I don't blog much these days. But you didn't think I could ignore Halloween did you? A quick search on the word 'Halloween' on my blog turns up 22 posts (?!), including this one (2015), my first one (2012) and my Halloween poem - so it's no secret I love Halloween.
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Nov 5, 2016
Nov 2, 2015
Halloween keen
As I've mentioned before, I love Halloween.
My formative trick or treating experiences in Los Angeles as a child were fantastic, and the whole thing was just so much fun. So I have been gung ho ever since it looked as if Halloween might take off here.
It hasn't. It probably won't. Too many people don't like it. It's a bit of a shame, as it's such easy, harmless fun.
From a good strong start three years ago, Halloween has sputtered out a bit in our suburb; last night I got three trick or treaters and one of those groups was a kid from two streets away who knows I do Halloween and probably headed straight here when she left her house.
As always, I massively over-catered with a deep casserole ("cauldron") and a fruit bowl full of lollies from which our kids and their friends ended up doing massively well.
However, always hopeful, I manned our front door and dipped only occasionally (i.e., quite often) into my overflowing cauldron to munch on jelly eyeballs and Milky Ways.
My kids were originally meant to meet at a friend's place for trick or treating but the parents had to cancel, so everyone met at our place instead. While I tried not to eat all the good lollies the other three mums walked the streets with our gang of zombies, witches, skeletons, gypsies, grim reaper/Scream ghost and Batgirl.
The kids had a great time roaming the streets and knocking on doors. Most of those doors didn't open, but those that did were (as always) friendly and most had candy or treats.
Once plastic buckets were full, they all came back to our house. After a big bowl of potato wedges and cold drinks the kids played outside and we mums all sat down with a glass of wine. It was a fantastic evening and if I end up hosting a Halloween party at my place every year, I will be very satisfied.
Or... maybe I will set up a light show, some dry ice and a Vincent Price soundtrack to attract more trick or treaters?
My formative trick or treating experiences in Los Angeles as a child were fantastic, and the whole thing was just so much fun. So I have been gung ho ever since it looked as if Halloween might take off here.
It hasn't. It probably won't. Too many people don't like it. It's a bit of a shame, as it's such easy, harmless fun.
From a good strong start three years ago, Halloween has sputtered out a bit in our suburb; last night I got three trick or treaters and one of those groups was a kid from two streets away who knows I do Halloween and probably headed straight here when she left her house.
As always, I massively over-catered with a deep casserole ("cauldron") and a fruit bowl full of lollies from which our kids and their friends ended up doing massively well.
The kids and I had decorated the house and attached balloons and skulls to the fence and lamppost to attract the roaming hoardes... to little avail.
At one point I saw some kids hesitate at the end of our street, and I almost opened the door and called out to them. Then I remembered that would be weird.
However, always hopeful, I manned our front door and dipped only occasionally (i.e., quite often) into my overflowing cauldron to munch on jelly eyeballs and Milky Ways.
My kids were originally meant to meet at a friend's place for trick or treating but the parents had to cancel, so everyone met at our place instead. While I tried not to eat all the good lollies the other three mums walked the streets with our gang of zombies, witches, skeletons, gypsies, grim reaper/Scream ghost and Batgirl.
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The kids had a great time roaming the streets and knocking on doors. Most of those doors didn't open, but those that did were (as always) friendly and most had candy or treats.
Once plastic buckets were full, they all came back to our house. After a big bowl of potato wedges and cold drinks the kids played outside and we mums all sat down with a glass of wine. It was a fantastic evening and if I end up hosting a Halloween party at my place every year, I will be very satisfied.
Or... maybe I will set up a light show, some dry ice and a Vincent Price soundtrack to attract more trick or treaters?
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| What - too much? |
Nov 12, 2014
12 Resolutions: November (and October recap)
Hello again.
It's that time of year. Things are busy. But I haven't forgotten my November resolution (thanks Pandora for the nudge).
