Careful how much you drink, or you might wake up to one of these.As we do each year for Cinco De Mayo and St. Patrick’s Day, we decided to share our top 3 tips for a successful Halloween weekend. Whether you’re starting the celebrations early or holding off till the weekend (more power to ya), we’ve got some airtight ideas to make sure it doesn’t turn into a horror film.

1. Don’t show up without a costume

This might seem obvious to many, but some people just don’t get that NOBODY IS EXEMPT FROM DRESSING UP. Whether you go sexy, silly, or scary, a good costume (or just any costume at all) is MANDATORY. Here are some rebuttals to possible excuses:

But I don’t have any money!

IMPROVISE. Get creative and utilize what you already have.

But dressing up is lame!

No, YOU’RE LAME.

But –

SHUT IT.

2. Show up fashionably late, but not too late

Showing up first at the party will not only up the likelihood that you’ll be the first person passed out in the punchbowl, but also that you’ll end milling around, eating chips, feeling bored for hours. Instead, give the party a couple hours to get rumbling, and then make your appearance. However, wait too long and you’ll show up to a room full of drunken zombie-people, and no one will get to enjoy the solid Don Draper costume you whipped up.

3. Take advantage of the holiday to get your schmooze on

Halloween is literally the easiest day of the year to spark conversation with a potential booty call. A simple, “I love your costume,” or if yo don’t know what it is, “Wait, what are you dressed as, you look great!” makes people feel appreciated and noticed (AKA, the whole point of Halloween). This is the one time of year it’s acceptable to ask random passersby for pictures, too, so make it count. And in case you needed ANOTHER reason to make sure your costume is awesome, there is NOTHING ladies love more than taking pictures with guys in hilarious costumes. It is a proven fact.

If you do end up going home with a hottie, this might be one of the times that booty call commandment #1 should be followed. No one wants to wake up to what they THOUGHT was a sexy doctor but turned out to be a chubby blue ghost from Pacman.

Happy Halloween, everyone! Have a sexy (and safe) time!