Happy New Year, 2024!

Welcome 2024!

I’ve been taking my time and thinking about my goals for this year. No big resolutions to reveal, only a promise to myself to write more spooky stories and find ways to hold myself accountable. I suppose I could walk a little more, eat more salads, and be kinder to all people, including myself, but’s the closest to resolutions that you’ll hear me say.

It was fun to post themed haiku last year, even when I strayed from my original idea of posting connecting haiku into bonafide story. Great idea in the beginning, but I struggled a lot due to work constraints. Nevertheless, I’m quite proud of the fact that I wrote new, original haiku every week for a year.

This year, I’m determined to blog a little less and only post a Monthly Haiku Corner with a spooky haiku each month. I’ll continue to post themed haiku for holidays, special events, or whenever inspiration strikes, and of course, I will still post horror movie lists, for all those looking for recommendations, because these are my first loves and I enjoy blogging about them.

As always, I wish everyone good health, love, joy, happiness, and prosperity throughout 2024.

Happy New Year, 2023!

Welcome, January! I don’t do resolutions because I can never keep any promises. Life simply gets in the way sometimes and adapting is name of the game. That’s not to say I don’t make changes. Truth is, I’ve been thinking of quitting this blog for some time, but later this spring will mark my blog’s 5th anniversary and I’m proud of my little creations. So, I’m going to stick it out another year and see where the road leads.

Blogging hasn’t always been easy. Last year was a dismal time. I have not been able find the balance in work-to-home life after the pandemic. The first two years of blogging seemed promising. Then, I realized there was another Halloween Haiku writer who returned from a long hiatus and insisted in creating a competition. It was awkward and weird. Totally killed my inspiration. I ignore that person and exist in my own space because my haiku are original. I never claimed to do anything first, especially where a 3,000 year-old art form is concerned.

My real enemy is social media. I added “horror” to my blog name to differentiate between any other halloween haikus, no matter when they started. I thought I would gain more followers doing that. The unpleasant reality is my blog is a little too niche, even for fans of Halloween, horror, or haiku. Thus, I’ve failed to make any kind of mark. I don’t have the time to keep up Halloween trends, nor the skills to run entertaining or informative social media accounts. If you’ve noticed, I stepped back from Meta (Facebook) and Twitter altogether. While I’m happy to be part of The Samhain Society, it seems my lot in life is to always be the square in a circle. But, hey, this is no pity party. I am GenX. Being alone ain’t nothing new.

So, here I am, giving blogging in 2023 a chance. This year I’m going back to basics, just writing haiku. Halloween and horror haiku to be specific. Trying something new though, all my haiku will connect to tell a story that fits a monthly theme. Actually, I did it in December 2022. Every Monthly Haiku Corner, I will announce the theme and give readers a little background blurb. From there, a tale will unfold week after week and by the end of the year, I should have 12 different micro stories, told in haiku format. Occasionally, I’ll post some other stuff too, a horror movie list for those looking for recommendations, a Friday Fright Nightcap here, a Wicked Art Wednesday showcase there, but mostly, it will be all about the Halloween and horror haiku.

I wish everyone all the best this year. May 2023 be good to you. Be safe and have fun. May you find love and inspiration this year, and of course, good health, joy, happiness, and prosperity.

From Halloween to the Haunted Holidays

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.

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

Wishing you all a very Haunted Holidays!

Winter Gothic

I didn’t intend to wait this long to make monthly blog post, but January got away from me.

On this last day of January, we say goodbye to the winter gothic, that icy mystique that stirs primal feelings and reinforces our need for safety from the harsh cold. Some people admire the artistry and creation of black iron into elaborate designs that we see in architectural monuments of history’s darkest years, while others feel constricted. The absence of warmth demand civility and comforts. Iron makes cages and prisons, and above all, we crave freedom. It’s not enough to be free, we need to feel free.

2022 has already tried our patience with the deaths of beloved celebrities. Covid still rages around the world. Global supply chain issues and economic uncertainty weigh heavy on our minds, while narcissistic megalomaniacs rattle their swords like ancient greedy kings. It’s important to remember chaos and order are the respective sides of one coin. To appreciate either means not underestimate the role both play in our survival. There must be balance. There’s light. There’s dark. There’s lots of gray. Winter gothic is the call to find beauty and freedom among the iron and stone during nature’s most gorgeous, unpredictable season.

Welcome to the new Halloween Horror Haiku!

Halloween Haiku is now Halloween Horror Haiku!

Why the change? I want to expand more into the horror genre and blog more about horror movies, books, creators, etc. I’ll still write haiku and post about all things Halloween. Honestly, I don’t think my blog will be much different.

Be sure to bookmark the new website address:
www.halloweenhorrorhaiku.com

Social Media Handles
Instagram: @halloweenhorrorhaiku
Twitter: @Halloweenkristy
Pinterest: @halloweenkristy

If you find broken links or missing items, gimme a shout-out in Comments or email me at Halloweenkristy@gmail.com

Thanks for your support and for joining in this journey with me.

Halloween Kristy

A Spooky Renaissance is Coming

I announce the return of the monthly blog! Random musings and kitsch movie lists for my fellow horror lovers, that’s what I’ll offer at the end of every month. Can you believe it’s already the end of May? We are well past the halfway point to Halloween. This is a crucial time of year for many Halloween fans because it’s been 8 months since we’ve seen a jack-o’-lantern, Summer, the most dreaded season, is right around the corner, and we desperately need something that will satisfy our cravings until October. We’re hunting down springtime scares and often finding comfort in horror nostalglia. Halloween lovers might be a little prickly right now.

Most of us still have Covid anxiety and after a year of living in and out of lockdowns, nobody knows how to act. Mass shootings have returned and vaccination lotteries are all the rage. Human beings have to be bribed to take care of our health. How the hell did we get this far? Anyways, it’s suggested that we ease back into society, gingerly, like curious cute kittens, ready to explore, adorably pounce on butterflies we can’t catch, and slash the hell out of anyone who messes with us. This is why I predict a cautious summer with steady routines and subtle day trips to our favorite local hangouts, where we can get used to being around people again, wearing clothes that don’t stretch, and obeying traffic laws. By Fall, however, we should be ready to party. I’m really looking forward to that.

Halloween season is the perfect time to get adventurous, try new things, and travel the world, or maybe just to the next city over, if you can’t afford a plane ticket. Trust me, it all counts. Visually, one half of the world will be stunning, so get those cameras ready. I’m hoping climate change hasn’t doomed our favorite autumn landscapes just yet. Another reason why we should take plenty of photos this fall. In fifty years, no one will believe we had bountiful harvests, tall trees, and grass this green. But, let’s table the rest of this discussion for later this year.

Halloween is a holiday that can be shared by communities and we’ll be needing to build up the goodwill and learn to trust society all over again. Trust each other again. What better way to do it over a shared love of pumpkin spiced lattes and creepy yard haunts, plus, there’s extra incentive in finding the beautiful abandonment of a pre-covid world. Abandoned places. Restless spirits. Scary monsters. Haunted people. Only time will tell how much we’ve changed after this pandemic. The anger. The fears. The death. We’re gonna need to channel these dark energies, and the arts, the culture, music, movies, comics, gaming, literature… it’s where we’ll go to bear our souls. Fear not my friends, I feel a spooky renaissance may be on the horizon.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments section or hit me up on social media.