This year I'm playing along with #12Resolutions on Twitter and Facebook. The idea is to set yourself short-term, achievable goals, one each month.
For October my goal was to get more sleep.
Tick! I took that to heart. I've been trundling off to bed at a reasonable hour and feeling all the better for it, for the last few weeks. It has curtailed on online activity significantly, unfortunately.
But there are only so many hours in the day and you can't do everything.
So anyway, on to November.
For November I'm taking a break from self-improvement and focusing on CLEANING, TIDYING and DE-CLUTTERING. The kids' ninth birthday is coming up and we're doing a party at home, and I need this home clutter free and crowd-friendly by mid-December.
So that will keep me busy.
I've already bagged up a lot of gear for donating and hard rubbish, and I have tidied our lounge-room which was a HUGE job.
Our lounge room was very cluttered.
Put it this way: on Halloween night when the kids went trick or treating, I was able to just bend down and pick up their plastic pumpkin buckets from under my desk, where they had been dumped after last Halloween.
No longer - our lounge room is now spacious and clutter free. (Clutter free for us, that is. It'll never be minimalist).
It's that time of year. Things are busy. But I haven't forgotten my November resolution (thanks Pandora for the nudge).
This year I'm playing along with #12Resolutions on Twitter and Facebook. The idea is to set yourself short-term, achievable goals, one each month.
For October my goal was to get more sleep.
Tick! I took that to heart. I've been trundling off to bed at a reasonable hour and feeling all the better for it, for the last few weeks. It has curtailed on online activity significantly, unfortunately.
But there are only so many hours in the day and you can't do everything.
So anyway, on to November.
For November I'm taking a break from self-improvement and focusing on CLEANING, TIDYING and DE-CLUTTERING. The kids' ninth birthday is coming up and we're doing a party at home, and I need this home clutter free and crowd-friendly by mid-December.
So that will keep me busy.
I've already bagged up a lot of gear for donating and hard rubbish, and I have tidied our lounge-room which was a HUGE job.
Our lounge room was very cluttered.
No longer - our lounge room is now spacious and clutter free. (Clutter free for us, that is. It'll never be minimalist).
So what's on your to-do list these days?
#12Resolutions:
January: walk 5 times a week (achieved - I now walk daily)
February: write 2 short stories (failed - wrote none)
March: write 1 short story, and start Project Management course (done)
April: visit GP and complete or schedule the follow-ups (done)
May: complete one module of Project Management course (failed)
June: working day money savers: public transport and packed lunch (done)
July: pay attention to needs, moods and emotions to manage reactions (done, and ongoing)
January: walk 5 times a week (achieved - I now walk daily)
February: write 2 short stories (failed - wrote none)
March: write 1 short story, and start Project Management course (done)
April: visit GP and complete or schedule the follow-ups (done)
May: complete one module of Project Management course (failed)
June: working day money savers: public transport and packed lunch (done)
July: pay attention to needs, moods and emotions to manage reactions (done, and ongoing)
August: limit time-wasting activities on my phone (done - and still going pretty well)
September: 15 mins floor exercises daily (nope)
October: get more sleep (yes)
November: de-clutter, tidy and clean house for December entertaining
Oct 20, 2013
Words for Wednesday: A Halloween Poem
'Words for Wednesday' is a writing prompt held by Delores at Under the Porch Light.
Use some or all of the week's words, write a poem or a story or a fragment, and visit Delores' current week's prompt to let her know you've joined in.
This week I used Delores' second prompt:
She couldn't think. Her mind was full of pumpkin mush.
Here is my story:
Halloween came darkly, and the moon was very big
Anna donned her costume, and tucked her hair into her wig.
The cries of children - 'Trick or Treat!' - floated through the night
Excited voices, running steps, squeals of sweet delight.
Anna stood inside her door, wishing she was there
But Anna had no little friends; those children didn't care.
Her mother let her dress up, and stand beside the door
To hand out treats to other kids, while wanting so much more.
