attempt to behave like the solemn members of a most extraordinary society.
This is one of the loveliest discoveries in our research: the amusement lies not simply in being frightened, but in pretending together.
A modern hostess could borrow the convention idea without reproducing the entire 1928 programme. Give every guest a ridiculous ghostly title, hold a meeting of the spirits, and award a prize for the most convincing account of an imaginary haunting.
Read the Original 1928 Article: Mister Jack o’ Lantern’s Party
By Nell W. Scott
Dennison’s Party Magazine,
October–November 1928
Read the Complete 1928 Article: Mister Jack o’Lantern’s Party
Mister Jack o’Lantern’s Party
By Nell W. Scott · Dennison’s Party Magazine, October–November 1928
Archival transcription: Some wording remains uncertain and should be checked against the original magazine.
“Come to My Party,” says Mr. Jack o’Lantern. And who could refuse an invitation that on the very face predicted such fun and frolic. A pumpkin man dressed in his dinner clothes bears the details of the date and time on his jolly face, which is so expressive that even his eyes talk. All the other necessary information about the party is printed on the back of the card.
Naturally, you cannot buy invitations like this, but you can make them easily of mounting board or drawing paper. Use the one illustrated here as a pattern and color the pumpkin with orange water color and draw the features, hair and collar with black India ink.
Children, especially, will enjoy a Pumpkin Party, and older folks as well are not too dignified to enter into the spirit of such an entertainment at Hallowe’en time.
Pumpkin Jack o’Lanterns should be used in profusion everywhere for decorations and as many of the games and stunts as possible should include pumpkins.
As your masked guests arrive, warn each one to do everything possible to prevent the others from discovering his identity, but at the same time to try to find out who the others are.
After all have sufficiently enjoyed the costumes and disguises of their friends, the unmasking may be done and will cause much laughter. Before the unmasking, give each person a numbered card to pin on and a pencil and paper on which to write his guesses of the names of the masked individuals as they march, one by one, across the room as their numbers are called by the hostess. The person who guesses the most people correctly should receive a small prize.
The next stunt is to give out pieces of orange paper about the size and weight of writing paper and to tell your guests to tear out Jack o’Lantern faces from them. Fingers are the only tools to be used. At the end of three minutes ask each person to write his name on the back of the pumpkin and then pin it on a sheet of black cardboard fastened to the wall so that all may vote for the best one. The “prize” pumpkin should make its creator the possessor of a small candy-filled Jack o’Lantern.
Now divide the company into two groups. One group remains in the room and the other goes to an adjoining one. One at a time the children are called in and asked to repeat correctly “Pumpkins without seeds.” Of course their efforts to mimic exactly the gestures and inflection of the speaker will prove amusing to those who sit watching. If anyone happens to be clever enough to say simply “Pumpkins” he is allowed to join the opposite side, but if he fails after three trials, he is sent to a corner to sit with the “green pumpkins.”
Next, each child is given a piece of a cut-up Jack o’Lantern made of orange paper. The first player is blindfolded and led up to a portière or heavy piece of paper that has an outline of a pumpkin drawn on it. He is to pin his piece of pumpkin where he thinks it belongs. The others follow in turn until the entire pumpkin is correctly (?) placed.
Now cardboard pumpkins are placed on the floor to form a large circle, there being one less pumpkin than players.
The children form a circle on the outside of the pumpkins and when a lively march is played on the piano they dance around and around. Suddenly the music stops and each child tries to get a pumpkin. The one who is left without one must sit in the center of the circle as it is again formed of one less pumpkin than before. This continues until there are two children and one pumpkin. If desired, ribbon loops may be attached to the pumpkins before they are placed in the circle so that each child may be given one to wear when he is sent to the middle of the circle.
Place twenty-five different articles on a table, each in a securely tied paper bag. Well-known things such as a bar of soap, a potato, a corn cob, a spoon and a screw driver may be selected. Each person may handle each bag once and all of the bags must be handled within two minutes. It will, therefore, be well not to linger long in feeling the contents of any one bag. Slips of paper numbered from one to twenty-five are then handed out and three minutes allowed in which to write the contents of the various bags. This isn’t nearly so easy as it sounds, particularly if care is taken in the selection of the articles that are put in the bags.
A fortune telling stunt of some kind is an essential part of every Hallowe’en party; so next you may give each person a slip of paper on which is written a trade or an occupation. There should be two alike, one for a boy and the other for a girl. On the boy’s slip, for instance, might be “Carpenter” and on the corresponding girl’s slip “Your future husband will be a carpenter.” At a given signal each boy must act out his trade in pantomime for his partner to discover. It will add to the fun if you line up the boys and girls in two lines facing each other and have the trades acted one at a time. When all have finished, the girls may claim their partners for a Virginia reel or for the next game.
