As Christmas season 2022 winds down, we look forward to a bright and shining year. Now is the time to start anew. Refresh. Shed skin. Take on new challenges and don’t look back. The past is gone. There’s nothing for us there.
Our little ghost friend had a visitor last night, and now, he’s safely back with his family, where he belongs. See, everything works out in the end, even for the haunted. Our theme this month has been haunted holidays.
_upscale
sugarplum dreams bright light in the darkness Ole Saint Nick was here
Thinking of embarking on an exciting journey of becoming a paranormal investigator, or perhaps you have a young family member interested in ghosts and paranormal research? Well, you’ve come to the right place. There are dozens of options these days for folks just starting out. My lists are designed for quick and easy holiday shopping, but I encourage all to do a little bit of research before making big decisions on pricey equipment.
Ghost Hunter’s Equipment by Ghost Augustine – As seen on Taps, Ghost Adventures, Destination Fear, Ghost Finders, and many more. https://ghosthuntersequipment.com
Top Gifts List
Motion Light Balls – $5 Think there’s a ghost in the room? Well toss one of these suckers on the floor and wait to see if the ghost interacts with it. Made for one-time use, so get a couple for the stocking. https://www.ghoststop.com/motion-light-ball/
A Teen’s Guide to Ghost Hunting by Amanda Woomer – $15 This book written by paranormal investigator and author Amanda Woomer from Spook Eats was designed to introduce teens to the exciting world of paranormal investigation. Ms. Woomer has written several books about her paranormal adventures, so she knows a thing or two about ghost hunting. https://spookeats.com/a-teens-guide-to-ghost-hunting/
Ghostology: The Art of the Ghost Hunter by Steve T. Parsons – $18 (paperback) Not a how-to book per se, but anyone interested in getting into paranormal investigations, whether for a career or hobby, should check out paranormal author and veteran ghost hunter Steve T. Parson’s work. The man is a bit of an expert on the subject and has been featured on shows of some of television’s biggest networks, such as BBC, Discovery Network, National Geographic, and ITV to name a few. https://www.amazon.com/Ghostology-Hunter-Steven-T-Parsons/dp/191012172X
Winning Moves Classic Ouija Board Game – $28 Because no good ghost story starts with a game of Sorry. I recommend beginners start with a little small talk first. If you get any feedback, then, you might want to up your game. https://winning-moves.com/product/ouija.asp
LED Flashight: ThurNite Archer 2A 3V Cool White – $30 Ghost hunting 101: Everyone knows the first tool of a great paranormal investigator is the almighty flashlight. Ghost hunting takes place at night, in the darkest and spookiest of places. No one wants to break a leg looking for Casper, right? If you want the best and have the money to pay for it, check out the Fenix PD36R, but for those on a budget, the ThruNite Archer is the next best thing. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H1NTK82/?tag=gjbgtechgeneralflashlights-20
K2 EMF Meter – $65 The legendary, original paranormal tool used by the pros! This was game changer in paranormal investigating when Ghost Hunters show hit the airwaves, as the practice was consider by many to be pseudoscience. The use of practical and very real technology brought an aire of legitimacy to the practice. https://ghosthuntersequipment.com/collections/emf-meters/products/k2-emf-meter-plus
EVP Wrist Recorder 3 – $80 For ghost hunters on the go or anyone who suddenly find themselves all alone in a dark, old, spooky place, or, maybe not so alone… https://www.ghoststop.com/evp-wrist-recorder-3/
Zip up Hoodie Sweatshirt from Ghost Hunters – $99 Gearing up for long cold nights? Don’t forget to pick up a zip up hoodie sweatshirt to keep warm from one of the best paranormal shows ever created. https://www.officialghosthunters.com/shop/zip-up-hoodie
Beginner Ghost Hunter Kit – $149 Fancy a new hobby in the ghost hunting field but not quite ready for fancy equipment? Then, check out the beginner ghost hunter kits from Ghost Stop. https://www.ghoststop.com/beginner-ghost-hunting-kit/
Candy cane lovers, indulge your sweet tooth with this dessert holiday cocktail, Peppermint Madness Martini.
Ingredients: 1 cup Peppermint Ice Cream 12 oz. Peppermint Mocha Creamer 2 oz. Peppermint Liqueur 4-6 oz. Vodka 3 oz. Malibu or Coconut Rum
Add all in blender with a little bit of ice and mix well. Serve cold with a candy cane.
Optional rim garnishment: Red sugar Crushed candy canes
Peppermint Madness Martini
You can tone down the sugar and thicken it up by replacing the creamer with heavy whipping cream. Also, add a bit more vodka and leave off the garnish.
Happy December! Welcome to the haunted holidays. Not everyone is surrounded by family and friends this season. Some spend Christmastime alone. Some don’t celebrate at all. Some people celebrate different traditions due to their beliefs and religion. It’s busy, stressful, and it’s important to be kind during this time. It’s important to be kind to yourself. No one expects you to be a big ball of cheer, just don’t be an asshole. Hurt and anger is contagious. Shield yourself with love, patience, and kindness, but set realistic goals.
Our little ghost has no name, but he wanders the hallways of his old home this December, looking for Christmas cheer. The theme this month is haunted holidays.
Kicking off the 2022 Christmas gift-giving guide season with 7 gifts that don’t suck for vampire fans. Vampire fans are a picky bunch and luckily, there are numerous gift ideas that will quench their bloodlust and won’t break the bank.
Bleeding Skull Candles
Bleeding candles are all the rage. Something Different Vampire Blood Tears out of the UK sells taper candles online or through Amazon, or you can try these bleeding skull candles from Gute, which look even cooler.
Bleeding skull candles from Gute
Gothic Black or Purple Damask Throw Pillows
These beautiful gothic throw pillows designed by Teri Sherman and sold through Redbubble are easy ways for vampire fans to goth up a regular couch or bed. Sold in black, purple, and red.
Coffin Ring
Nothing says I’ll love you forever like a coffin ring made of Onyx from Blood Milk Jewels. Of course, there are cheaper alternatives out there for people on a budget, or pricer options, for those looking to get even more serious.
Vampire Capes
Capes are in! Okay, well, long capes like this Black and Red Reversible Cape from the Pyramid Collection is still tricky fashion and better suited for costumes, but short black capes and ponchos are definitely a thing. They go with everything from little black dresses to jeans and boots, and they keep little black hearts warm.
Bela Lugosi Collection from Creepy Co.
Bela Lugosi has an entire line of officially licensed and trademarked clothing and merch sold online through Creepy Co., which offers a number of officially licensed horror collections. Thanks to his business savvy and vigilant family, Bela Lugosi is practically synonymous with his most famous role, Dracula, the 1931 film from Universal Pictures, and I’m all for keeping that legend going. From pins to patches, socks to t-shirts, and my personal favorite, the poster pajama set, surely there is something here for vampire fans of all ages and types.
Wine Gifts from Vampire Vineyards
Vampire Vineyard won the domain name game over vampire.com and successfully trademarked a number of vamp names and images to use with their brand. Their single wines come with a cute little Vampire Wine Cape and are actually quite tasty. Vampire offers a broad range of wine, food gifts, and other merch. Everyone knows wine is the true elixir of life, so vampire fans can relax with a bottle and stop worrying over whether their blood types match.
The Vampira Diaries, 1954-1956 Book by Jonny Coffin
Maila Nurmi a.k.a Vampira, the first inspiration for all the mistresses of the dark that followed, had a bit of a rough life and it’s hard to be supportive of her legacy when there’s next to no official merchandise out there. That’s why this limited edition pre-order coffee table book to celebrate her life is so important. Authored by the eccentric Jonny Coffin, creator of the original Coffin Case, this is a chance for fans to learn a little more about the Original Glamor Ghoul and it’s sold directly through her official shop run by her family, which is nice. I hope they can capitalize on Vampira’s popularity and run a successful store. Btw, I hear only 1000 hand-stamped books will exist, so they’re likely to sell out fast.
After giving it some thought, I changed this month’s theme to Haunted Holidays. I realized I was creating two different themed plans in December and I wanted to take a little bit more time to plan out my approach to writing haiku next year, so…Blood and Ice will be next month’s theme.
This December is all about the haunted holidays! Back in the day, people told ghost stories during Christmastime and I would love to bring that tradition back. I encourage everyone to create, write, or find a short ghost tale to tell on Christmas eve, and if you’re having trouble, might I recommend simply retelling the classic timeless tale from Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is the hero we need right now!
Scrooge art by Carter Goodwich
December Fun
Here’s a look at some of the shenanigans I have planned this month:
Haunted holidays haiku every Monday
Brand new gift-giving guides for Halloween and horror fans
New recipes for christmassy cocktails
Haunted Holidays Photo Challenge
Christmas gift-giving countdown (Details TBA)
I’m kicking off the celebrations with a daily photo challenge. You may post both traditional or haunted photos or artwork. Jump in any time, even if you skip a day, or 5, but, if you can post all 25 days in December, I’ll enter your name into the cauldron for a drawing to win a haunted holidays prize pack.
No purchase is necessary for any of the upcoming contests, but you must be following my blog and be friends with me on at least one of my social media pages (listed below) for a chance to win! Please see official contest rules for more details.
I wish you a season filled with amusement, inspiration, love, and joy. Please be safe and stay healthy. Remember to take some time for yourself, relax and recharge, so you don’t burn out or lose your damn mind by January.
I guess the day before Thanksgiving is as good a time as any to officially ended the 2022 Halloween season. I finally removed my Halloween porch decorations last weekend, and while some items stay up year-round, I’ve cleared my spooky corner to make way for some haunted holidays.
_upscale
This month’s theme has been Halloween Encore. I wasn’t quite ready to let go of Halloween, especially since my work schedule in October kept me from doing all the things I wanted to do this season. Many of the DIY decorations I wanted to make are either half-finished or completely unstarted and I never baked my Halloween cake. My brand new pumpkin mold pan is still in the box. Not all was bad with the season though, I kicked off October with a weekend trip to June Lake, which was amazing and reminded me to get out an explore wilderness a little more. I was able to attend the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney’s California Adventure for the first time and I checked off half my Halloween bucket list, which I will continue to do, just because it’s a fun list no matter what season it is.
The thing that makes me most happy though, all the new friends I picked up this year and the nice turnout for the 4th annual Halloween Haiku Challenge. I finally sent out all prizes to our winners. This was the toughest year to judge yet. The talented writers that joined our little contest inspire and motivate me. Congratulations to all!
Speaking of December, the holidays are going to be a bloody good time this year. The theme next month will be Blood and Ice: A Vampire’s Christmas Tale. No sneak peeks. You’ll just have to be surprised.
Blood and Ice: A Vampire’s Christmas Tale, new holiday haiku coming in December
In addition to the killer haiku I have planned, ‘Tis the season to give and I’ll be sharing some fanglicious cocktails and recipes, plus new gift-giving guides for Halloween and horror fans. I’m also checking my lists twice to make sure I recommend the scariest holiday horror movies of the season. To top it off, Krampus helped me steal Santa’s magic bag filled with stocking stuffers that I’ll give away this season, but you must be following my blog and be friends with me on at least one of my social media pages for a chance to win!
To join in on the fun, follow me @Halloweenhorrorhaiku on Instagram and @Halloweenkristy on Twitter or r/Halloweenhaiku on Reddit
Welcome November! If hobbitses can have second breakfast, why can’t we have second Halloween? It’s no secret that I’m no longer a fan of Thanksgiving, but November is fine month to do all the things on your Fall and Halloween bucket list, that you were too busy to do during October. For me, I hold a Lord of the Rings marathon one weekend, and simply enjoy Halloween, which I always seem to miss cuz I’m too busy working.
The theme this month is Halloween Encore.
lit jack o lanterns black cauldrons full of candy Halloween encore
Will trick or treating be a Halloween tradition that survives the apocalypse?
Past:
Trick-or-treating can be traced all the way back to the Celtic celebrations of Samhain, on what is now known as October 31st, the night when the dead were believed to come back to the living. Villagers disguised themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away evil spirits. Food and drink were left out. Bonfires were lit. Sacrifices made. Basically, the Halloween party life hasn’t changed much, well, maybe we don’t sacrifice as many bodies as we used to, but, we’re still lighting shit on fire and eating and drinking until we pass out. By the middle ages, people dressed in more elaborate costumes went door-to-door asking for treats, even performed for treats. Christianity took hold and their diehard zealots tried their best to push out pagan ceremonies of All Hallows eve, October 31, and All Hallows Day on November 1, with their own for All Saints Day on November 2. Everything only got muddled and combined. Immigrants brought their Halloween traditions, including trick-or-treating, to the USA, but by the 1920s, pranksters almost got Halloween canceled with their viciousness, horrible pranks, and acts of violence, that’s when parents started to organize community-wide events like parades, carnivals, or festivals.
Present:
Whoohoo, trick-or-treating is back, baby! According to Statista.com, Halloween spending is up to $10.6 Billion dollars in 2022, with $3.6 billion dollars being spent on costumes, and deep-pocket pet owners shelling out $710 million dollars to dress up their pooches and kitty-cats. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, they estimate about 42 million trick-or-treaters this year and 128 million dwellings offering treats, and a recent article from US News and World Report says the top three costumes were: the witch, Spiderman, and that funny inflatable dinosaur.
Future:
Mask or no mask, let’s face facts, you need people to trick-or-treat. You need people to pass out candy and you need kids, small people, to collect it. I mean, the USA couldn’t make it through a manageable pandemic without hoarding toilet paper and staying inside to stop the spread of a highly infectious deadly disease, it’s doubtful the majority of the population is going to make it through one of IET‘s 13 hypothesized apocalyptic doomsday scenarios.
The good news is, when the dust clears, I believe there will some form of a society, and probably one in need. Going door-to-door to collect food and handouts could become commonplace again, not mention to leaving “treats” to ward off evil (people) from doing good folks harm and you can be sure, as long as someone remembers October 31st is Devils night, somebody is going to be up to no good. I think trick-or-treating will most definitely survive the apocalypse.
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.
Halloween Horror Haiku 