October 11, 2007
Halloween Spirit
Written by Kimberly Logan in Jaunty PostIt’s that time of year again, and I’m ready to haul out the decorations, dig out my favorite horror movies, and gear up for Halloween once more. Yes, it’s October. The month when ghosts and ghouls and men wearing masks and wielding chainsaws put in their yearly appearance. 
Regular visitors to the JQ’s blog will know that I usually do Halloween in a big way, and this year should be no exception. Of course, I have to get my copy edits for Seduced By Sin out of the way first, but after that I’m good to go. I already have all of the movies picked out for my annual scary movie marathon–among them 1408 and The Messengers–and I bought an extra big bag of Kit-Kats to munch on. (Scary movies and chocolate. You can’t beat that!) Of course, my family will do its usual get-together before the kiddos go trick-or-treating, and this year I plan on joining a group of friends afterward to head out for an evening of ghost stories around the campfire. And if I can just get Jaunty to come out from hiding and accompany me, I may embark on another haunted tours expedition in an upcoming blog. (Come out, come out, wherever you are, Jaunty. I’ll give you a Scooby Snack. 
)
So, what are your plans for Halloween? Will you be attending a costume party or taking the kids out trick-or-treating? Or is October 31st just another day for you?
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AndreaW Says:
I’ll be taking the kiddos out trick-or-treating. My daughter will be Jasmine and my son will be Obi-Wan Kenobi. They are so excited!
My sister and I are going to do a few “scary movie nights” before Halloween. If you would, let us know how 1408 is Kim.
Dorothy Says:
Halloween is just another day for me. Kids are all grown, I don’t get many trick-or-treaters at my house, so my son (23) and I usually go out to dinner and a movie.
brownone Says:
I’ll have Snow White, a witch, and a fireman in tow while my husband gets to stay home and pass out the candy. We have to plan our trip to the pumpkin patch so the kiddies can get thier pictures taken, then I get the honor of carving the pumpkins. yay. And my children aren’t the type that are happy with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth…noooo..they want some artistic rendering a la “Pumpkin Masters”…well….at least there’s the day after when I get to raid the candy pile for the good stuff!
Jenna Petersen Says:
El Guapo will be getting home from a business trip that night. And since I’ll be gone for a week before, I’m doubting we’ll do anything. I kind of want to put the cars in the garage, turn off the porch light and just hide from the trick or treaters. We only ever get about 10 anyway.
Maybe we’ll go out to dinner and hide that way.
We did got to a Halloween party last weekend. I was a gothic fairy, he was a demonic priest.
Georgie Lee Says:
I don’t have kids but I love decorating the house and handing out candy. My neighborhood gets a lot of traffic so I always try and make the house look really festive. Since my Halloween tastes run more to the gothic as opposed to the gory, I go for headstones and spiderwebs.
Shirley Karr Says:
People keep asking us what we’re going to dress Daniel as on Halloween. Since he just turned three months yesterday, he doesn’t have much of an opinion to offer yet. He’s already outgrown the Pirates of the Caribbean onesie, alas. My dh thinks it’s silly I usually change the baby into day clothes every morning instead of leaving him in a sleep-n-play day and night.
Since Daniel’s too young to join in any festivities, and we live in a cul-de-sac that only gets two or three trick-or-treaters (if any) per year, it’s just another night for us. Though I do plan to wear my pirate boots to work that day.
Taryn Raye Says:
We’ll probably be taking the kids trick or treating, especially since last year they didn’t get to go because of it being so cold and my daughter being sick.
This year my stepson wants to be a zombie, my daughter is going to be a “fushia” fairy.
Hubby and I may dress up too, just because the kids love it when we dress up too. One year hubby and son went as zombies and daughter and I were a momma black cat and her kitten. (I hand made the ears and tails for us)
catslady Says:
I always give out candy and when the kids were young my husband got that duty as I went around with them. They are now past that but I still pass out the candy. Some years I dress up to answer the door. We also voluteer at our American Legion the weekend before and they have a kids party and the next day the adult party. Then there’s all that left over candy…lol.
Kimberly Logan Says:
You know, I have yet to decide whether I’m going to dress up this year or not. After being so hot for so darn long, the weather has suddenly chilled, and running around the woods in a skimpy costume on a cold night just doesn’t sound like it would be a lot of fun.
Andrea, I’ll probably pop 1408 in the DVD player sometime this weekend, so I’ll let you know how it is.
Linda Says:
I’ll be taking my youngest daughter out trick or treating, dressed as a “dead” bride. My oldest who’s 9, will be at home with my brother handing out candy. She never has got into Halloween.
I always decorate in a big way. My front walk & porch is usually more like a haunted house.
ladydawgfan Says:
I love scary movies, and if you want a good, non-gory haunted house movie, try “The Changeling,” with George C Scott. Better yet, try it in the dark, on a big screen TV, snuggled in the arms of someone warm, strong, and much braver than you . . .
As for plans for the day itself, barring rain, I will be sitting in front of the house in a rocking chair dressed as a strawman waiting for the kids to approach to see if I am real. Then I plan on jumping out at the older ones to scare the bejesuz out of them (all part of the spirit of the day!
). With the babies, I’ll probably just giggle or laugh or something and make them think I’m tickleish.
I won’t be eating chocolate this year (damned gallstones and upcoming surgery!
), so I’m hoping that we’ll be giving out something non-edible like pencils or quarters or something like that. Last year, one of my neighbors gave out those little midget cans of pop that Walmart has for $1.25 for a sixpack. That might be an idea as well. We’ll have to see what comes up.
Shana Says:
We’re not doing anything. We’ll probably hide like Jenna.
Kimberly Logan Says:
Ladydawgfan, The Changeling is one of my favorites! I have it on tape and watch it every year at this time. I would love to get a DVD copy of it, but I haven’t been able to find one. I definitely much prefer scary to gory. Another good one is the old black and white version of The Haunting. Much better than the more recent Liam Neeson/Catherine Zeta Jones version.
ladydawgfan Says:
Kimberly, you can order a copy of “The Changeling” from Amazon or I just ordered a ordered a replacement copy from my local Borders (my other DVD copy was “permanently borrowed”). So they are available.
Kimberly Logan Says:
Thanks for letting me know, Ladydawgfan. For some reason, I hadn’t even considered Amazon.
Mary Says:
My brother and SIL have a big party the weekend before. We usually decide that morning what we’ll be
I told Mom she could borrow my princess outfit from last year.
We don’t have many trick or treaters, though. I do like to watch old scary movies on the night.