RIP Mama Holidays

On this day, 5 years ago, Mama Holidays died. When I was a little boy, she used to buy me a Halloween costume and a plastic Jack O'Lantern. She also helped make Christmas and Easter really special. A lot of my child-like fancy, as it relates to these 3 holidays, comes from her.

RIP Mama Holidays
Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." John 11:25

It Has Begun

Put out the first decorations for Spirit Grove II: an enchanted forest.

Indoor Decorations

Put a few things up this evening. Will start decorating Spirit Grove in a couple of days.

3 Months Till Christmas

Baby Holidays and I stopped by the big Tuesday Morning store and took a few pics.

Pumpkins and Decorations

...are springing up everywhere in my neck of the woods.

CNBC Halloween Article

Halloween to Scare Up $8 Billion in Spending

Published: Tuesday, 25 Sep 2012 | 12:01 AM ET

 

By: Christina Cheddar Berk
CNBC News Editor

Joe Sohm | VisionsofAmerica | Photodisc | Getty Images

Get out the pumpkins and the ghosts, stock up the candy bowl, and find a costume, it’s almost Halloween.

With a record 170 million people planning to celebrate Halloween this year, the holiday continues to be embraced by many as a time to let loose and have a good time. That also means for retailers, there is some money to be made.

Spending on the holiday is expected to rise to $8 billion, up 17.5 percent from last year, according to the results of a survey conducted by BIGinsight on behalf of the retail industry’s trade group, the National Retail Federation. A pick-up in spending would also bode well for the sluggish U.S. economy.

According to the survey, seven in 10 Americans — some 71.5 percent — will celebrate this year, up from 68.6 percent last year, and the most in the survey’s ten-year history.

The average person will fork out about $79.82 on decorations, costumes, and candy, up from $72.31 last year.

A bigger part of the budget this year will go to costumes. Although the average person will spend about $28.65 on costumes, up slightly from $26.52 in 2011, retailers and costume manufacturers are saying that costumes continue to become more elaborate each year and shoppers are buying more items to go along with their costume.

Cheryl Kerzner, vice president of product design and marketing at Jakks Pacific’s [JAKK  15.06    -0.24  (-1.57%)   ] Disguise unit, said the company has been designing more costumes with higher-quality fabric, zippers and other embellishments to meet the needs of shoppers who want better-fitting costumes that wear more like traditional apparel.

She also finds that retail buyers are more willing to try new things and stock more accessories, such as wigs, knee-highs, tights, and tutus. These items are being used either to make sure that a costume has all the “bells and whistles” or to customize an original look the shopper is trying to create.

Social media meanwhile is expected to play a bigger role in how people select their costumes. According to the survey, about 15.2 percent of consumers will be turning to their friends on Facebook [FB  20.79    -2.07  (-9.06%)   ] for costume inspiration, while about 7.1 percent will search the pictures on Pinterest for ideas.

All told, families with children who plan to dress up for the holiday will spend about $1.1 billion on their children’s costumes, slightly more than last year.

However, adults continue to be more active participants, and are expected to spend about $1.4 billion on costumes, up from $1.2 billion in 2011.

And don’t forget the four-legged friends. About 15.1 percent of consumers surveyed plan on dressing up their pets, with spending on pet costumes seen reaching $370 million, up from $310 million last year.

The survey was based on the responses from 9,393 consumers, and was conducted from Sept. 5 to Sept. 11, 2012.

-By Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC.com News Editor

Submersible Tea Lights

My package of 10 submersibles came today. Really excited to deploy them in Spirit Grove this year.

Tomorrow, Baby Holidays and I will be heading out to the big Tuesday Morning Store for the '3 Months till Christmas' update.

Grandmother Holidays Strikes First

Now hanging on her door.

First Day of Fall

Autumnal Equinox=the official start of Halloween season.  Decorations for Spirit Grove start going out next weekend.

Salem's Lot

Probably my favorite Halloween movie of all time. Action, suspense, horror, Good vs. Evil. One of Stephen King's best. Here's an old trailer:

Halloween In The News

Indiana city moves trick or treat to Halloween Day- South Bend Tribune

Salem native marks the unofficial beginning of Halloween season- Salem Patch

Blogger likes cute, not scary Halloween- Chicago Now

2 Weeks

...till the decorating begins.

Spirits Already At Work

Looks like the Spirits are already beginning to prepare the Grove.

Surgical Strike

Mrs. Holidays, Baby Holidays, and I stopped in at Tuesday Morning, and while looking for something to help Mrs. Holidays out at school, we saw that the Halloween section had a 40% off sale. As a result, we grabbed the following things:

One wreath for Spirit Grove, one wreath for Grandmother Holidays, 2 more hanging ornaments for the Halloween trees, and a little Halloween blanket for Baby Holidays.  All for only $7. Can't say enough about this store.

70 Year-Old Yard Haunter

Halloween Stores Provide Early Start For Holiday Fun

Posted: Sep 14, 2012 5:19 PM EDT Updated: Sep 14, 2012 6:09 PM EDT

By Alex Hines, General Assignment Reporter - bio | email

Around the area, Halloween stores are popping up and they're the perfect place for people looking for a new costume, or something more.

It may still be summer, but for avid Halloween fans like J. D. Parks, it's never too early to get a leg up on preparations for the holiday.

"I usually start shopping right after Labor Day, because that's when most of the Halloween stores open up, and my friend has a Halloween store too, the Illusive Skull, and that's when I start looking," said Parks.

And as Halloween stores open up around the area, there's plenty to find. Parks has scouted the area for years now and knows just where to find the things he wants for one good reason.

"I look around at the Halloween stores in Fairmont and Morgantown, and also Lexington, Kentucky to get ideas for my Halloween display, because I do a Halloween display for the kids in my neighborhood where I live in Fairmont," Parks said.

Read more here.

Legend Prologue

Would be great trailer music for Spirit Grove. Someday, I'm going to learn how to do trailers for my Halloween yard haunts, and Christmas & Easter displays.

Legend

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Used to watch it with Mother and Father Holidays when I was a youngster. Its mystical environment has probably inspired alot of my Halloween decorating style.  Here's an old trailer:

Halloween Oreos

Baby Holidays decided to throw a massive fit early this morning so after numerous failed attempts to calm him, I put him in the car and took him grocery shopping at 7 am. On our way, we saw a brand new Halloween Express store, and while at the grocery store, I snatched this little gem:

PS Baby Holidays calmed down nicely once I got him out of the house, and he was especially interested in this package.

Neighborhood Yard Haunt Sighting

While walking through the neighborhood yesterday, we noticed that someone had already started their yard haunt.  We talked to an older man who informed us that he had been forced to put it up by an eager Grandson.  I love it!  Even better, the Grandfather hand-made several of the decorations.  Here are some pics I took when we returned in the evening:

3 Weeks

...till the decorating begins.  Yesterday, Mother in Law Holidays and I dragged some fallen branches into the front yard to start building up the grove.

Labyrinth of Dreams

Another one of Nox Arcana's songs that could serve as musical inspiration for Spirit Grove.

Baby Bones

While perusing the Halloween aisle at Menards, Baby Holidays seemed extremely interested in this infant costume. Mother in Law Holidays bought it, so 'Baby Bones' has been designated as the official, Pre-Halloween outfit. Baby Holidays can wear it while participating in the decorating activities beginning at the end of the month. Then, on Halloween, he'll get to wear a special costume picked out by Father and Stepmother Holidays.