Almost Halloween: reminders and shortcuts for this week.

Posted: October 24, 2013 | Author: Renae Rude - The Paranormalist | Filed under: Halloween |3 Comments

UPDATED FOR THE 2014 SEASON

THE FINAL STRETCH OF THE COUNTDOWN:

We started this countdown to Halloween back in August, and in the 12 weeks since, we’ve talked about:

In seven days we’ll be handing out treats (if we’re lucky enough to live where that is possible.) In eight days, we’ll be throwing out pumpkins and packing up decorations.

Now’s the time to think about what we still have the desire, time and energy to do.

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING?

I’ve gone through all the posts in my Halloween countdown, to cherry-pick the links that might be most useful to you, now that we’re down to the wire. (Even if you haven’t done much in the way of setting things up.)

ALMOST INSTANT FUN:

Click here to print the Halloween Photographic Scavenger Hunt List

preview with a click

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OBTAIN PUMPKINS, APPLES, ETC.

… from somewhere other than the grocery store by checking for a local supplier.

Pumpkins:

Or just buy them along with your groceries. Carving pumpkins doesn’t have to be stressful. If an old-fashioned face made of triangular features makes you happy, then carve it. Roast the seeds. (or don’t.) Sprinkle the interior of the pumpkin, especially the lid, with cinnamon, then use a real candle. Your house will smell great. Spend your evenings from now ’til Halloween with a Jack O Lantern companion. Everything is more fun by the light of a Jack.

Apples:

Don’t worry about perfect carameled apples on a stick if you don’t want to. Buy some Kraft Caramel Bits,melt them with a tablespoon or two of cream, and pour the sauce over a cut-up apple in a bowl. ‘Easier and more caramelly-delicious than the fancy ones.

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GO TO A HAUNTED ATTRACTION:

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WATCH SCARY MOVIES:

To find scary movies that suit your specific tastes, check out my lists in Courting Creepy. I’d especially recommend:

Netflix makes this easy:

Netflix has a seasonal list of streaming movies up right now: Halloween Favorites.

If I had to pick one of the available movies for each of the six nights between now and Halloween, I’d go with some of these:

Classics:

Campy & Funny:

Scary:

Let the Right One In (2008) R – in Swedish with subtitles
The Cabin in the Woods (2011) R (also a little campy & fun)
The Blair Witch Project (1999) R
Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) R
Silence of the Lambs (1991) R
House at the End of the Street (2012) PG-13 (not really scary, but a young Jennifer Lawrence saves it)
The Awakening (2011) R

On Halloween night, you’ll be watching Halloween, right?

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COLOR A HALLOWEEN PICTURE:

Spell Room
Carving Pumpkins
Haunted House
Haunted House with Skeletons

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PREPARE FOR HALLOWEEN NIGHT THIS WEEK:

1) Ready some kind of costume for Halloween night.

Here are some possible ~~excuses~~ reasons to get dressed up:

taking the kids trick or treating
playing twisted ding dong ditch (the twist is that you leave a small prize behind)
handing out treats
surprising a partner, even if it’s just the two of you

2) Plan a warm, healthy dinner that can cook in a crockpot … or plan to get take-out or order pizza.

3) Purchase one special gift to award to one special costume type on Halloween night (whatever is your favorite).

Like cute cuddly animal costumes on little ones? Have a new stuffed toy on hand for the first that appears.
Superhero fan? Give away a couple of comic books.
Appreciate witches and wizards? There are a ton of inexpensive Harry Potter-themed prizes to choose from.

4) Get your hands on a copy of Halloween (1978) – or plan to watch another favorite spooky movie late Halloween night.

5) If you’re in a neighborhood that yields trick or treaters, be prepared to appreciate it.

put out a carved and lighted Jack O Lantern
provide good treats
decorate your doorstep and play some spooky music
give out a special prize(s) as mentioned above

May you have a great Halloween week!

3 Comments on “Almost Halloween: reminders and shortcuts for this week.”

angryscholar says:

October 24, 2013 at 4:19 pm

I love that you live in a place called White Bear Lake. That’s the best name ever.

Also, garlic! Garlic will knock those colds right out. Old folk remedy from some place, don’t know where, but I can vouch that it works. Chew raw cloves if you can handle it, or just cook food with lots of it. Or you can do the boring thing and buy garlic pills from the vitamin aisle at the grocery store.

I have a super-easy recipe for what my mom inexplicably calls “vegetable soup” even though it’s loaded with beef. Happy to share if you want it. Incredibly quick–you can do it in a crock pot, I suppose, but I usually just do it on the stove. Takes about two hours, all told.

Not going to watch Halloween on Halloween. Not really a fan, honestly. Don’t know what I’ll watch yet, but something supernatural.

And your idea to put cinnamon inside a jack is awesome. I’m stealing that.

Reply
- Renae Rude - The Paranormalist says:
  
  October 25, 2013 at 12:04 pm
  
  The town has a whole legend around a white bear and and star-crossed pair of Native American lovers. I prefer my own ideas – there was once an albino bear and/or there is a bear ghost.
  
  Yes … send me a soup recipe. I’ve got a couple, but they are complicated and I’m not up for complicated right now. (Even though I am NOT sick.)
  
  For me, the movie Halloween is ALL about the first 20-30 minutes. It just sweeps me right back to my childhood Halloweens. I’ll play close attention to that part of the movie, but by the time we get into the meat of the story (which is so-so) I’ll be busy with carving a pumpkin or something. (And I love the music.)
  
  I almost didn’t post the cinnamon tip … everyone I know does it, so I thought maybe it was universal knowledge.
  
  Reply
  - angryscholar says:
    
    October 25, 2013 at 5:33 pm
    
    My “recipe” is more of a list of stuff without any kind of measurements, honestly. I’m not so great with amounts. Numbers r bad. But it’s a very forgiving “recipe,” so it should work out.
    
    I never heard the cinnamon thing before. You’re sitting on a goldmine.
    
    Reply