6 Ways to Make Halloween Fun in your Basic Training Letters

For many of us, basic training means we’re away from our loved ones for months at a time. In those moments, there’s nothing like writing a letter to feel connected again. Even if you’re handling the distance well, holidays can make it harder to cope because you’ll miss your usual traditions with your recruit. Halloween is one of those holidays, but luckily there are ways to put a smile on your recruit’s face.

You’re probably thinking, “What’s the point?” Halloween is a pretty fun holiday—there’s costumes, parties and candy for days! It’s also a time for family and friends to come together to get spooky. With your recruit away in basic training, why not try to make their time in boot camp one of the best Halloweens ever?

Here are 6 ways to make Halloween fun in your basic training letters:

Spooky Puns

Puns can make your reader work a little hard in deciphering your message, a perfect way to get your recruit’s mind off of basic training and get them in the mood for a Halloween away from home. Here are some of our favorites to include in your letter:

Oh my GOURD, I miss you terribly! HOWL are you doing? I’m DYING to see you. You can’t SKELE-RUN from my SKELE-PUNS!
Hope you like Halloween puns. Let’s CREEP it real and have some SKELE-FUN. So thankful for you daily and love how you’re so CANDY CORN-y… You’re just my BLOOD TYPE. You are so un-BOO-lievable!
I WITCH you a Happy Halloween. I hope it doesn’t SUCK like a vampire.

Here are 125 more Halloween puns you can use.

Movie Quotes

If your recruit loves watching Halloween movies, don’t let them miss out this year! Pick a handful of movies your recruit watches every Halloween and grab the most famous movies quotes for them to relive the scenes while at basic training. You could even have them guess the movie and tell them the answers at the end.

Here are all the Halloween movie quotes you could ever need.

Halloween Jokes

Everyone loves a good Halloween joke, so why not put a smile on your recruit’s face while they are at basic training? It can help make a tough day better when they get some humor in their day. Here are some of our favorite Halloween jokes:

What do you get when you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter? Pumpkin Pi.
What do witches put on their bagels? Scream cheese.
Why didn’t the skeleton go to the party? Because he had no-body to go with.
Where does a ghost go on vacation? Mali-boo.
How can you tell if a vampire has a cold? He starts coffin.
What do spiders do for fun on Halloween? They surf the web.
What do vegetarian zombies eat? Graaaaaaains.

Here are 150 more Halloween jokes.

Costume Time

For some, costumes are the most important part of Halloween. Unfortunately your recruit cannot wear a costume at basic training, but they can help you with yours! If you have a couple ideas for a costume, let your recruit pick for you. If you’ve already chosen what you want to be, then have them guess based on the clues you give them. When Halloween passes and you have photos of your costume, send them another letter with a photo attached so they know if they got it right or not. Having something to look forward to will help get your recruit through the long days at basic training.

Ghost Story

Why not try to give your recruit a scare? Look up ghost stories from the area where your recruit is stationed and add them to your letter. Not only will this spook them, but they can share it with their fellow recruits on Halloween night to get everyone in the spirit.

Trick or Treat

Since trick or treating isn’t possible for your recruit, it’s time to get creative! You decide their fate:

Give them a treat: Attach a picture of their favorite thing! It could be their pet, a friend, a location, anything!
Give them a trick: A friendly prank can go a long way. Surprise them at the beginning of your letter with some outrageous news, like you dyed your hair green. Reveal the prank at the end so you don’t leave them hanging!

Even though you’re away from your recruit for Halloween, you can still send them a spooky message to get them in the holiday spirit at basic training. Using these tips, you’ll be able to create a fun Halloween season for yourself and your loved ones.

SEND YOUR RECRUIT A HALLOWEEN LETTER