A fine and more elaborate fortune telling stunt, but one that is sure to be hilarious if your guests are grown folks, is “Looking into the Future.” A witch, who is ostensibly to tell the fortunes, is seated beside a cauldron in a room lighted by a single candle. Whoever wishes to look into the future is told to spell his name backwards three times while walking slowly around and around the cauldron. This is done simply to gain time. When he has finished, the witch says “Turn to the north (or in whatever direction it may happen to be) and behold what will happen to you in the future years.”
A sheet has been stretched across a doorway and a strong light should now be turned on behind it. A scene from the player’s future life is now acted in shadow pantomime on the sheet. Properties for the different scenes must be in readiness and the slow spelling of the different names will give the actor, or actors, on the other side of the sheet the necessary clue and sufficient time to arrange the scene. As you will know beforehand who your guests will be, it will be very easy to arrange “futures” that will put the audience into gales of laughter.
A laughable stunt for finding partners for the “eats” is to give each girl a pumpkin necklace made of twisted orange crepe paper. The pendant is a cardboard pumpkin face which has outlined on it only the space for its mouth. Each outlined mouth is as different in shape and position as can be.
The boys draw from a large pumpkin sets of white cardboard teeth that fit the pumpkin mouths. Fitting these into the proper faces proves great fun and, of course, provides supper partners.
And when the dining room door is opened, a refreshment table resplendent with countless more Jack o’Lanterns is revealed.
The centerpiece, individual bonbon boxes and the decorations of the room itself teem with Jack o’Lanterns of every shape and size.
Jack o’Lantern men stand at each place instead of plates and extend their arms in welcome, but as they are lifted for closer examination, the fact that they are caps is revealed. Under each cap is half of a hollowed-out orange with scalloped edges holding a tempting salad.
A brown bread sandwich lies on the plate beside the salad. This sandwich is another pumpkin. It is cut out in a round shape. The eyes are cream cheese with pimiento centers and the mouth is made of a strip of pimiento with tiny bits of cheese for teeth. More sandwiches are, of course, forthcoming; also pickles, squash pie, stuffed dates and fruit lemonade or ginger ale.
If you wish to make the centerpiece and caps you will find the instructions on page 16.
Read the Original 1928 Article: A Ghosts’ Convention
By Crawford N. Burroughs
Dennison’s Party Magazine,
October–November 1928
Read the entire original article below
Read the Complete 1928 Article: A Ghosts’ Convention
A Ghosts’ Convention
By Crawford N. Bourgholtzer · Dennison’s Party Magazine, October–November 1928
Archival transcription: Some wording remains uncertain and should be checked against the original magazine.
If you wish to be just a regular, ordinary hostess, then it is well enough to have a regular, ordinary Hallowe’en party; but if you want to be a superhostess, it behooves you to see to it that yours is an out-of-the-ordinary party.
It is for the super-hostess that the Ghosts’ Convention is intended.
Of course no ready-made invitations could possibly give the proper effect for this party; you must make them yourself. Plain cards may be attractively decorated with gummed seals, such as No. H 727, so placed as to set off the following verses:
A big black cat said to tell you this:
There’s a party soon that you must not miss.
Mr. J. o’Lantern is the host—
Assisted, of course, by O. A. Ghost.
On Hallowe’en, when the moon is pale,
If your heart is stout and your nerves not frail,
There’s a Ghosts’ Convention at my house,
Come dressed as one that no one will know.
Geneva Munroe
10 Centre Street
October 31st—8 P.M.
We will note from the invitation that Mr. Jack o’Lantern is entertaining the ghosts during the convention, so the room should be decorated accordingly. Perhaps the best effect can be obtained by covering the walls with dark blue or black crepe paper thickly besprinkled with gold stars. A strip of H 849 Crepe Paper showing black cats on a fence may be arranged at the bottom of the wall. At the ceiling place natural branches draped with long straggling strands of gray crepe paper moss and arrange a few flying bats and owls in it.
Chairs are placed, with backs toward the door, and are spaced about two or three feet apart in each direction. Plain, fairly heavy mat stock or very heavy white paper is cut into pieces about 42” x 18”, then rounded off at the top to give the pieces the shape of tombstones. One is then fastened to the back of each chair, thus hiding the chairs and giving the appearance of a graveyard.
