HALLOWEEN MILESTONES

HALLOWEEN MILESTONES

Below are the top thirteen events that we believe were important to Halloween in the twentieth century.

"Halloween Capital of the World"
In 1920, Anoka, Minnesota civic leaders suggest the idea of a town wide Halloween celebration, including a Halloween parade. Bags of popcorn, candy, peanuts and other treats were given away to the children who had marched in the parade. Halloween celebrations have been held in Anoka every year since 1920, with the exception of 1942 and 1943. In 1937, Anoka proclaimed its self the Halloween Capital of the World.

"Wilton Enterprises"
Since 1929, Wilton has offered the very best selection of baking, cake decorating, candy making and cookie making ingredients, accessories and tools for creating wonderful looking and tasting Halloween treats. In addition to their great product line, Wilton also offers seasonal classes and publications that can help just about anyone to create holiday desserts and serve them with a spooky flair.

"War of the Worlds"
On October 30, 1938, Mercury Theatre radio aired their Halloween special, an adaptation of the H. G. Wells book "War of the Worlds" , hosted by Orson Welles'. Beginning at 8:00pm, millions of listeners were shocked when radio news alerts announced the invasion of Martians, initially landing in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Many listeners believed what they were hearing was the real thing and some people even panicked.

"Peeps"
Since 1952, Peeps, those sweet little marshmallow candies have been a holiday favorite and tradition. Halloween Peeps include bats, cats, pumpkins, and ghosts. Although the original Peeps were standard marshmallow flavor, some of the newer flavors including cocoa for the Halloween cats and bats. The basic ingredients for Peeps is marshmallow, sugar, gelatin, and carnauba wax.

"Vampira"
In 1954, Vampira became the first horror show host on television. From 1954-1955, the show was broadcast on the Los Angeles based television station KABC-TV. The Vampira Show televised mostly low budget suspense films and set the stage for a multitude of hosted horror shows. Portrayed by actress Maila Nurmi, who's television persona was inspired by Charles Addams "Morticia Addams" character.

"It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!"
In 1966, children were thrilled by this twenty-five minute long animated Halloween special based on the Charles Shultz "Peanuts" comic strip characters. How can you get into the Halloween spirit without watching this one? It's a definite classic for young and old alike, with Linus is waiting for the Great Pumpkin while those around him trick or treat. Will he be rewarded for his vigilance or left out in the cold once?

"Halloween"
In 1978, the classic horror movie "Halloween" was released into theaters and became the highest-grossing independent movie ever made at that time. Due to its meager budget of only $300,000.00, the prop department used the cheapest mask that they could find, a Captain Kirk (William Shatner) mask. They spray-painted the face white, teased out the hair, and reshaped the eye holes to give it a more sinister appearance.

"Elvira, Mistress of the Dark"
In 1981, Cassandra Peterson was hired by KHJ-TV in Los Angeles as hostess for their "Movie Macabre" television program that featured low budget horror movies. She developed the "Elvira" character with make-up artist and costume designer Robert Redding. In 1982, "Movie Macabre" received an Emmy award nomination and the show goes into nationwide syndication. Elvira is considered to be the "Queen of Halloween".

"Pumpkin Masters"
In 1987, Paul Bardeen invents and markets the first pumpkin carving tools and templates kit allowing the creation of intricate, decorative Jack O' Lantern designs. The tradition of carving pumpkins has never been the same since the introduction of Pumpkin Masters' pumpkin carving kit. New pumpkin carving templates were added almost every year, allowing people to make new and even more elaborate carvings every Halloween.

"The Simpsons - Treehouse of Horror"
In 1990, The Fox Television Network airs a "Simpsons" Halloween special called, the "Treehouse of Horror". The Simpson's Halloween special has become a annual tradition on the animated television series and are much anticipated by its fans. Every Halloween episode contain three independent segments, each featuring a different spooky storyline. Unfortunately, Fox has not released the full collection onto DVD.

"Halloween Online"
In 1996, Halloween Online, went online October 31st. as a dedicated Halloween section located at banzai-net.com. It did not have its own domain name (halloween-online.com) until June 1998, when it was launched as a full featured, free standing Halloween website. Today, it is the Internet's largest and oldest content driven Halloween site, and flagship of the Halloween Online Family of Websites.

"The Haunted History of Halloween"
In 1997, the History Channel aired this well researched, detailed and unbiased Halloween documentary hosted by Harry Smith. The show takes us through a three-thousand year journey of the pagan holiday, which has become one of America's most popular holidays. Available on DVD, it is simply a must have for anyone who loves Halloween and wants to learn more about its ancient history.

"Martha Stewart"
In 1999, the first "Martha Stewart's Halloween Special: Bad Things, Good Things", aired on cable television. This episode demonstrated Martha's love for the spooky holiday, and featured a variety of simple how-to Halloween decorating tips and craft related projects. Her popular magazine, "Martha Stewart Living", has also had several special Halloween issues printed over the years.

