Happy Thankskilling! Special Haiku of the Week

Here comes another controversial American holiday whose roots and traditions are built on whitewashed historical lies. Now I actually dislike this one for personal reasons, so flipping it is easy. Even if I can get behind being thankful and wanting to spend time with family and friends, the glutinous excesses of over-eating and commercialization of Christmas (another holiday covered in lies) truly make this one of the scariest holidays Americans hold, so here’s a special haiku to honor the horror of the holidays!

baked mystery pie
cannibals at the table
Thanksgiving dinner

Wicked Art Wednesdays – Jeffrey Smith

The theme for October is dystopian Halloween. This piece entitled The Guardian by Jeffrey Smith, creator of “Light Of Conscience” and “Persona Theater” series, captures the mood of the month.

The Guardian by Jeffrey Smith

Artist: Jeffrey Smith
Website/Studio: https://www.deviantart.com/ascending-storm
Social Media: https://instagram.com/ascendingstorm?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Where to Purchase Goods:
https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/ascendingstorm/

31 Days of Halloween 2022

Happy October! After starting late this Halloween season, I’m now ready to post the schedule of this year’s 31 Days of Halloween Celebration. The theme this October is dystopian Halloween. With the doomsday clock ticking down, due to savages like Russian dictator Vladamir Putin and gun-crazed trump-loving jesus-freaks, it’s probably way past time to think about how humankind plans to survive the apocalypse, in particular, how we’ll preserve our traditions and holidays, like Halloween.

Part of the month, we’ll have some fun with the dystopian Halloween-horror theme, but I have decided to mix in some good old-fashion Halloween traditional themes as well, cuz, I just love talking about those Halloween memories.

Have a safe and happy Halloween season!

31 Days of Halloween Schedule

Monday Macabre
Mondays are always dedicated to Haiku, but every Monday in October we’ll explore a dystopian Halloween.

Tuesday Terror
Every Tuesday, I’ll share my favorite scary movies that I believe make great Halloween season viewing.

Wicked Art Wednesdays
Every Wednesday, I’ll share some spooktacular Halloween art with an apocalyptic twist. I might even post some my own original Halloween pencil stencil art.

Throwback Thursdays
Preservation of Halloween traditions is important for several reasons. Every Thursday, let’s explore the origins of some Halloween traditions and muse over whether these traditions might survive the apocalypse.

Friday Fright Nightcaps
Ghosts aren’t the only ones who like to get sheet-faced on Halloween. Check back every Friday for Halloween season-inspired cocktails.

Sinister Saturdays
In the past few years, Sinister Saturdays have always been dedicated to food and Halloween recipes.  The problem was, besides my being the worst cook in America, people are simply reluctant to let you share their recipes online, even if you give them complete credit and link back to their website. So, in the true spirit of Sinister Saturdays, we’re just going to let the demons loose that day and see what they come up with.

Poe Sundays
This year’s tribute to the master of macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, will feature my thoughts on the best Poe adaptations on film.

4th Annual Halloween Haiku Challenge 2022
#Halloweenhaikuchallenge

Share your most original or scariest visual Halloween Haiku photos during October for a chance to win some prizes.

More details about the haiku contest will be announced on October 18th.

Join in the fun, and follow me @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and @Halloweenkristy on Twitter

Happy October 2022!

I’m writing today from June Lake, CA. It’s a beautiful, cozy little town tucked inside an old glacier in the Eastern Sierras. Very scenic. You can actually see the stars at night and that took my breath away. Living in Los Angeles, I barely see any stars. It’s really sad. Anyways, up here in June Lake, Autumn is in full swing and you can actually see some trees changing colors. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how beautiful and amazing our planet is, and how amazing we live in an unexplored universe we know nothing about.

Then, I think about Putin and his war machine committing genocide and thrusting the whole planet closer to doomsday. Nuclear annihilation feels closer than it’s ever been. I don’t even remember this kind of complacency in the 80s.

There is no Halloween in our future. No trick or treating. No fun costumes. No parties full of people. No pumpkins, nor the ability to grow them. Last month, I stressed the importance of perserving Halloween traditions, and shared with you how I feel preserving traditions eventually becomes the only way to keep our memories alive.

Whatever traditions survive is what is going to move the survivors forward. I hope you join me this October to make Halloween traditions stand out and make people feel stronger and more connected to each other, people, our friends, family, loved ones, our world, this wonderful planet which grows big plump juicy pumpkins, and the universe, who remembers everything and is the only hope humankind has of surviving. Cast off those old traditions that strangle us, like racism, sexism, bigotry, and believe in science, medicine, research and development, space exploration…When I look at the stars, I see that God everyone’s always talking about, but not in any Bible, not in your TV set, not in the guns, and not in the tanks. Creation triumphs over destruction, so create a life you want to live and make good memories.

This month’s theme is dystopian Halloween. Maybe if we imagine the world struggling to save Halloween, we’ll actually strive better to do it for real.

Wishing you all a safe, joyous, haunted October!

Haiku of the Week

The theme this month is Halloween Memories.

orange maple leaves
lights dancing on a string
jack-o’-lantern pie

Monthly Haiku Corner – September

Five days into September and it certaintly doesn’t feel like Fall’s right around the corner. Heatwave aside, the official Halloween season has begun. Now is the time when human creativity and inspiration is at its highest. Our memories are crucial to this process. We steer far away from bad memories, but good memories will drive every inch of our being to replicate and it’s here that we find our inner child flourishing and building the foundation that the soul rests upon. Our theme this month is Halloween Memories. Halloween season is a time for making new memories, as much as it is about revisiting the joy of old ones. Have a magical season, everyone!

fallen leaves
trunk full of memories
October dreams

Happy September!

Welcome back ‘Ber months!
It’s the official start to the Halloween season. This month’s theme is Halloween Memories.

2022 Halloween Memories Bucket List

The holiday season is all about perserving traditions and making memories. Halloween and falltime is the most joyous time of year. There’s less stress and a focus on personal fulfillment, as opposed to Thanksgiving and Christmas where catering to the needs of family and friends takes priority. During Halloweentime, you are doing fun things to elevate your own mood, decorating and putting your own creative spin on things, and finding a spooky costume to entertain your inner child, and ward off evil spirits, of course! That doesn’t mean we are selfish beings or ignore family and friends. Far from it! We include them in our celebrations! We inspire them to tap into their own creavity and find happiness within by making great memories of their own. When it’s all said and done, no one remembers the cool stuff they bought or didn’t buy because they couldn’t afford it. It’s memories of going places, seeing things, meeting good people, and feeling the joy, inspiration, and love that Halloween lovers bring into our lives. Don’t underestimate how much the tiniest act can last a lifetime in our brains and drive us to experience that kind of joy again and again. Be kind and patient with one another. Do your part to protect the earth from climate change. Recycle, reuse, and conserve water and energy.

To all the creatives, the artists, bloggers, decorators, filmmakers, retailers, writers, my fellow members in the Samhain Society, and everyone in-between, I bid you a spooktacular season. You keep those fires burning all year long and finally get to see payoff during this season.

Happy Halloween 2022!

So, make good memories, everyone. Have a great fall and Happy Halloween!