There is a chair for each guest, or, rather, a tombstone for each ghost, marked with the name of its owner, so that each may readily find his own and kneel on the chair. This will give an effect of tombstones with the heads and shoulders of the ghosts showing above them.
As they come into the room they are informed by Jack o’Lantern that they must go at once to their respective graves. Mr. J. o’Lantern consists of a good sized cardboard Jack o’Lantern with a hole in bottom, into which is fitted and glued a long mailing tube. Somebody stands on a chair behind a screen placed beside the door, holds the Jack o’Lantern over the top and whispers through the tube, the sound coming from the Jack o’Lantern’s mouth. If an old screen may be procured, so the Jack o’Lantern’s neck may protrude through a hole, it is possible to whisper directly into the guest’s ear, and the effect is truly weird.
When the ghosts are all assembled, Jack o’Lantern speaks out and says: “Welcome, friend spooks. Not being one of you, I must now leave, and will send my friend, your Chairman, to take charge.”
The person behind the screen then steps out as Chairman of the Convention, taking his place behind a table, and calling for order, after rapping with the gavel (a large ham bone or other heavy bone).
“Fellow spooks,” he announces: “As you know, every family has its family skeleton, and we will begin the evening by unveiling them and making them known. As your name is called, step forward, take off your mask, and receive the truth about the ancestor who has disgraced or made famous your family name.”
The announcement is followed by the calling of the ghosts. As each steps up in turn, the card is read, held up so all may see the picture thereon, and handed to the ghost. These cards are prepared by pasting onto them Cut-outs No. H 447 and adding with a pen a few marks to represent shoulders, arms and ribs of the skeleton. The following verses are used for the cards, and of course each has the name at the top of the ghost who receives the card.
[The beginning of the first verse is missing or unclear in the transcription.]
He hung until his neck was stretched.
2. Three cheers for your ancestor’s musical bones.
He sings graveyard songs in melodious tones.
3. Your family black sheep, long since dead,
Acquired much wealth and lost his head.
(Draw shoulders and chest without head.)
4. He died very wealthy, and though it seems funny,
He somehow took with him this large bag of money.
5. I almost dread to have you look—
Your ancestor was such a crook.
6. So filled up with pep that in death he has vim.
When we feel an earthquake—well, that’s caused by him.
7. A hero he was; see the medal he wears?
He used Herpicide—saved the lives of three hairs.
8. On Sunday in the choir he sang—
On week-days, led an outlaw gang.
9. The robbers now search for his grave, I am told;
For he was so good that his heart was pure gold.
10. At night he still stalks the links—when he is done,
He jumps for his grave; he makes that “hole in one.”
11. This safe-blower broke up safes like eggs—
The sleuth who caught him knew his yeggs.
12. He never was angry and so, it is said,
An ice man tries nightly to steal his cool head.
When each has received his evidence of the characteristics of his ancestor, the Chairman orders the lights turned low, and each is required to confess for his family and tell the “True” story of at least one deed his ancestor committed. The verse gives him his cue and some amusing and unique ghost stories are certain to follow. For instance, No. 1 may tell of the death of his ancestor on the gallows, the next, of walking through a graveyard and hearing weird songs, and so on.
The convention is then closed—the ghosts retire to another room, where costumes are removed, and they return to find the graves gone also.
Any of the usual Hallowe’en games may now be played. In addition, here is a new one:
Memory and Articulation
The following couplet is read, once, rather slowly. Then each guest is asked to repeat it. Only one chance is allowed until each has had a try. Then it is sometimes fun to allow each a second turn at it, being told this time to say it rapidly. There will be some comical tongue twisting and word twisting:
Lo! Lovely Ladies Lead Lazy Languid Lives;
Wed Willing Witches When Wanting Wise Wives.
Next paper and pencils are furnished, and at a signal the guests are to write the verse from memory as quickly as they can. As they finish they are to run—the girls to one corner of the room and the boys to another, forming into lines in the order in which they arrive. The lines then march to a parallel position, and thus partners are formed for dancing.
It is better, if possible, to arrange for the dancing to be done to radio music, as this is more mysterious (especially if the loud-speaker is decorated and covered with a large black cat cut-out).
Refreshments should be simply Jack o’Lantern (pumpkin) pie and cider. Small Hallowe’en candies may also be served.
For favors, take oranges and paint eyes, nose and mouth, Jack o’Lantern fashion. Pin to each a fortune verse, some of which are given below:
1. Though in a plane you’ve never flown,
A ship of love shall be your own.
