The Phantom Ghost

I wrote this post last year on our family blog:  The MacIntyre Family.  It is my most popular post by far on that blog!  So I thought I'd share it with all of you today.  This is a really fun activity for Halloween, kids love to ding dong ditch or ring and run, whatever you call it in your neck of the woods.

Saturday night we were all watching a movie when the doorbell rang. It was quite late for a visitor, and Justin ran up the stairs to see who it was. No one was there, but there was a gift bag on our doorstep full of goodies, with a poster of a ghost that said "We've Been Spooked", and a set of instructions. The Phantom Ghost had struck!! We were instructed to do the same to two other families. So this evening for family night we got two gift bags ready with treats, made our ghost posters and got ready to strike! It was hard to decide which families to target, but we managed to narrow it down. Josh and Scott hit the first victim's house. Their black sweatshirts helped them blend into the night. Sarah and Jeff were the next phantoms, and ran like the wind (or a gentle breeze...) We were playing some Halloween tunes in the van to make it seem more festive. Is Kung-Fu Fighting a Halloween song? Scott and I were debating this. He said it's not spooky, and that I just like the song. I said some people dress up like ninjas so it's appropriate. He's right, though. I do like the song. We also listened to Ghostbusters and Thriller. It was lots of fun. After a few minutes we decided to see if our packages had been picked up, and they had been! In fact, one house had their phantom already hanging in their window. Here's the poem we attached to our treat bags:

The Phantom Ghost


The Phantom Ghost has come to town,

To leave some goodies as I see you've found.

If you do not wish a curse to fall,

Continue this greeting, this phantom call.

First, place this Phantom where it can be seen,

And leave it there 'til Halloween.

This will scare other Phantoms who may try to call,

Be sure to participate - you'll have a ball!

Second, make 2 treats, 2 Phantoms, and 2 notes like this,

Deliver them to 2 neighbors who might have been missed.

Don't let them see you, be sneaky and quick,

The hardest part is deciding whose house to pick.

Third, leave at the door where there is no light,

Ring the doorbell, run, stay out of sight.

Be happy, have fun and come join the season,

The best kind of tricks are the ones that are pleasin'.

And remember this one very important fact,

YOU ONLY HAVE ONE DAY TO ACT!