For Nicole, Halloween has always been a big deal. Back in Costa Rica, the tradition is vibrant: people dress up, houses and apartments are decked out in spooky themes, and the atmosphere is electric. But here in Switzerland, the celebration is a little different. While it has certainly grown in popularity over the last couple of years, it is still rare to find decorated houses, and you don’t see a lot of children going around asking for trick-or-treat very often. Thats why we had to do our own Homemade Halloween Night.
I remember when I was a child, I only went out once for trick-or-treating, and Halloween was generally not a celebrated day in Switzerland. Because of this, Nicole was a little sad when I had to tell her: “I don’t know where we can go out and see some nice Halloween things.” Sure, there are parties, but we are not really the party people, so that wasn’t an option either.
This situation perfectly highlights the minor cultural adjustments we constantly face, reminding me of the bigger conversations we had when she first moved here. (You can read about those cultural hurdles in our interview: Living as an Expat in Switzerland: An Interview with My Costa Rican Wife). I knew I had to do something to give her at least a little bit of that Halloween feeling here in Switzerland.
The Decision to Celebrate at Home
I quickly came up with an idea: we could just celebrate it for ourselves at home. We could decorate the living room a little, cook something delicious with a Halloween theme, and watch a classic horror or spooky movie. Of course, it wouldn’t be the same as the massive celebrations she was used to, but it was something. She immediately agreed, and we started planning our very own Homemade Halloween Night!
Thanks to Tiktok we had a lot of ideas, ranging from themed burgers and pumpkin carving to special Halloween drinks. In the end, we decided on a fun, creative menu:
- Small, spooky-themed pizzas. (at least we tried and we forgot to take a picture)
- Carrots and cucumber with a cream dip (for healthy balance!).
- Ice cream for dessert.
- A special, “bloody” Halloween drink, served with decorated cups and a themed table setting.
We also bought some fun Halloween candies and an additional dessert to ensure we had all the festive treats.
An Unforgettable Spooky Night
For the movie, I let Nicole decide, and she chose the old classic, Sleepy Hollow. I have to confess, I hadn’t seen that movie before, so I was even more excited to watch it together with Nicole while enjoying our amazing dinner.
The preparation was a fun process. It required a little planning and organization, which is something I always find rewarding. If you love to plan and organize life and events as much as I do, you might appreciate my system for keeping track of everything, including these spontaneous events: Why I have My Whole Life in Notion.
In the end, it was an amazing evening. Even though it was not even close to the scale of the celebration she is used to, I think I was able to make Nicole happy with how we celebrated Halloween 2025. Maybe next year, with a little more planning and foresight, we can do even something more special, perhaps coordinating with a few friends.
Do you celebrate Halloween? And if yes, how do you celebrate it? Let us know in the comments, so we can have some inspiration for next year!