Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween - UPDATED CONTEST INFO!

I just now realized that I get to blog on Halloween. How fun! I think Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I'm not into the scary, gory stuff, but the more PG rated version of it. The cider, the pumpkin carving, the spooky music and decorations...and of course, Rocky Horror Picture Show and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on television. (And yes, as odd a pairing as that is, I have been known to watch both in one night, along with Garfield's Haunted Halloween. Note to Kathy - its has pirates in it!) Moving to Alabama has made Halloween that much better because here I can go to an actual pumpkin patch and pick one from the field. As if it could get better, I get a hayride and grilled corn, too. If I could bob for apples, I'd be in heaven.

I don't know, really, why I bother picking pumpkins because I only carve the foam ones anymore. I got tired of it rotting and having to make the same designs over and over. I've worn out Scooby Doo. It's still a compulsion. Its part of the whole front door decor. I decorate my front porch in purple and orange lights and tinsel with bats. I carefully set out each pumpkin with their special lights that won't catch them on fire. I put out a couple votive decorations. Nothing too frightening because I don't want to scare the little ones. Then I sit back and pray that mean teenagers don't thrash it. I've always lived in fear of falling prey to a smashing pumpkin raid. (I make sure its all safely in the house by 9.)

I also like picking out candy and handing it out. This year, the kids are getting all the leftover 50's candies. I'm sure none of it ranks high on the kid scale, but its not a toothbrush, so work with me, here. I enjoy seeing all the little kids in their costumes. There is nothing more precious than a wide eyed toddler standing on your porch dressed as a lion or a bumble bee, too freaked out to speak while their parents urge them to say 'trick or treat' from the sidewalk. Too cute. At the same time, I am very anti-teenager trick or treating. I don't like their sense of entitlement. Sometimes they don't even have costumes. I always give them tootsie rolls. So there.

This year, I have also been invited to the big Halloween party downtown. DB and I are considering it. I'm not sure what I'll wear, though. Its on top of a parking garage and I'm sure to freeze to death, so Diner Betty is not an option. How about you? Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, as what? If not, what has been your favorite Halloween costume that you've worn? All these years later, I'm still pretty partial to the JEM costume I had in 2nd grade. :)

UPDATED: Remember, PC and I are having a costume contest! Since no one will admit to actually HAVING a picture to send, tonight is your chance to remedy this. Get our your cameras and email a Halloween picture to me at smartypants@ writingplayground.com by Sunday afternoon. It could be of you, DH, your kids, your pumpkin, your dog... we've got prizes here, people, so work for it. In fairness, here's one of me from a party in 2006 - I'm Zoot from Castle Anthrax (if she'd had access to platform boots and fishnets in the 11th century...) We'll post a couple of the best pics Sunday night and the winners will receive some spooky prizes!

SP

14 comments:

Angel said...

Awesome costume! Unfortunately, I don't have any cool costumes to show. The only one I can remember as a child was a witch, and that's because my Mom has pictures. :(

Angel

Linda Winstead Jones said...

Many, many years ago, My DH and I went to a party dressed as a historical romance cover. I made (yes, MADE) a long dress and bought a long red wig. He dressed as a pirate. He even grew a beard for the costume - a beard he ended up keeping. (this party was more than twenty-five years ago -- I hadn't even dreamed of writing, yet.) Yes, there are pictures. No, I'm not posting them on the internet. :-)

When I was a teenager I dressed as a vampire and my brother dressed as a hunchback. He opened the door and brought the kids into the living room, where I handed out the candy. Scared the stew out of them. :-) That would never fly these days.

LJ

Problem Child said...

LOOOVE those boots!

Y'all have already seen my Halloween pix (if not, scroll back to Tuesday).

AC's costume is precious though!

Sherry Werth said...

I didn't decorate for Halloween this year since we won't be home. We'll be sitting in the stands at the game watching my daughter perform (danceline) for her last high school football game. It's senior night and they will be introduced as part of the halftime show. Lordy, I hope I don't get all teary eyed!

On a lighter Halloweeney note: I haven't had a costume in years and if we took pictures I have no idea where they are.

Two of my friends are bringing their kids by my house early to Trick or Treat. I bought them neat little bags and filled it with all kinds of goodies and a glow stick for each one.
Happy Halloween everybody!

mslizalou said...

My friends are having a party on Sunday and I'm going dressed as a doctor. I love Halloween, but most of the kids in the area either go to the mall or the churches to trick or treat. I always have some candy just in case, but I've ended up keeping the last several years.

Anonymous said...

Well I generally don't have any trick or treaters, most go to the churches in my area. Here at the school some of the soroties are having Halloween for faculty and staff's families, so I am thinking about moseying over to the girls dorms for a little while after work. I don't have any pictures of me in Halloween costumes but I do have a picture that I will email where my department chair did a pumpkin with our school logo.
It looks way cool with a light inside it - way impressive.
robertsonreads
word verification - prelab

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

It's been a long time since I've gotten into Halloween for me. I get into it for the girls now but I haven't dressed up in years.

We don't get trick or treaters at my house either. We just live too far out. In fact, we've never actually stayed at home for Halloween, we take the girls to my parents house and let them trick or treat there. More houses closer together = more candy :-)

Instigator

Playground Monitor said...

I posted this year's costume in the comments tail on Tuesday. One year the DH went to this same party as a Hooter's girl -- complete with fake bosoms. People would take one look at him and double over laughing. I kept wondering if it was the hairy legs with pantyhose or his goatee. ::grin::

He's talking about wearing this year's costume tonight and just sitting in the shrubbery like a decoration. Then when a kid comes by he'll yell "Boo!" He could traumatize a small child that way. But the older ones -- especially those entitled teens -- they'd deserve it.

Rhonda Nelson said...

Andrea, those boots kick butt! Happy Halloween!

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

My inner drag queen seriously loves those boots. They lace up the front. I really like them. Unfortunately, there aren't many opportunities to wear platform go-go boots.

Be sure to reread the end of the blog - we've updated the photo contests so those of you too chicken to send in a costume shot can still enter!

Lynn Raye Harris said...

Oh, I love those boots!!! I wish I had a picture of myself dressed up, but the last time was in Hawaii in 04 -- and the pics seem to be on a different computer. I'll search the discs and see if I can find them, but not sure it'll pan out.

As an adult, I used to dress as a pirate during though dress up at work days -- I wore my riding boots and pants, paired it with a billowy white shirt, a bandana and fake sword, some hoop earrings, and I was good to go. :) No pics of that, darn it.

Eww, word verif: diedyi

Alicia Hunter Pace (aka Jean Hovey and Stephanie Jones) said...

If only I had a picture of my favorite costume. I was seven years old when Beatle mania hit and Grants (long gone now) had Beatles costumes for five dollars. My mother said she was NOT going to pay five dollars for me to be Paul McCartney. Now let's remember in those days Tweedy Bird cost 88 cents.

But I needed that costume; I needed to be Paul McCartney. If I could just have it I would wear it on Halloween for the rest of my life. I would never ask for another thing. She must have decided she could pay a ridiculous price for a Halloween costume better than she could listen to me whine, so I got it. After all, I had promised to never ask for another thing—and I didn't, until it occurred to me that I needed a plastic guitar. Long story short, I got that too.

Half way through trick or treating, I fell down and tore the seat out of Paul's pants. I returned home with the guitar in my candy bag and the mask on top of my head, not looking very much like Paul at all—as if I ever had.

Happy Halloween! You are all rock stars!

Anonymous said...

any winner from christie's blog in october

Problem Child said...

yes