I would like to introduce you to post one in our Halloween Gift Guide. Today we will be creating a Halloween Ticket Jar we’re not simply finding something to buy. We’re going to make something together. And before you run to the store for craft supplies, I want you to stop and look around your house first. You may already have everything you need.

Maybe you have a Mason jar tucked away in a cabinet. Perhaps there’s a clean food jar, an old oatmeal container, a cereal box, a shoebox, or a small cardboard box waiting to be reused.

It doesn’t even have to be a jar. This is your Halloween Treat Jar, Ticket Jar, Treasure Box—or whatever you decide to create! The goal isn’t to spend money. The goal is to have fun and spend time with those you love.

Charlie is older but he is going to do these activates with us and when David is home he will join us as well. Because in this challenge you do not have to do the activates everyday. You and your family join us on the days you can.

Throughout our Halloween Gift Guide 2026 Interactive Challenge, children can collect little tickets, notes, drawings, stickers, and memories and keep them in their decorated container.

You can use the container for a Halloween scavenger hunt. You can use it for little prizes. You can use it to collect Halloween memories. You can even use it as a treat container. And when Halloween is over, you don’t have to throw it away.

Write the year it was made on the bottom—Halloween 2026—and bring it back out next year. If you make one every year, you’ll eventually have a collection of Halloween creations that show how much your children have grown.

Remember before beginning to create your ticket look around your house before you shop Which is one of the most important parts of our challenge: Don’t buy anything until you’ve looked around your house.

Check your craft supplies. Look through the junk drawer. Check the recycling bin for boxes that can be safely reused. Look in the pantry for empty containers. And ask your neighbors.

Someone may have Halloween stickers they never used. Someone may have old Halloween cards. Someone may have scrapbook paper, ribbon, buttons, craft foam, googly eyes, or other supplies sitting in a drawer.

What someone else considers leftovers might become the perfect decoration for your child’s Halloween project. You could even turn this into part of the challenge: Ask a neighbor if they have one Halloween craft supply they aren’t using. It teaches children that creating something special doesn’t always mean buying something new.

What Can You Use?

Almost any clean, sturdy container that is appropriate for your child’s age can work.

Try:

• A Mason jar
• A small food jar
• A baby-food jar
• A shoebox
• A cereal box
• An oatmeal container
• A small cardboard box
• A plastic container
• A clean coffee container
• A gift box
• Another container you already have at home

A tiny container can be perfect for a little child. A larger container gives older children more room to decorate. And there’s no reason teenagers can’t participate. Remember even though Charlie is older, my family will be doing this challenge together.

What You’ll Need: Remember: Use what you have first!

Container

Choose one:

• Jar
• Box
• Container
• Treasure box
• Another reusable item from your home

Decorating Supplies: Use whatever you already have:

• Halloween stickers
• Old Halloween cards
• Magazine pictures
• Scrapbook paper
• Construction paper
• Ribbon
• String
• Markers
• Crayons
• Colored pencils
• Glue
• Glue sticks
• Tape
• Googly eyes
• Buttons
• Craft foam
• Pom-poms
• Pipe cleaners
• Washable paint
• Printed Halloween shapes
• Your child’s own drawings

You don’t need all of these. You may only need three or four things.

A Safety Reminder for Parents: If children are using scissors, make sure an adult is available to supervise and help younger children. If you’re using a hot-glue gun, adult supervision is required.

You don’t have to use a glue gun, either. Glue sticks, regular craft glue, tape, or stickers can work beautifully even duct tape can be fun. The important thing is to make the project age-appropriate and safe.

How to Make Your Halloween Treat Jar or Ticket Jar

Step 1: Choose Your Container– Find something you already have at home. Clean it and make sure it is completely dry.

Step 2: Gather Your Supplies: Before buying anything, look through your house. Then ask family members or neighbors if they have Halloween supplies they’re willing to share.

Step 3: Plan Your Design: Will your container be a pumpkin? A ghost? A haunted house? A Halloween monster? A collection of your favorite Halloween colors? Let your child decide. Because the Sky’s the limit when creating your Ticket Jar.

Step 4: Create Your Decorations: Draw Halloween pictures. Cut out shapes from paper. Use pictures from old cards or magazines. Print simple Halloween shapes you find online. Add stickers, ribbon, buttons, or whatever else you have.

Step 5: Decorate Your Container: Let the child make it their own. It doesn’t need to be perfect. In fact, the imperfections are part of the memory.

Step 6: Add Their Name– Write the child’s name somewhere on the container.

Step 7: Add the Year: Don’t forget this! Write: Halloween 2026 on the bottom or back. That little date may become one of the most important parts of the project years from now.

Step 8: Print out your Halloween Tickets: Which was in post one. Write challenges, activities, reading goals, kind deeds, or scavenger-hunt clues on them. Every time the child completes one, they can put the ticket into their container.

