Merry & Frightful Holiday Horror: Spooky Movies to Watch Christmas Weekend

Happy Friday! Christmas Day is three days away and whether you’re done shopping or just getting started, you need some good movies to take your mind off the stress of the horrordays! You gotta hand it to Santa and Krampus, these two guys are quite decisive about that naughty and nice list. You’re on one or the other, but never both!
So, to celebrate Creepmas, and, in keeping with our Merry & Fright theme of traditional Christmas with spooky vibes, I compiled a list of holiday horror where we can cheer on the good guys and the bad guys who get chopped up into tiny pieces!

Nightmare Before Christmas
Gremlins
Krampus
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Deadly Games
A Christmas Horror Story
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Black Christmas (1974 version)

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!

Recipe of the Month – November: Cranberry Crisp

Since November’s Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving, I’m breaking my own rule and posting a recipe this week.

Let’s be honest, next to green bean casserole, cranberry sauce is the least desirable dish on the holiday table. I suspect that’s because it’s so plain. Well, I found a recipe that might spruce up the trimmings, thanks to the good people over at Gimme Some Oven and their recipe for Cranberry Crisp.

CranberryCrisp3 GimmeSomeOven
Photo ©GimmeSomeOven

INGREDIENTS

CRANBERRY FILLING INGREDIENTS:

  • 24 ounces (about 6 cups) fresh cranberries
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • zest of one orange

CRISPY OATMEAL TOPPING INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios…you pick!)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup flour (or almond meal)
  • pinch of salt and ground cinnamon

For the full recipe and baking instructions, please go here: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/cranberry-crisp/

CranberryCrisp GimmeSomeOven
Photo ©GimmeSomeOven

Now, instead of a boring side dish, you can serve a sweet and healthy dessert. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to really make it pop!

 

Wicked Art Wednesdays – Holiday Edition: Sherrie Thai

Every Wednesday in December, Halloween Haiku will present the fabulous art of the very best artists from around the world, some well-known, some unknown, but all of them are amazingly talented.

This week, we share the fabulous art of an uber-talented artist and designer out of San Francisco, Sherrie Thai.

happy holidays by sherrie thai

Artist: Sherrie Thai
Company: Shaire Productions
Where to Purchase Goods: http://shaireproductions.com/shop/
Website: http://shaireproductions.com/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/shaireproductions/

 

Wicked Art Wednesdays – Holiday Edition: Matt Dixon

Every Wednesday in December, Halloween Haiku will present the fabulous art of the very best artists from around the world, some well-known, some unknown, but all of them are amazingly talented.

First up this month, freelance artist and concept artist Matt Dixon, most notably known for his work with Hearthstone.

Artist: Matt Dixon
Where to Purchase Goods: Online shop
Website: https://www.mattdixon.co.uk/ or  https://www.deviantart.com/mattdixon
Social Media: https://twitter.com/MattDixonArt

 

 

 

9 Ideas to help you get over Halloween

It’s November 15th and you’re missing Halloween something awful. It went by so fast. You didn’t see or do half as much as you wanted and to top it off, Christmas creep invaded way earlier than expected.  Like it or not, once that calendar flips to November 1st, it’s as if someone pulls the brakes and brings the barreling steam-engine Halloween locomotive to a violent halt. I commiserate with you, my fellow Halloweenophiles. I feel your pain.  That’s why I came up with a couple of ideas that might help us ease our suffering.

  1. Encroach on November

Look at everyone putting their Christmas stuff up one month early. Well, then, no reason why we can’t take our decorations down one month late! Go ahead and leave your yard haunt in place for another month, and if anyone asks you, why?????  Just point to the nearest house covered with plastic santas and fake snow. Nuff said.

  1. Shop til you drop, or your credit card gets rejected

Even if the stores are devoid of Halloween items, they still are selling Halloween décor and items online, 50% off or more! The month after Halloween is greatest time to buy the decorations you couldn’t afford during October or stock up for next year’s monster bash.

50%

Continue reading “9 Ideas to help you get over Halloween”

Halloween is Never Over

I will not mourn the passing of Halloween because Halloween lives here all day, every day, all year around.

What I will miss is the community spirit that shows up every September/October. I’ll miss the creative inspiration that buzzes around Halloween season, driving people to craft, create, cook, make, bake, paint, draw, write, sing and celebrate the spooky beyond. I’ll miss seeing the adorable kids in their costumes and the funny, imaginative guises from the adults.  I’ll miss the haunts and the mazes, and the creative minds that have built elaborate, sometimes ingenious, macabre sets. I’ll miss seeing decorations and the lights in all the stores, and in the yards where I live. I’ll miss hearing Halloween tunes on the radio and watching thrillers and spooky movies on television. I’ll miss people talking about their favorite memories and how they’re looking forward to making new ones.  I’ll miss the festive harvests, the parades, the pumpkin patches, the endless rows of candy, and the fun Halloween treats that make us feel like kids again.

I’ll miss the Halloween season, but Halloween is never over, oh no, Halloween is forever.

Halloweenis Forever

 

Autumn is the best season

Between the golden hues of fallen leaves and the smell of fresh baked apple-cinnamon in the air, Autumn is more than just a season, it’s a force in the universe, with the power to bring back memories, compel lovers to take chances, and motivate people to nurture their creative side.

autumn time2

Autumn wraps around people like a warm blanket, sometimes reminding them of happier times in childhood or giving them hope towards the future. Like the trees that shed their leaves, preparing for winter’s coat, people lose the inhibitions that hold them back, allowing themselves to experience the joys of the holidays and all that life has to offer.

years last smile2

Autumn is a time of reflection, a time of nature, a time of wonder and a time to spend with loved ones and friends. So, this fall, reconnect with an old friend or go visit a family member you haven’t seen in a while. Go for a long walk in the park or the forest. Pick out a pumpkin at a pumpkin farm. Take up a new hobby or make some crafts. Or, create a bucket list and have fun checking each item off.

Truman Capote once wrote, “Aprils have never meant much to me, autumns seem that season of beginning, spring.”

Autumn truly is the best season.