1 More Month

...till All Hallow's Eve. Boy does time fly!

Today also marks six years since Mama Holidays died. I miss her.

Here's an excerpt from her short story entitled 'The Waterfall':

     The third key placed inside the keyhole opened the door to a child, a teacher and a cross. He was a child of divinity. His teachings were pathways to eternity. The burdens he bore upon the cross were for the salvation of all humanity. As a puff of wind inched the door to its final closure, a glowing hue of red shone through its opening. The long stemmed yellow bells began to ring fervently in a clamor of victory as the door closed tightly.

Guarding the Brood

Second Wave

There will be some different type of decorations on Saturday.

Second Wave

Will be putting out two more decorations every other day.

Halloween Poem

Beautiful imagery, beautiful rhyme, and beautiful sentiment. Video here.

First Decorations

Mrs. Holidays hung a couple of decorations inside the house.

And I put out the first pre-haunt decoration in the front yard.

Goodies

Mother in Law Holidays delivered a couple of Halloween goodies.

Candy corn for me, cookies for Mrs. Holidays

Grandmother Holidays Leads Things Off

Fall Eve

The first Halloween decorations go out tomorrow. The season is officially here. Toddler Holidays is almost 18 months old and will be contributing to the effort for the first time.

1 Week

...till the first decorations start going out. As I wrote before, I'll be doing a more generic, pre-haunt display during the weeks leading up to Spirit Grove III: advent of the coven.

Halloween Retail

Here's an assessment of local retail stores' Halloween displays:

Giant Eagle (grocery store)- This year's display is more sparse compared to last year. It's mainly a bunch of candy, a few decorations, and a few seasonal ales. Disappointing.

Meijer- A pretty good collection of costumes, candy, and decorations. Fun to peruse.

Home Goods- Very disappointing this year. Only a small collection of stuff and situated at the back of the store.

Michaels- Excellent collection this year. Lots of costumes, decorations, and crafts. My favorite holiday store.

Party City- A surprising amount of Halloween stuff out already, with more to come. Not my style, as much of it is gory and macabre, but a lot of Halloween to look at.

JoAnn's- A slightly below average showing, with much more generic Fall/Autumn & Thanksgiving stuff out this year.

Lowe's & Home Depot- Each year, these stores feature less and less Halloween. At Lowe's, there was already more Christmas stuff out compared to Halloween.

Tuesday Morning- Very disappointing. Hardly anything this year.

Final Tally:  6 Below Average showings, 3 Above Average Showings

Halloween is the second biggest retail holiday in America. And while the stock market is at a record high, I've read several articles lately pointing to the fact that while the top 1-5% of America is enjoying significant financial gains, the other 95-99% of America continues to reside in recession territory. Could this be why this year's Halloween showing is a bit weak?

Numbers and Schedule Update

50-75. That's how many kids we should expect to show up on trick or treat night, according to a rough estimate by a neighbor. Of course, weather is always a factor. I also called city hall and was informed that trick or treat will be held on Thursday October 31 from 6-8 pm. Always fun to have trick or treat night on the actual day of  Halloween.

I've contacted our local Goodwill chapters and asked if Saturday October 26 might be a good night for their residents to trick or treat at the house. Waiting to hear back. Hoping for at least 20 to show up.

17 days till the first decorations go up.

Jewish New Year

Today is the first day of Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year. While it is popularly known as a strictly Jewish holiday, it may also be the birthday of Jesus Christ. According to a theory put forth by respected scholar Dr. Ernest L. Martin, Christ was likely born on the first day of Rosh Hashanah in 3 BC. In his book 'The Star that astonished the world', he lays out what I think (as a layman) is a pretty compelling case, one which incorporates a wide swath of biblical, historical, and astronomical data. If he's right, it certainly makes for quite a 'coincidence'.