5 Last-Minute Halloween Ideas That Aren't Lame

So you've always had a great time on Halloween, like, since you were able to walk, but the big night is here, and you're desperately on the hunt for last-minute Halloween ideas. Maybe you bought your costume like three months ago, maybe you've been so busy you haven't given it a second thought, but one thing is abundantly clear— you've gotta celebrate somehow. Here are five things to do on Halloween if you waited until now to make plans.

As feminist writer Germaine Greer once said, "the essence of pleasure is spontaneity," and basically what she meant is, don't have a cow, because you can definitely still have a memorable Halloween, even if you do something totally new and nontraditional. What could be better on the spookiest night of the year than challenging yourself to do something you've never done, or that you've never done on Halloween, before?

For years, I had a major personal frustration with Halloween, from senior year of high school when my biology class had a huge project due on Nov. 1, through college, when I made incredibly specific plans four years in a row, only to have them systematically foiled by the universe in one way or another. The moral of the story is, as is the case with any celebration remotely associated with the consumption of alcohol, that you gotta roll with the tides, regardless of how you pictured your night unfolding.

So here are some creative ways to spend this Saturday night if you haven't already made plans.

1. Hand Out Candy & Absorb The Joy

My boyfriend and I had a low-key Halloween a few years ago, and this group of kids walked up, most of whom were dressed as the New York Yankees, except one. When I asked him what he was dressed up as, he looked pensively into the sunset and said, "I don't know. I'm a psychologist with a lightsaber." Instant classic.

2. Have Yourself An Opposite Night

While everyone else is getting zombified and crazy, have yourself a romantic evening. Go to a restaurant near you that is usually packed. I bet you'll find that the wait is a lot shorter than usual. I employed this method once on a particularly dark Valentine's Day, and it was absolutely brilliant.

3. Throw A Potluck Dinner Party

If everyone brings one course of the meal, a potluck dinner party requires little to no planning whatsoever. It's yummy, and even if everyone just orders from a different takeout place, it's a lot more fun than going to bed early and lamenting your early descent into old age.

4. Ladies' Night Movie Marathon

I can think of at least three amazingly appropriate things you could binge watch during a Halloween girls' night in. Think Outlander, Twilight, or the wonderfully underrated 1991 season of Dark Shadows.Yeah, you're welcome... there's no charge.

5. Dress Up Your Pet, And Take Them For A Stroll

Seriously, there's no better opportunity to embarrass your dog than Halloween. If my dogs wouldn't immediately eat their costumes, this would become a tradition at my house right here and right now.

Eventually, my lame Halloween curse was broken, and I've become a bonafide expert in going with the flow — especially in costume. So, get creative, and I'm sure Halloween 2015 will turn out to be a great one for you too!

For more Halloween ideas, check out Bustle on YouTube.

Images: petful/Flickr; Giphy (5)