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HALLOWEEN FOR SOLDIERS

HALLOWEEN FOR SOLDIERS

Whether you support the war on terrorism and tyranny taking place in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world or not, we believe that it is our patriotic duty to support our service men and women wherever they are. To help keep their morale up and give them a little piece of an American holiday tradition while they are overseas, we like to send one or more soldiers a "Halloween in a Box" care package.

These care packages include a variety of Halloween related items such as Halloween candy and cookies, an assortment of simple Halloween decorations, a Halloween mask and a few other goodies. This will help them celebrate an American tradition, even if in a small way, with their fellow soldiers.

Choosing a Soldier
You can send a "Halloween in a Box" care package to a soldier that is a friend, a family member, from your hometown, or you can adopt a soldier through a variety of organizations (see Useful Information below). While we use the word soldier throughout this article, we encourage you to send "Halloween in a Box" care packages to more than one soldier if you can.

What to Send
Treats - All edibles, including Halloween candy should be in its original packaging and unopened. Take the packages of candy and place them in Zip-Lok bags for added protection. A seasonal bag of mixed candy and packaged Halloween cookies work well, too. If you send chocolate candy, double bag it in case it melts en-route. For safety reasons, avoid sending homemade treats unless you are sending the package to a soldier that knows you personally or is a family member.

Paper Halloween decorations pack flat and are light weight. They should be light hearted andnever on the gruesome side. Halloween balloons and banners. If you send a Halloween mask, make sure that it is the type that fits over the face only, and is not the over-the-head type. It is important that it can be removed quickly if necessary, after all, they are soldiers and are in a combat zone.

Lastly, include a "Happy Halloween" card with a few thoughts hand written in the card. You could also include some of your own Halloween pictures from the year before.

Here's a list of what we like to send:

Plastic Jack O' Lantern Pail
Extra Large bag(s) of Mixed Halloween Candy
On-the-face Halloween masks
"Happy Halloween" banner
Pack of Halloween balloons
Bright Colored "Silly String" (this is an important one!)
International Phone Card (so they can call their family on Halloween)
Halloween Greeting Card

Sending Your Package
Packages to overseas military units must be sent via the US Postal Service. It is important to remember that it takes more time for a package to reach a soldier who is stationed overseas than normal. Try to send our your package or packages at least a month before Halloween. Be sure to wrap packages securely. Avoid liquid-filled containers as they tend to break and/or leak. Label the package properly and make sure that you list all of its contents. There is a space on the customs form to declare whether it is a gift or merchandise.

Get Others Involved
Be sure to let your friends, family, women's groups, church and co-workers know what you are doing and encourage them to do the same.

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HALLOWEEN STORAGE

HALLOWEEN STORAGE

How many times has this scenario happened to you. Its the day after Halloween and you look around your yard and the inside of your house and think, "Now I've got to put this stuff all away". You're tired from the day's or even weeks of preparations, so you proceed to toss and cram all your Halloween decorations into boxes like a madman. Believe me, we've been there...

But think about it, you have a great deal of time and money invested in your Halloween decorations, so shouldn't they be protected for years to come? By taking the time to organize and pack them with care will save you time next year, giving you more time for Halloween decorating.

Packing Materials
Try to keep the original boxes when possible. Cardboard boxes work well for packing, but are susceptible to moisture and can deteriorate, particularly in humid climates.Plastic storage containers have the advantage that they come in transparent so that you can also see what's inside. When stacking your boxes, try to make stacks of similar sized containers, starting with heavy boxes on bottom and working up to light boxes at the top.

Try to avoid using newspaper. The ink can rub off and cause damage. Tissue or butchers paper works well. Bubble wrap and foam chips are great for items that are breakable and need to be cushioned.

Labeling
Use large permanent markers to label Halloween storage boxes. Describe clearly all pertinent information including the contents of the box, whether its for indoor or outdoor use, if its fragile, etc.

HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS
OUTDOOR LIGHTS & EXTENSION CORDS

Halloween Lights
Its a lot easier to store them properly now, than opening the box to find a giant headache next year. Strings of Halloween lights should be wound around plastic holiday light spools or wrapped and tied with twist-ties and placed into separate plastic storage bags, otherwise you'll end up with one big, tangled ball of lights. Spare bulbs should be stored with the correct string of lights.

Tableware and Kitchenware
Everything you had on your serving table or tables such as Halloween tablecloths, napkins, utensils, plates, bowls, punch bowls, etc., should all be kept together in one or more well labeled boxes. Glass or fragile plastic items such as punch bowls should be wrapped in a protective material such as paper or bubble wrap for there protection. Cookie cutters, cake pans and the like should all be packaged together and labeled appropriately. Inexpensive paper napkins work well for separating dishes.

Crushable Decorations
Halloween wreaths should be stored in a box that will protect the wreath, but also to keep its shape. Don't use a box that's to small and will crush the wreath. There actually boxes made for storing wreaths, usually available during the Xmas season. Write " Do Not Crush" on the box. Foam tombstones, as with other flat decorations, should be packed together with bubble wrap between each one. Halloween collectables such as ceramic villages, toys and ornaments should be re-packed in there original boxes.

