Every holiday season, I share the wise words of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Dickens’ was a champion of the poor and unfortunate, particularly children. Having grown up destitute himself and enduring the abuse and ills of the labor houses, Dickens knew firsthand of the timeless topics he wrote about.
The Ghost of Christmas Past was the first of Jacob Marley’s three mercurial warnings to the cruel, greedy miser Ebenezer Scrooge to change to his lifestyle or endure a hellish afterlife like his old partner.
She turned back time to show Ebenezer his past, how happy he once was, how in love he once was, but the young Scrooge allowed ambition and greed to rule his life and lost everyone he loved so dearly.
We’re back! Typically, I lay low for November. It’s a haunted month for me, filled with memories and deep sadness. This year the melancholy was compounded by the state of our faltering nation. Our theme last month was Lost Souls, cuz right now, the US.A is full of them. I’m still hopeful though and looking forward to a busy, festive December.
Around here we celebrate the haunted holidays. I see your bad santa and raise you 3 evil elves and a killer Krampus! I’m feeling fiesty after my month off, and in the true spirit of the hellidays, I’m sharing the scares! It’s gonna be A Christmas to Dismember!
Don’t worry, we still like our normal Christmas traditions. I’ll be posting brand new gift guides for Halloween and Horror lovers. I also put together a little list for kaiju lovers. Long live Godzilla!
There’s also gonna be a creepmas photo challenge, with a focus on creepy, weird, and ridiculously old holiday ornaments, Dickens Sundays, cuz a whole lotta nazi scrooges need a visit from the three ghosts of Christmas, and lastly, the Holiday Haiku Challenge returns at the end of the month, with a chance to win some spooky prizes. See, we know how to bring the Merry and Fright! So check back often this December.
Be well. Stay safe out there, and season screamings!
The Halloween Haiku Challenge has ended, but I’m sharing the scares this year, so check back in December for a new holiday haiku challenge!
The prize pool (see below) started with leftover or unclaimed gifts. I also have a lot more Halloween stickers but you can only get so many in one picture.😄
Halloween Stickers Unpainted ceramic witches feet magnet Harry Potter trivia game vintage cat patchskull patchMickey pin or ornamentPluto pin or Chip n Dale pin
Before every contest, please see Contest Rules and Eligibility page for specific details. It is player responsibility to know the rules before playing any games here.
Happy Wicked Art Wednesday! I was feeling a like need a little more tiki artin our lives so today’s artist is the world renowned tiki creator Doug Horne.
Why we love it: Phoenix born Doug Horne, who now resides in Long Beach, CA, has been creating tiki art and tiki mugs for generations. We love his pop culture monsters tiki mash ups. Doug also creates art for tiki bars around the globe. Chances are you may have seen his work up close while sipping on Mai Tais
Happy Creepmas! Looking for last minute virtual gift ideas? No stress! You can pull up your phone and have an amazing gift in less than 5 mins. Check it out!
Give the gift of knowledge! I mean, there is no better gift than that. The online classes are easy, interesting, and fun. Your giftee can take classes at their own pace and pick whatever topic they want to study, there are over 200 to choose from! It’s fantastic for new budding writers.
Loot Fright Box from Lootcrate ($34.99 per crate)
Gift a bimonthly horror box filled with officially licensed and exclusive cool collectibles, apparel, and other horror goodies. It’s the gift that keeps on giving
A gift for two people! Support independent artists, creators, influencers, musicians, and podcasters by gifting a fan with a Patreon subscription.
You need to set up a free Patreon account in order to gift someone but they have made gifting is easy, click here for more info.
Artists like Diana Levin of Ghoulish Bunny use Patreon to connect with fans.
Calm 1-Year Subscription ($69.99)
Gifting wellness is a beautiful gift and shows how much you care. Everyone deserves to be happy and feeling good about their mental health, but sometimes it’s challenging and people don’t know where to start. A Calm subscription is unimposing way to ease into caring for oneself.
Online Gaming Subscription or Gift Cards (price varies)
Plenty of spooky games are available for horror fans on PC, Playstation, XBox, or Nintendo Switch.
Buying a year long online gaming subscription service is an amazing gift. Gaming subscriptions are costly and more and more game companies are adding online play to their games.
Image by Playstation
There are hours of online entertainment to enjoy, but it helps to know what system your giftee is on. Just ask, “hey, what gaming system are you on?” Below are the big ones:
Playstation Plus Digital or Gift Cards ($25-$100)
Xbox Game Pass Digital or Gift Cards ($10-$50)
Nintendo Switch Online Digital or Gift Cards ($3.99-$19.99)
You can purchase digital subscriptions online, or even give physical gift cards that can be found at any grocery store, retailer store or pharmacy store.
Dying Light I & II
Amazon Prime 1-Year Subscription ($139)
Free to watch Prime movies, TV, online books, music, and free shipping for a year! Best gift ever! Now, Amazon has made it a little difficult to gift an actual membership. You have to purchase a gift card instead and then the person uses it to buy themselves the membership. Taken from website: “Amazon no longer offers the ability to directly gift an Amazon Prime membership, but you can use an Amazon gift card to purchase a Prime membership.”
Gift Cards (price varies)
The good ole standby gift. It may seem impersonal but it’s not. People love getting giftcards. If you know their favorite stores or online shops, it helps, but a Visa giftcard that works anywhere, still the cherry on the top of an ice cream sundae.
Happy Creepmas! We’re coming up on the first weekend of December and if you’ve got a Halloween and horror fan on your holiday shopping list, I’ve got some great gift ideas! Now, truth is, Halloween and horror fans are pretty easy to buy for, anything Halloween or Horror related, even the smallest of items, makes us really, really, really happy. But, if you need more ideas and inspiration, then, check out these items:
Shudder Streaming Movie Subscription ($4.99 monthly) – Shudder online or streaming devices
Shudder is horror fan’s best friend. It’s a comfort zone. There are horror movies, thrillers, foreign films, TV shows, documentaries, old classics, new favorites, and curated collections. No yearly commitment, cancel anytime. it’s worth every penny!
A Christmas Carol Characters – Pop! Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Glow) ($12) – Funko
Honestly, I had to boycott Pop! Funko before I went bankrupt, but these Christmas Carol funkos…
Fitz Alice Cooper’s a Haunted Party Night 350 Scary Cards Family Horror Movie Box Game ($24.99) – Macy’s
Last year I finally had the pleasure of seeing Alice Cooper in concert and holy smokes, it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. Mr. Cooper is master showman and horror maestro, it’s only fitting that he’d make his own horror party game.
1000 Piece Halloween Puzzle ($24.99) Woodbests
Christmas break is long and my patience is short, I consider puzzles to be relaxing, self-care tools that should be covered by flexible spending plans. Ya know, if we all band together and try to make it happen, it might.
UNITED” 3 x 5 ft. Large Halloween Flag by Rhode Montijo BACK IN STOCK ($25) – Rhode Montijo
Back in stock! Hurry! Why are you still here? Click the link and buy! This is a Halloween fan must-have item! And Rhode Montjo is the most amazing artist and an awesome person!
Late for the Sky: Boooo-Opoly Monopoly Board Game ($31.99) – Target
As a Halloween fan and mini knock-off Monopoly game collector (I think I own 15 different game sets) I’ve been eyeing this one and I better get allllll the candy when I land on Free Candy or there’s gonna be board flipping!
On Set With John Carpenter: The Photographs of Kim Gottlieb-Walker ($39.99) – Barnes and Noble
If you’re a fan of the Halloween movie franchise or legendary horror John Carpenter and his movies, you’re gonna want this sprawling 176 page photo book for your coffee table. Packed with behind the scenes photos, anecdotes, commentary and stories from the horror maestro, crew members, and celebrities.
Dracula Book Phone Case ($35) – Once Upon a Book Club
Never be afraid to drop your phone again with these cool book phone cases from Once Upon a Book Club. They have other novels and a really kickass subscription box service too. Old phone, new phone, don’t worry, the list to match the correct size phone case is pretty extensive!
Phantom of the Opera Scarf ($49) – Storiarts
I have loved watching Storiarts grow. They make gloves, scarves, t-shirts, totes, and blankets of all types of classic novels. These scarves are like the classiest way of declaring your love for horror classics I can think of.
Smile 2 Limited Edition Steelbook Pre-release set for January 21, 2025 ($44) – Target
One of creepiest films of 2024 should be in your film library, if only for Naomi Scott’s memorable frenetic performance.It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
I’m blown away by attention to detail of these limited edition collectibles featuring the Universal monsters. NECA makes other spooky characters too, but I’m just a sucker for anything featuring the old monster movies and those little interchangeable heads! C’mon! Who doesn’t want Larry Talbot on their shelf!
