The air turns crisp, leaves change color and fall, and autumn settles over West Lake and the surrounding areas of Hangzhou. This is my favorite time of year, marked by preparations for my favorite holiday: Halloween.

Growing up in the US, I enjoyed carving pumpkins, dressing up, visiting haunted houses, going on hay rides, and trick-or-treating. Now that I have children of my own, I want them to experience the same Halloween magic. However, it can be challenging to capture the true essence of Halloween in China. Here are a few ways I make the most of it.

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a Jack-o’-Lantern (南瓜灯), so that’s the first activity I did with my daughters. My eldest, Meiana, and I visited our local market to find the biggest pumpkin they had. Although it was small and green, it was perfect for the job. I carved a scary face while Meiana cleaned out the guts and seeds (and ate a few). We lit a candle inside, and the kids loved seeing it glow.

Costumes are also essential for the celebration. Meiana, who is three, chose to be a witch, inspired by the ones in Disney’s Hocus Pocus (a Halloween classic). Her baby sister, Xinghe, who is just starting to walk, will go as a little black bat. The girls will wear their costumes on Halloween night when we visit our neighbors to trick-or-treat.

Food is another fun way to celebrate. I recently made “earthworm” ice cream for the family. It’s simply ice cream topped with crushed chocolate cookies (like Oreos) to resemble dirt, with gummy worms for a spooky touch. Meiana enjoyed the snack greatly.

Will Hangzhou have any family-friendly Halloween activities? If not, I’ll make sure to create holiday fun for my kids -- and you can too!