You can connect our Halloween Gift Guide: Interactive 2026 to our 30-Minute Reading Challenge which is one of my favorite parts. A child could earn a extra ticket after completing their reading time.

And at the end of the challenge, the prize doesn’t have to be another mountain of candy. It could be a book. Or anything you want. Charlie is older now, but he still enjoys reading anime-related books, so I could see myself picking out a book for him as his Halloween challenge prize.

Or perhaps his prize would be a gas gift card. Maybe we’d go out for a fast-food meal together. Or we could make Cookies together because sometimes the prize is really just an excuse to spend time together.

And Yes, You Can Have a Little Candy Children are going to get plenty of candy on Halloween. But that doesn’t mean Mom or Dad can’t give them one tiny piece of candy during the challenge.

Sometimes one piece of candy from Mom or Dad can make a child’s day and it’s not about how much candy they get. It’s about the little moment. “Here, I saved this one for you.” Those are the moments children remember.

While making your Ticket Jar I thought you might want to create a snack with your family to serve while making the Jars. Here is a recipe for Halloween Chex Mix with a printable recipe card you can share with your friends and family.

Make Halloween Chex Mix

While making a simple Halloween snack use what you already have whenever possible.

Try:

• Chex cereal
• Pretzels
• Popcorn
• Candy corn
• Halloween-colored candies
• Chocolate pieces
• Mini marshmallows
• Other favorite snack pieces

Put everything into a large bowl, gently mix it together, and serve it in little Halloween cups, bowls, or treat bags. And once again: Check your pantry before you shop. You may already have enough to make something delicious.

Now here’s where we can make an ordinary afternoon feel like a celebration. In our house, we tend to do one holiday at a time. So I know it can feel a little early to start pulling out Halloween movies when another holiday is still on the calendar.

But this isn’t about rushing through the holidays. It’s a challenge leading up to Halloween. So why not celebrate a little? Put on your favorite Halloween movie. Make popcorn or our Halloween Chex Mix.

Bring out the craft supplies. Let the kids decorate. Cut out tickets. Laugh together. And enjoy an afternoon that feels just a little bit special. Don’t forget to invite your friends and family over to make there own craft jar

This project would also make a wonderful homeschool art activity.

Children can learn about:

• Colors
• Shapes
• Texture
• Design
• Reusing materials
• Cutting and gluing
• Drawing
• Creative writing
• Storytelling

Have your child explain why they chose their colors. Ask them to name their Halloween creation. Have them draw the character that lives inside their treasure box. Then let them write a short story about it.

You could even combine art and reading by having them complete their 30-minute reading challenge earning two tickets for today. One little Halloween project can turn into an entire afternoon of learning.

I talk a lot about saving money, reusing what we have, shopping our homes first, and asking neighbors before buying something new. And I absolutely believe in all of that. But every once in a while? Why not splurge?

Splurging doesn’t have to mean spending $100. Maybe you buy the Halloween candy everyone loves. Maybe you order dinner. Maybe you let the kids pick the movie. Maybe you buy one special book. Maybe you get a favorite snack that you normally don’t buy.

Or maybe you simply stop what you’re doing and give your children an afternoon where your only job is to have fun with them. Sometimes that’s the biggest splurge of all.

When Halloween is over, don’t automatically throw your creation away. Put it somewhere safe. Next year, bring it back out. If it’s a jar, you can use it as a Halloween decoration with a battery-operated tea light.

You can fill it with wrapped candy. You can use it as a centerpiece. You can put little Halloween memories inside. You can give it to someone as a homemade Halloween gift. Or you can simply display it.

And if you’ve written Halloween 2026 on the bottom, you’ll always know when it was made. Imagine having a Halloween collection from 2026, 2027, 2028, and beyond. Each one tells a little story.

At the end of the day, when the movie is over and the craft supplies are put away, remember to tell your child: “I love you.” Tell them you had fun. Tell them you loved watching their imagination come to life.

Because they may not remember every sticker they used. They may not remember which candy was in the Chex Mix. They may not even remember which Halloween movie you watched. But they will remember sitting beside you.

They’ll remember making something with you. They’ll remember laughing. They’ll remember being encouraged. And they’ll remember being loved. That’s what makes this more than a craft. It’s a Halloween memory-making challenge.

Come and join us on our Halloween Gift Guide 2026 Interactive Challenge and begin by finding something you already have and create something together. Complete your Halloween tickets.

Read for 30 minutes. Make a Halloween snack. Watch a favorite movie. Have a little fun. And don’t worry about making everything perfect. Sometimes the best Halloween memories begin with an old box, a few stickers, a little candy, and a parent who simply says: “Let’s make something together.”

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates