Halloween is a playful holiday. To make it even more so, here are some Halloween games, e-cards, recipes and just good-old-fashioned stuff you can acquire for free.

• Fresh out of ideas for making your own Halloween costume? Go to www.jansfreecontent.com/publish/Halloween, where you can download directions and ideas for homemade get-ups.

• Spend time with your kids making a papier mache Halloween pumpkin; visit www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/crafts/hcrafta.htm for free directions. There are even instructions for making the all-purpose papier mache glue!

• There are loads of Web sites to choose from for sending free e-cards. Here's one of my favorites: www.123greetings.com. Enter the word "Halloween" into the search box to choose free Halloween party e-vitations (just made that word up) as well as e-greeting cards.

• There are also a plethora of online games to play. One I like is "Bashing Pumpkins" at www.freehalloweenscreensavers.com. Not only will you and your fast-fingered kids have the chance to smash pumpkins with the move of your cursor, but the pumpkins pop up on screen visiting world famous sites. This affords you the added-value opportunity to see if you and your children can name these well-known places.

• For your little Tic Tac Toe lovers, download easy templates to create your own game at home from www.familycrafts.about.com/od/printablehalloweengames/Printable-Halloween-Games.htm. Click on the "Halloween Tic-Tac-Toe Game" link on the left side of the page.

• More fun for little ones includes the "Find Out the Difference" game at www.funmunch.com/events/halloween/halloween-games. Want a little more challenge? Click on "Vanish the pumpkins."

• Sing along and celebrate with some fun Halloween songs that you can print out and enjoy. Go to www.simplesongs.blogs.com then click on the song of your choice.

• After all this frenzy, you probably will need a spooky snack. How about "Eerie Eyeballs" or "Freaky Witch Fingers?" You can find directions for these and more at www.britta.com/HW/HWr.html. Hint: Read all the directions before starting a recipe here, since not all ingredients are listed on the ingredients lists accompanying the recipes.