Tag: Halloween season

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

Haiku of the Week

It’s been a long, hot summer, but we’re three days away from the ‘Ber months and the official start of the Halloween season. The theme in August has been Witch’s Halloween Spellbook. Hopefully, we’ve all had a chance to cast our spells for everyone to have a blessed, joyous, and safe Halloween season.

mortar and pestle
a spell for October nights
summer’s end in sight

Monthly Haiku Corner – August

Happy August! 30 days til the ‘Ber months and then, the real fun starts! I just returned from a great weekend at Midsummer Scream in Long Beach, where the Halloween spirit was alive and well! Stay tuned for my mini review and pics.

Here at Halloween Horror Haiku, we celebrate all things spooky every day, but this is the time of year where Halloween takes front and center. With that said, the theme this month is Witch’s Halloween Spellbook. Do witches truly have a spell for a great Halloween? I believe they do.

tattered book binding
witches Halloween spellbook
unlock the pages

Friday Fright Nightcaps: Samhain Apple-Spiced Sangria (S.A.S.S.)

Add a little S.A.S.S. to your Halloween with this delicious autumn sangria.

Samhain Apple Spiced Sangria

INGREDIENTS:

1 bottle red wine
1 bottle sparkling apple cider (Martinelli’s)
1 cup spiced rum
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 pear
1/2 apple
1/2 orange
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries

Directions:

Place the sliced fruit (pear, orange, apple slices, etc.) in the bottom of a pitcher.

Add the red wine, apple cider, spiced rum, and cinnamon sticks. Stir well. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.

This recipe is highly modifiable. I find Red Blends and Cabs are best, but any wine will work. Switch out the rum with brandy for less spice. Choose different fruit if you’d like.

Samhain Apple Spiced Sangria

Happy Halloween!

Throwback Thursdays: Vintage Halloween Store Ads

I’m not ashamed of my age nor to admit that I miss the old stores like K-Mart, F.W. Woolworth Co., and Toys ‘R Us during Halloweentime. K-Mart and Woolworth’s were like one-stop shopping. They had everything.

F.W. Woolworth Co circa 1960s

Up until their demise in the early 90s, I was weekly shopper. In fact, I used to work at the mall and went Woolworth’s every day during my lunch hour. They had some cool Halloween ads too.

F.W. Woolworth Co circa 1970s

Once the center in American lives, most of these department stores no longer exist.

Selling cheap Halloween costumes became big business in the 60s through the 70s and 80s. Most were made of highly flammable plastic. They tore easily and it was hard to see through the little eye holes. These days, costumes like that would get canceled before they were even loaded onto the truck, but they’re considered vintage Halloween antiques now. A rare, unopened, or one in pristine condition could be worth quite a lot of money.

Osco Drug Store

Osco Drug Store is still in business. I believe it’s part of Albertsons/CVS family now. Do you see those candy bar prices? Those were full candy bars too!

Moore & O’Neal circa 1920s

A few years ago, Tucson.com dug up old print ads from the 1920s through 1960s to prove that Halloween has always been a big celebration in Tucson. There were far too many to post here, so go check them out by clicking the picture below.

Goodmans print ad from feature article found at Tucson.com

I find it funny that people complain about the overcommercialization of Halloween, but these vintage ads prove stores have been cashing in on the Halloween craze since the 1920s.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween 2021!

Halloween is a celebration of life! By….warding…off…the dead….anyhoo, whether you like the old vintage style, cute and spooky, spine-tingling chills and thrills, or super gory to the max, Halloweentime is a magical season filled with creativity, community spirit, fun, and wonder. Every year, Halloween Haiku celebrates all month long, and while it’s gonna be challenging, this year we’re doing it again!

Our theme in October is Halloween Icons…ya know, bats, black cats, ghosts, pumpkins, etc., all those things that are known to represent Halloween. Now, I’ve come up with a bunch, but I can’t wait to hear what icons you think Halloween just wouldn’t be the same without.

This Halloween season, I’m changing up the traditional 31 days format and I plan to use social media a bit more, so please, join in the fun, and follow me @Halloweenhaiku9 on Instagram and Twitter

Here’s what’s in store for October:

3rd Annual Halloween Haiku Contest Sharpen those pencils! I want to see your most original Halloween Icons themed haiku. I’m giving away a Grand Prize Pack worth over $50!
I might even have some small prizes for runner-ups.

More details about the haiku contest will be announced on October 1st.

Halloween Icons Photo Countdown (Instagram only)
October photo countdown to Halloween. No contest, just something to do for fun Oct. 1-31st. Let’s see those pictures! Use #halloweeniconsphotochallenge

31 Days of Halloween Schedule:

Monday Macabre (website and social media)

Mondays are always dedicated to Haiku, but every Monday in October we’ll celebrate Halloween icons.

Tiny Terror Tuesdays (social media)

Sometimes little things pack a big punch. Every Tuesday, I’ll be sharing scenes from my haunted dioramas and miniatures.

Wicked Art Wednesdays (social media)

Every Wednesday, I’ll share some spooktacular Halloween art. I might even post some my own original Halloween pencil stencil art.

Throwback Thursdays (website)

Every Thursday, let’s travel back to the golden age of Vintage Halloween advertising. Some ads were amusing, and some, were downright cringeworthy. Let’s debate!

Friday Fright Nightcaps (website and social media)

Witches aren’t the only ones who drink brews!  Check-in every Friday evening to see what wild Halloween season-inspired cocktail I pull outta the cauldron.

Sinister Saturdays (website and social media)

Every Saturday, I’ll rotate between sharing one savory and one sweet recipe, all guaranteed to have you screaming for more! I may even try to make some of these myself. Now, that’s scary!

Poe Sundays (website and social media)

Just like we do every year, we’ll celebrate the gothic genius of Edgar Allan Poe, master of macabre.

Have a safe and happy Halloween season, everyone!

Happy October 2020

Back in Celtic times, it was believed that evil spirits take advantage of the thinning veil between our two worlds to pass through and terrorize humans, thus began the practice of holding huge bonfires, where the light warded off evil spirits. The Celts also started the tradition of wearing scary masks and costumes, done to trick evil spirits into thinking they were fellow demons, which brings us to Halloween 2020. The way this year is going, I suspect there’ll be whole lotta spirits crossing over to make mischief on Halloween night!

This is why it’s more important than ever to uphold our Halloween traditions by decorating our homes, wearing costumes, and carving pumpkins. Silly superstition, you say? Do you really want to take that chance? We can’t even keep toilet paper stocked and you think we can fight the living dead?! Trust me, if everyone does those three things, we will stave off the zombie apocalypse for another year.

If you’re looking for Covid-safe, fun activities for Halloween season, check out my post Halloween at Home: Fun Alternatives to Going Out and be sure to come back here every day this October for spooky fun and a chance to win some cool prizes.

This Halloween season, remember to reach out to loved ones and friends to wish them a Happy Halloween and be safe. If you do go out to haunts, parties, or trick-or-treating, please, please be safe, wear your masks, and practice good social distancing. 

Halloween Kristy