To walk the streets with just one friend - that's all she wanted: one!
To share some secrets, laugh at jokes, and have some childhood fun.
The kids at school were not her friends; they barely spoke her name
And when they did they frowned or laughed - and Anna burned with shame.
They all thought she was quiet and odd, and so she was, she guessed
She spent most of her time alone, apart from all the rest.
Anna peeped outside the window set beside the door
The moon gleamed large and silvery... then seemed to glow some more.
Anna frowned and closed her eyes, then opened them again
The moon was even brighter, and it pulsed a little then.
There came a whoosh, like a sigh, that rippled on the breeze -
'A wishhh' it whispered gently, as it rustled through the trees.
Anna squeezed her eyes shut tight; a tear fell down her cheek
'A friend,' she whispered softly, her wish fervent, her voice meek.
The moon glowed even brighter. Then it shrank to normal size
Anna blinked away her tears, and slowly wiped her eyes.
The doorbell rang.
She opened up; it was some kids from school.
'Trick or treat!' they yelled with glee, and took candy from her bowl.
She closed the door. But when she did, the doorbell rang again
And this time when she opened up, there was just one child there.
The boy seemed roughly Anna's age, but they had never met
He smiled and held out his hand. He hadn't spoken yet.
He seemed a different kind of boy; he had a solemn gaze
And somehow he was bathed all in a gentle, milky haze.
'You need a friend,' he said to her. 'And these days, I do too.
I'm far from my old home and friends. They can't see me like you do.'
He took her hand and squeezed it. 'You are kind,' he said
'I think that that is all I need, to call you my good friend.'
Although it should have made her blush, she found she couldn't think
Her mind was full of pumpkin mush; all she could do was blink.
Anna's mother called to her. 'Close the door!' she barked
'What are you doing standing there, staring at the dark!'
Anna didn't feel afraid. The boy was by her side.
She closed the door and smiled, as she led him safe inside.
Use some or all of the week's words, write a poem or a story or a fragment, and visit Delores' current week's prompt to let her know you've joined in.
This week I used Delores' second prompt:
She couldn't think. Her mind was full of pumpkin mush.
Here is my story:
Halloween came darkly, and the moon was very big
Anna donned her costume, and tucked her hair into her wig.
The cries of children - 'Trick or Treat!' - floated through the night
Excited voices, running steps, squeals of sweet delight.
Anna stood inside her door, wishing she was there
But Anna had no little friends; those children didn't care.
Her mother let her dress up, and stand beside the door
To hand out treats to other kids, while wanting so much more.
To walk the streets with just one friend - that's all she wanted: one!
To share some secrets, laugh at jokes, and have some childhood fun.
The kids at school were not her friends; they barely spoke her name
And when they did they frowned or laughed - and Anna burned with shame.
They all thought she was quiet and odd, and so she was, she guessed
She spent most of her time alone, apart from all the rest.
Anna peeped outside the window set beside the door
The moon gleamed large and silvery... then seemed to glow some more.
Anna frowned and closed her eyes, then opened them again
The moon was even brighter, and it pulsed a little then.
There came a whoosh, like a sigh, that rippled on the breeze -
'A wishhh' it whispered gently, as it rustled through the trees.
Anna squeezed her eyes shut tight; a tear fell down her cheek
'A friend,' she whispered softly, her wish fervent, her voice meek.
The moon glowed even brighter. Then it shrank to normal size
Anna blinked away her tears, and slowly wiped her eyes.
The doorbell rang.
She opened up; it was some kids from school.
'Trick or treat!' they yelled with glee, and took candy from her bowl.
She closed the door. But when she did, the doorbell rang again
And this time when she opened up, there was just one child there.
The boy seemed roughly Anna's age, but they had never met
He smiled and held out his hand. He hadn't spoken yet.
He seemed a different kind of boy; he had a solemn gaze
And somehow he was bathed all in a gentle, milky haze.
'You need a friend,' he said to her. 'And these days, I do too.
I'm far from my old home and friends. They can't see me like you do.'
He took her hand and squeezed it. 'You are kind,' he said
'I think that that is all I need, to call you my good friend.'
Although it should have made her blush, she found she couldn't think
Her mind was full of pumpkin mush; all she could do was blink.
Anna's mother called to her. 'Close the door!' she barked
'What are you doing standing there, staring at the dark!'
Anna didn't feel afraid. The boy was by her side.
She closed the door and smiled, as she led him safe inside.
Sep 23, 2013
RE vs Halloween
My kids attend "RE" (religious instruction) at school, although I'm an atheist. I do not send them because I think religion teaches them ethics or "how to be good". They go because of a mix of personal philosophy, circumstances and compromise which include:
HOWEVER. We have recently had our first ideological collision with the RE instructor, and it was not over the expected battlegrounds like hell, church attendance or non-Christian religions.
Last week during A's RE class the kids started talking about Halloween and whether they'd be doing Trick or Treat, and A's RE teacher said she would never let her children take part in Halloween because it celebrates evil, and evil creatures.
"Er, no - that's not right," I said firmly. "It's just a bit of fun; there's nothing evil about Halloween."
What's more, apparently, Jesus and God hate Halloween.
"That's definitely not true," I said even more firmly. "God doesn't care if people celebrate Halloween, and Jesus lived 2,000 years ago and no one celebrated Halloween back then, or at least not in Jerusalem, so that doesn't even make sense!" I would never disrespect my kids' teachers, especially not right to the kids' faces - EXCEPT if they say something really dumb and judgmental like this. Which the real teachers, of course, never do.
A. was not too worried and was happy to know she could still dress up and terrorize neighbors for sweets without making Jesus unhappy.
I've written before how I'm a big fan of Halloween. RE? Not so much. If one of them has to go, I know which one it will be!
You're one strike down, RE - watch yourself!
- most of the kids including their friends go
- I'm happy for them to have "some religion" as it's part of our culture and history and this way they will understand it
- their dad is mildly religious and wanted them to go
Last year when I found out one of my daughters wasn't enjoying RE I took her out, and she joined the small group of children doing drawing or writing practice in the spare room. She was happy doing that, and she has only recently gone back to RE because she wanted to (friends again).
I've had my squirmy moments when the kids came home and spoke earnestly or lovingly about Jesus and God, but there has been nothing too bad. In their prep days we just went with it, and in grade 1 and 2 I've started to slowly put on the brakes. I let them know in various ways (less subtle as they get older) that it's really not my bag. I've told them that RE is not like the rest of school and it is optional and I don't mind if they don't go. When they ask me if such-and-such is true I say "Well, no one really knows", and if they ask me if I believe something I will say "I'm not sure", or "Not really", or I'll launch into "Well, some people think x and some people think y, and really we just don't know." Very occasionally, I've flat out said "No, that's not true." The last occasion was not something an RE teacher said, but a classmate who told A. that her mum said people who don't believe in God go to hell. Charming!
I asked A. if she asked her RE teacher about her friend's mum's comment, and she said she did and the RE teacher said there was no such thing as hell. Whew.
I asked A. if she asked her RE teacher about her friend's mum's comment, and she said she did and the RE teacher said there was no such thing as hell. Whew.
HOWEVER. We have recently had our first ideological collision with the RE instructor, and it was not over the expected battlegrounds like hell, church attendance or non-Christian religions.
Last week during A's RE class the kids started talking about Halloween and whether they'd be doing Trick or Treat, and A's RE teacher said she would never let her children take part in Halloween because it celebrates evil, and evil creatures.
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| Curly's Halloween GIFs |
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| Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
"Er, no - that's not right," I said firmly. "It's just a bit of fun; there's nothing evil about Halloween."
