Great Twilight Party Ideas For Your Tween Or Teen

Unless you live under a rock (or a coffin), you've got to have caught on to the vampire fad that has swept the country in the past few years. Maybe it's the Stephanie Myer's hit series, Twilight. Maybe it's the economic situation in the country these days and the feeling we're having the life sucked out of us, who knows? All I know is that vampires have taken a bite out of the t.v. and film industry these days. And the following that vampire series like Twilight have among the tween and young teen set is amazing.

You know, I don't remember vampires being nearly as hot in the days I used to watch the spooky day time soap opera, Dark Shadows, based on the life (?) of vampire Barnabus Collins when I was a kid. Dark Shadows was amazingly ahead of its time. A soap opera based on vampires? How cool was that? So naturally, I absolutely get the fascination that kids have with all these vampire shows today and why they would be begging their parents to let them have a vampire party. And since, shockingly, vampire books actually have gotten some teens to...gasp...READ... who swore they'd never touch a book unless it was shoved upside their heads by the school bully, by all means, let's celebrate and let them have a Twilight party!

First and foremost, it can't be a party without food and lots of it. Have you SEEN how much food your average middle schooler can put away these days? Even though you're having a vampire party, the local blood banks are not likely to supply you with refreshments, so you'll have to go it alone on this one. How about Bella's favorite food, mushroom lasagna? Or if mushrooms aren't really your kid's thing and your culinary skills aren't that well developed, think of some red party foods instead.

It's all about the presentation after all, so make your party decorations worthy of even count Dracula dropping by. Remember how Edward glitters in sunlight? So dim the lights, but not completely by adding some twinkle lights in your potted plants, or battery powered ones hung in your chandelier or light fixture over the refreshment table. Cover your tables with black tablecloths, the better to show off all the red snacks you prepared. Get some inexpensive dollar store vases and fill them with red apples or float glow in the dark vampire teeth in them with a floating candle on top of the water. Print some of your favorite quotes from the books and place them around the table. These can later be given away as prizes or party favors. Cover the furniture with white sheets which will give a creepy effect AND protect your furniture for any unnecessary "blood"shed.

You could make "blood" punch with Hawaiian Punch and Sprite. Make sure to fill a rubber glove or two with water or punch and freeze it before"hand", so you can have a creepy appendage floating in the punch. Blood red velvet cake or cupcakes with cream cheese frosting colored with black food coloring and a pair of wax vampire teeth perched on top would be yummy and clever.

Snacks could include things like Twizzlers, (they were eating them on the beach when Bella first found out about the 'cold ones" from Jacob), salsa with black tortilla chips, popcorn with butter that's been colored red to drizzle over it, red hots, red and black m&m's (yes, there are websites that actually sell those), and red apples, of course.

Get your party dazzling by playing music from the Twilight soundtrack or from one of Stephanie Myer's favorite bands, Muse, whom she claimed inspired her while she was writing Twilight . Have Twilight trivia contests, play the DVD on t.v. in the background with the sound down, make Twilight charm bracelets, or have a Twilight themes scavenger hunt. For favors, order "body bags" from discount sites like Oriental Trading Company, wax fangs, body glitter, vampire bite tattoos, and printable Twilight bookmarks printed on nice cardstock with a tassel added for style. Or create a beautiful metal one with red and black beads and a wolf or lion charm attached. Also stuff in a few candy bags of blood and some apple body lotion from the dollar store.

If you've followed instructions, you have achieved a party that your tween will always remember. Most importantly, stay in the background and for goodness sake, don't act like too much of one of the kids and swoon over Jacob without a shirt or too much of a parent when a little fake blood gets on the carpet. Just remember, today they are actually speaking to you unlike tomorrow when they'll ask you to drop them off a block away from school. So enjoy the party!