2. For one whom you shall meet tonight
Will take you for a non-stop flight.
3. When fortune knocks soon, do not heed it.
’Twill bring you wealth—you do not need it.
4. A man will come into your life
Who really ought to have a wife;
Be nice, and “Nail him to the mast”;
Leap Year is slipping mighty fast.
5. If you your beauty would enhance,
Then learn more gracefully to dance.
Much practice is the plan complete;
Wait not for Fate, but train your feet.
6. It is decreed that you shall be
Much favored in society.
Develop well your sense of wit,
And folks will say that you have [unclear].
7. A millionaire shall hold you dear,
But you will choose an Art career.
[Numbering restarts in the available transcription.]
1. In love you shall have scant success,
But forge ahead in business.
2. Go now, make for yourself a name.
In acting lies your road to fame.
3. From the Book of Fate now let me quote:
“You shall be a statesman of great note.”
4. Though you do not often act the part—
You’re a woman-hater in your heart.
5. Strive not too hard for riches great.
You’ll have them when you find your mate.
6. Do not despair at loss of hair;
A second crop is coming there.
7. Your wedding: Soon. The time: High Noon.
The lady: Blonde. And born in June.
Recreate the Merrymaking
Inspired by the imaginative spirit of these original party features, here are five simple ways to bring a little old-fashioned Hallowe’en amusement into a modern home.
The following are contemporary editorial adaptations created for Life in Bianca’s Kitchen. They have not been tested as historical reconstructions of the original 1928 instructions.
1. The Grand Assembly of Ghosts
Inspired by: Crawford N. Burroughs’s A Ghosts’ Convention.
You will need:
- Paper name cards
- Pencils or pens
- A small bell or wooden spoon
- Optional lightweight ghost-themed accessories
How to play:
- Give every guest an imaginary ghostly identity.
- Invite them to choose a suitably dramatic name, such as Lady Moonshadow or Sir Rattlebones.
- Call the convention to order with a bell.
- Ask each spirit to introduce themselves and describe the place they supposedly haunt.
- Vote for the funniest, most mysterious, or most elaborate tale.
Hostess’s note: For younger children, replace spooky stories with silly ghostly occupations and friendly imaginary adventures.
2. Mister Jack o’ Lantern’s Guessing Game
Inspired by: the pumpkin-headed host of Nell W. Scott’s Mister Jack o’ Lantern’s Party.
You will need:
- A small pumpkin or paper jack-o’-lantern
- Slips of paper
- A bowl or basket
- Pencils
How to play:
- Write a collection of lighthearted Hallowe’en clues on slips of paper.
- Place them in a bowl beside Mister Jack o’ Lantern.
- Guests take turns drawing and answering a clue.
- A correct answer earns a paper pumpkin token.
- The guest with the most tokens receives a little handmade favor.
Try clues about pumpkins, autumn leaves, black cats, costumes, and familiar fairy tales.
3. A Hallowe’en Silhouette Guessing Game
You will need:
- Black construction paper
- Scissors
- White or cream cards
- A covered basket or envelope
How to play:
- Cut simple silhouettes of familiar Hallowe’en figures: cats, owls, bats, witches, moons, and pumpkins.
- Attach each silhouette to a light-colored card.
- Show the cards one at a time, allowing only a brief glimpse.
- Ask guests to identify the shapes.
- For an extra challenge, let children invent a story connecting three of the figures.
These silhouettes can become decorations after the game, giving them a second life around the house.
4. The Mystery of the Covered Basket
You will need:
- A basket or box
- A cloth cover
- Several safe, familiar household objects
- Paper and pencils
How to play:
- Place a selection of objects inside the covered basket.
- Let guests feel one object at a time without looking.
- Ask them to write down their guesses.
- Reveal the contents at the end of the round.
- Award a small favor for the most correct answers.
Try a pinecone, a wooden spoon, a ribbon, a smooth stone, or a small fabric pumpkin. Avoid sharp objects, allergens, and anything unsuitable for young children.
5. Handmade Hallowe’en Party Favors
A little paper favor is a fitting souvenir of an evening devoted to make-believe.
You will need:
- Orange, black, and cream cardstock
- Ribbon or string
- Scissors and glue
- Small paper envelopes or bags
- Optional individually wrapped treats
To make:
- Cut small pumpkin, moon, or black-cat shapes from cardstock.
- Write a guest’s name or a cheerful Hallowe’en message on each.
- Attach the shapes to envelopes or paper bags.
- Add a small paper game, riddle, or suitable treat.
- Arrange the favors near the door for guests to collect as they leave.
For a particularly charming touch, write: “A little remembrance of Hallowe’en.”
This favor is a modern suggestion inspired by vintage paper-party entertaining.
A note on safe merrymaking: Use battery-operated lighting near paper decorations. Keep streamers and hanging figures away from flames, heat sources, and walkways. Provide age-appropriate scissors and supervise children’s crafts. If pets are present, keep strings, ribbons, and small paper pieces out of their reach.
A Little Programme for the Evening
If you would like to turn these ideas into a complete gathering, here is a simple modern party programme inspired by the imaginative entertaining found in our 1928 magazine.
An Evening of Hallowe’en Merrymaking
- Welcome the guests. Offer a paper name card and invite everyone to choose a ghostly identity.
- Gather for supper. Enjoy a seasonal table dressed with autumn colors and handmade decorations.
- Convene the ghosts. Let each guest introduce their imaginary haunting.
- Play Mister Jack’s guessing game. Award paper pumpkin tokens.
- Try a mystery game. Bring out the silhouettes or covered basket.
- Send everyone home with a favor. A paper souvenir makes a lovely farewell.
This programme is a contemporary arrangement, not a reproduction of a specific 1928 party schedule.
A Little Something to Take Home: Cinderella’s Paper Party
Before we send our Hallowe’en guests home, we have one more little treasure to share.
Tucked into the October 1912 issue of The Ladies’ Home Journal was Helen Pettes’s delightful Children’s Cut-Out Paper Parties: Of the Stories They Love the Best—I—Cinderella.
Although our Hallowe’en amusements come primarily from Dennison’s Party Magazine of 1928, we couldn’t resist bringing this earlier paper-party entertainment along to the festivities.
The original sheet includes Cinderella, fairy-tale characters, a carriage, horses, and accessories ready to become a miniature world of make-believe.
More than a century later, these little paper figures are ready to entertain a new generation.
A Vintage Paper-Party Keepsake
Choose Your Cinderella Printable
We are preparing two editions of this public-domain paper-party sheet: one preserving the original appearance, and another arranged for easier printing and cutting at home.
A Vintage Paper-Party Keepsake
Choose Your Cinderella Printable
Choose the original-inspired black-and-white edition or our newly colorized 2026 interpretation. Both are based on Helen Pettes’s charming Cinderella paper-party illustrations from 1912.
Cinderella’s Paper Party: Black & White Edition
A clean black-and-white edition prepared for printing and cutting at home, based on the original 1912 illustrations.
Download Black & White PDF
Cinderella’s Paper Party: Color Edition
A newly colorized 2026 interpretation, bringing the charming Cinderella characters and carriage to life.
Download Color PDFHistorical source: Helen Pettes, “Children’s Cut-Out Paper Parties: Of the Stories They Love the Best—I—Cinderella,” The Ladies’ Home Journal, October 1912. The original artwork is in the public domain in the United States. The colorized edition is a modern interpretation prepared for Life in Bianca’s Kitchen, 2026.
Printing tip: Print on US Letter paper at 100% scale or select “Actual Size.” Children should have adult supervision when using scissors.
A little paper, a pair of scissors, and a bit of imagination. Sometimes the simplest entertainments are the loveliest.
When the Last Guest Goes Home
Looking through these old magazine pages, I find myself thinking about the things that have changed—and the things that haven’t.
The costumes may be different. Our decorations are more likely to be lit by little electric lights than by candles. And many of us would never dream of hosting quite so elaborate a ghostly convention.
Yet the pleasure of gathering people around a table, sharing a silly story, playing a game, and sending a guest home with a small remembrance feels wonderfully familiar.
That is what I have loved most about our week of Hallowe’en discoveries. Beneath the paper witches, the pumpkin faces, and the fanciful entertainments, we find people making an occasion out of an ordinary autumn evening.
And perhaps that is the nicest tradition of all.
Until next time, keep cooking, keep gathering, and keep making a home.
From the Archives
Primary sources:
- Nell W. Scott, “Mister Jack o’ Lantern’s Party,” Dennison’s Party Magazine, October–November 1928.
- Crawford N. Burroughs, “A Ghosts’ Convention,” Dennison’s Party Magazine, October–November 1928.
- Helen Pettes, “Children’s Cut-Out Paper Parties: Of the Stories They Love the Best—I—Cinderella,” The Ladies’ Home Journal, October 1912.
The archival illustrations are reproduced for historical discussion. The five expandable activities and the suggested evening programme are modern editorial interpretations developed for Life in Bianca’s Kitchen.
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