"That's definitely not true," I said even more firmly. "God doesn't care if people celebrate Halloween, and Jesus lived 2,000 years ago and no one celebrated Halloween back then, or at least not in Jerusalem, so that doesn't even make sense!" I would never disrespect my kids' teachers, especially not right to the kids' faces - EXCEPT if they say something really dumb and judgmental like this. Which the real teachers, of course, never do.
A. was not too worried and was happy to know she could still dress up and terrorize neighbors for sweets without making Jesus unhappy.
I've written before how I'm a big fan of Halloween. RE? Not so much. If one of them has to go, I know which one it will be!
You're one strike down, RE - watch yourself!
Nov 1, 2012
All Hail Halloween!
You know what? I love Halloween. I love it!
I want Australia to embrace this funny, fun celebration and all its glorious trappings.
American cultural imperialism? Lighten up, haters!
Not an Australian tradition? Who cares, we're not importing Thanksgiving or July 4th, so calm the crap down.
It's fun. It's harmless. It's cheap and easy to join in. And you don't have to have kids or be a kid to get into it. And no, it's not all about kids being greedy and bullying neighbors into giving them lollies. As this excellent post at MamaMia explains, it's about community.
When I was a kid we lived in the US for a few years, and Halloween was fantastic. I love that Modern Family Halloween episode which gives a reasonable idea of what it's like there. It's HUGE. Some people go all out and really get into the whole decorate-your-house-and-scare-the-kids thing; others just cheerfully open their doors and hand out candy. The streets are crawling with kids in costume, from the simple to the amazingly, funnily inventive. (My parents' finest Halloween hour: dressing me and my sister as a pair of dice, in massive boxes with arm-holes and black circles on them, and black top hats. Most uncomfortable costume ever, thanks guys!)
Teenagers chuck eggs or wrap houses in toilet paper. OK the eggs are not so much fun. And I'm sure it sucks to unwrap your house and chuck out all that toilet paper. But it's an awesome sight seeing a house and the tree in its front yard all wrapped in toilet paper the morning after Halloween, as we saw one year. Good times!
Here in Australia, I know some people are grumpy about Halloween, and actually I do understand. But I'm not one of them.
The good thing about Halloween, unlike most other celebrations, is that it seems so utterly silly and meaningless (these days). And as it has so little meaning, there's no pressure to partake.
If you don't want to join in, you don't have to.
On our trick or treating expedition last night, there were plenty of people who didn't answer their doors - and that's OK. Others answered and said "Oh I'm sorry, we're not playing" - and that's OK. A couple of people had nothing but wanted to join in anyway - one lady ran out and chased the kids to give them a box of Cheezels; another man said "Give me ten minutes!" and jumped in his car and raced to the shop to buy sweets. What a sweetie!
One house had a Jack-o-Lantern outside.
We hung orange balloons on our door to let kids know they were welcome. At one glorious point we were over-run and ended up handing out lollies on the front lawn.
How many of our neighbors joined in? About a fifth, maybe. But everyone was nice, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Our kids - ours and a friend's, who joined us - had a ball. In the words of Vampire Girl A, "Best Halloween ever!"*
*It was their second.
I want Australia to embrace this funny, fun celebration and all its glorious trappings.
American cultural imperialism? Lighten up, haters!
Not an Australian tradition? Who cares, we're not importing Thanksgiving or July 4th, so calm the crap down.
It's fun. It's harmless. It's cheap and easy to join in. And you don't have to have kids or be a kid to get into it. And no, it's not all about kids being greedy and bullying neighbors into giving them lollies. As this excellent post at MamaMia explains, it's about community.
When I was a kid we lived in the US for a few years, and Halloween was fantastic. I love that Modern Family Halloween episode which gives a reasonable idea of what it's like there. It's HUGE. Some people go all out and really get into the whole decorate-your-house-and-scare-the-kids thing; others just cheerfully open their doors and hand out candy. The streets are crawling with kids in costume, from the simple to the amazingly, funnily inventive. (My parents' finest Halloween hour: dressing me and my sister as a pair of dice, in massive boxes with arm-holes and black circles on them, and black top hats. Most uncomfortable costume ever, thanks guys!)