Make umbrellas and parasols great again! Look, it’s even orange! ahahahaha alright, alright, unlike incoming convict-in-chief, these Halloween umbrellas are dainty and elegant. They really can punch up a plain black goth dress and they protect from the sun, so you won’t turn to ashes. They ARE great!
3D Halloween Castle Wood Puzzle Large 250-300 pieces with Wooden Box ($34-$100) – Woodbests
Woodbests puzzles are colorful laser etched onto natural wood and beautiful. It’s like you’re putting together a piece of art!
**After reading some reviews, I thought it best to put up a warning to Read Carefully when purchasing Woodbests Puzzles as there’s different size puzzles and prices, gotta buy a box separately, and the kit separately, otherwise it will all come in a plain bag and will be seriously disappointing. Then again, if you’re looking to save money and have another display plan for the puzzle, you might love the fact that you can just buy the pieces and that’s it. The products are really cool, just pay attention. It’s a bit like buying flowers online.**
So, there you go, happy haunting and good luck crossing off your list. I’ll have another gift guide next week! Stay tuned!
The last Ber month is a magical month filled with love, laughter, and good cheer, but it’s also a little spooky. There are ghosts, elves, strange dark creatures, and of course, the longest darkest night of the year. Winter solstice happens on December 21st and there’s still plenty of spooky fun to be had this month.
The theme this month is Wicked Wonderland, and I’ll be sharing brand new haunted haiku on Mondays, gift-giving guides for Halloween and horror fans, excerpts from Charles Dicken’s classic A Christmas Carol every Sunday, recipes for a couple of christmassy cocktails, daily Wicked Wonderland art and photo challenge over on Instagram and social media, and closer to the end of month, I’ll hold the Holiday Haiku Challenge, with a chance to win some cool prizes!
We’re kicking off the celebrations with an art and photo challenge over on Instagram. Jump in any time, even if you miss a day or two, let’s see those wicked holiday pics! See picture below for the prompts. Don’t forget to tag me in your posts and use #wickedwonderlandphotochallenge
To join in on the fun, follow me http://www.halloweenhorrorhaiku.com or @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and Threads. I’m also on Blue Sky now at halloweenhaiku.bsky.social
Hello! Today is Shop Small Business Saturday. This new annual tradition of supporting the mom and pop local businesses in your own town follows Black Friday every year. Today, I’m celebrating the last day of November with one of my favorite small businesses.
Backstitch Bruja
It’s been a joy to watch Yvette’s business grow from a small online shop into a real brick and mortar store in San Dimas, CA. This busy entrepreneur still makes time to travel around to Halloween and horror conventions and spooky events around the SoCal area. Follow her on Instagram for details on appearances.
This is just a small taste of what’s offered up this Creepmas season. It seems that everything pictured is still in stock, but merch moves quickly at Backstitch Bruja.
But don’t fret if something sells out. If you can be patient, get yourself a Backstitch Bruja giftcard. They usually restock.
I’m a mixed bag of emotions today. Happy that my favorite day of the year has arrived, this is what we’ve been counting down to, of course, but the last day in October is also a bittersweet day. I feel like I didnt celebrate in the way that I wanted. It’s always a bummer to celebrate Halloween season with a US presidential election looming, but this year was particularly sickening. Mostly, work is just kinda killing me. I didn’t even carve my own pumpkin yet! <gasp>
It’s time to say goodbye to our favorite month, our favorite holiday, our favorite time of the year. While the Fall season is in full swing and finally there’s some cooler temps out in SoCal so it actually feels like Autumn, that too is winding down. Christmas crept into retail stores while we were picking out pumpkins. I’m not even ready for that, so I will once again stretch out Halloween through November, before introducing a brand new haunted vampire theme for the month. I’m leaving my decorations up, I’m watching more classic horror movies, I will carve that pumpkin, and I’ll help my fellow Halloween lovers suffering from withdrawals by providing Halloween content, as we barrel into the wicked wonderland.
Truthfully, this website never stops Halloween. We do celebrate all year long but it’s just extra during October. Thank you for stopping by this season. I’m stoked to read all the haiku for this year’s Halloween Haiku Challenge 2024 and pick a winner tonight. Stay tuned for more bloodcurdling fun this November and a brand new haunted holiday season in December. Happy Halloween!
Halloween Horror Haiku 
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