Backyard Halloween Bonfire

We invite a close group of friends over for a backyard bonfire on a weekend near Halloween. We decorate the backyard with fake tombstones, goblins and other scary Halloween decorations. Then we take turns telling ghost stories that will scare one another's pants off. The tradition has become a competition of sorts. Many of the attendees come prepared with the scariest ghost story they can find. We have an absolute ball sharing stories and squriming in our seats. The stories have gotten so scary that I don't think that I ever get a good night's sleep the night of the party because every time I close my eyes I think I can see or hear the character's from the evenings stories.