Teenagers chuck eggs or wrap houses in toilet paper. OK the eggs are not so much fun. And I'm sure it sucks to unwrap your house and chuck out all that toilet paper. But it's an awesome sight seeing a house and the tree in its front yard all wrapped in toilet paper the morning after Halloween, as we saw one year. Good times!
Here in Australia, I know some people are grumpy about Halloween, and actually I do understand. But I'm not one of them.
The good thing about Halloween, unlike most other celebrations, is that it seems so utterly silly and meaningless (these days). And as it has so little meaning, there's no pressure to partake.
If you don't want to join in, you don't have to.
On our trick or treating expedition last night, there were plenty of people who didn't answer their doors - and that's OK. Others answered and said "Oh I'm sorry, we're not playing" - and that's OK. A couple of people had nothing but wanted to join in anyway - one lady ran out and chased the kids to give them a box of Cheezels; another man said "Give me ten minutes!" and jumped in his car and raced to the shop to buy sweets. What a sweetie!
One house had a Jack-o-Lantern outside.
We hung orange balloons on our door to let kids know they were welcome. At one glorious point we were over-run and ended up handing out lollies on the front lawn.
How many of our neighbors joined in? About a fifth, maybe. But everyone was nice, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Our kids - ours and a friend's, who joined us - had a ball. In the words of Vampire Girl A, "Best Halloween ever!"*
*It was their second.
Do you "do" Halloween? Do you like it, hate it, or do you totally not care?
Oct 22, 2012
What's your favourite scary movie and why? (Competition)
Halloween is just around the corner, as any parent knows who is trying to find cheapo costumes the kids will accept and steeling themselves for the still-somewhat-excruciating-in-Australia business of Trick or Treating.
I love Halloween. Halloween here is still new and most people are grumpy about it, but as a kid in the US Halloween was nothing but fun - because most of the grown-ups get into it too. (That Modern Family Halloween episode gives an idea).
And just in time for Halloween, online energy retailer Click Energy is running a competition called "Lose Your Fear of Bills".
Electricity bills are scary, definitely. And getting scarier. So how would YOU (Victoria or Queensland resident aged 18 or over), like to win a year's supply of free electricity?
Click Energy is offering one person the chance to break free from the fear of bills with a competition that gives a whole year's worth of totally free electricity to the winner. All you have to do is visit their Facebook competition page at http://www.facebook.com/clickenergy and tell them what your favourite scary movie is and why.
The competition ends November 5th, 2012, and is open to Victoria and Queensland residents aged 18 years or over.
Good luck!
Disclosure: This is, obviously, a "sponsored" post. But I am not receiving any payment, electricity, gift or other benefit for it. This is a bit of an experience/experiment for me. And I genuinely hope one of you lovely people wins a year's supply of electricity!
I love Halloween. Halloween here is still new and most people are grumpy about it, but as a kid in the US Halloween was nothing but fun - because most of the grown-ups get into it too. (That Modern Family Halloween episode gives an idea).
And just in time for Halloween, online energy retailer Click Energy is running a competition called "Lose Your Fear of Bills".
Electricity bills are scary, definitely. And getting scarier. So how would YOU (Victoria or Queensland resident aged 18 or over), like to win a year's supply of free electricity?
Click Energy is offering one person the chance to break free from the fear of bills with a competition that gives a whole year's worth of totally free electricity to the winner. All you have to do is visit their Facebook competition page at http://www.facebook.com/clickenergy and tell them what your favourite scary movie is and why.
The competition ends November 5th, 2012, and is open to Victoria and Queensland residents aged 18 years or over.
Good luck!
Disclosure: This is, obviously, a "sponsored" post. But I am not receiving any payment, electricity, gift or other benefit for it. This is a bit of an experience/experiment for me. And I genuinely hope one of you lovely people wins a year's supply of electricity!
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