Halloween Costumes
Halloween costumes should definitely be stored in plastic storage containers to protect them from dust, moisture pests. Wash or dry clean the costume if needed, then carefully fold it just as you would when storing any other piece of clothing. We place ours individually in extra large plastic zip top storage bags for extra protection and label the bags with a black permanent marker.

You can also store Halloween costumes in plastic garment bags and hung in garment boxes available from moving companies. Keep specific costumes and there accessories together by using smaller storage bags. Once you place them in the storage container, seal it by running packing tape all the way around the lip of the lip.

Halloween masks should be stored them properly so that they can be used year after year. The worst thing you can do is just toss it in a box as the mask will not hold its natural shape. The best way we've found to store latex masks is on a Styrofoam wig stand. These are shaped like a human head and only cost a couple of dollars at beauty supply stores. Masks should be store in a cool, dark, dry place. Exposure to sunlight or excessive temperatures for a prolonged period can cause the colors to fade and damage the latex, causing the mask crack.

Halloween Candles
Didn't use all those creepy Halloween candles you bought this year, well be careful how you store them for next year. First, store identical candles together in there own zip top plastic storage bags and place these in a plastic storage container just for candles. Candles are temperature sensitive and if they get to warm will melt together into a blob. Store candles in a cool dry place.

Manuals and Instructions
Keep the original manuals and instruction sheets with the original items. If you can't do this, keep all manuals in a box marked "Halloween Manuals". Before we disassemble complex decorations we always take a few pictures of it from different angles with a digital camera. Next year we use the pictures as a visual guide for reassembly.

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TELLING GHOST STORIES

TELLING GHOST STORIES

Whether its on Halloween night or simply sitting around the campfire, telling ghost stories is an age-old tradition. The idea of course is to tell a story that frightens the listeners in a fun, frightening and entertaining way.

Typically these short stories center around some sort of supernatural or malevolent occurrence or creature such as a haunted house, ghosts, vampires, monsters, crazed killers and the like. And while most ghost stories are pure fiction or urban legends that may or may not have any truth to them, some are the real thing, or at least have some shred of truth to them.

To be good at telling ghost stories you need to keep several things in mind.

Whether you tell a known ghost story, adapt one to your needs or create a completely original story, it should be believable and able to hold the interest of its listeners. Tell important aspects of the story in enough detail so that they can visualize the events taking place, but not so much as to slow down the flow of the story.

Ghost stories are usually told as a though is were a historical event or sometimes as something that is currently taking place. Provide a basic setting that includes the time period of the event, the location where it happened, any fabricated historical facts. Do a little research and find stories that are fairly short and believable.

There are plenty of real or at least possibly real "scary" stories and urban legends out there that you can use. Some would be the "Haunted Railroad Tracks" in San Antonio, Texas, or the "Mothman" of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, or the "Chupacabra" along the American-Mexican boarder and local "Big Foot", sightings, which are always good for a scare. The Halloween Ghost Stories website has a great collection of ghost stories!

If the story that center around a place it should contain vivid details so that listeners can visualize it in their minds and possibly relate to a place they've been to or know about. Stories that revolve around a person or group of people should have characters that are believable. Make the characters real by giving some information about them. Don't do this all at once, but over the course of the story.

Adapt the stories as needed, but most importantly, learn the story by heart. If you sound like you yourself believe the story to be true, everyone else will. If you sound like you are making it up as you go along, no one will believe you. If a story is to long or doesn't get to a scary fairly soon, your listeners will get restless and then bored.

Remember, a scary story doesn't have to be gruesome to frighten people. While many of these stories are bloody and horrific, others are simply creepy and shocking. If one or more people become very scared, tone down the story. If young children are present, keep the stories more on the light hearted side and not too scary. Needless to say, you shouldn't tell extremely scary stories to young children.

A fun game, particularly at a Halloween party where there is a group of people, is for each person to take three minutes to tell part of a story, and then the next person has three minutes to add on to it, and so on.

TRUNK-OR-TREAT

TRUNK-OR-TREAT

Halloween is traditionally a time for kids and even adults who are young at heart to don costumes and roam their neighborhood to gather those precious treats and have some spooky fun.

But what happens when you live in a sparsely populated town or a rural area where your neighbors are spread out over large distances. Many parents drive their costume clad children from house to house, sometimes even organizing Halloween night car pools to shuttle the children around.

On the flip side, for people who love handing out treats, but receive few if any trick-or-treaters because they live in a neighborhood with few children or out in the country, it can be frustrating.

Trunk-or-Treating, also known as Halloween Tailgating or Tailgate Trick-or-Treat is a simple concept and fun alternative. A group of people park their Halloween decorated vehicles in a central location, usually the parking lot of a business, school or other suitable area, at a designated time, where trick-or-treaters can move from car to car to show off their costumes and collect treats.

Nothing will replace house-to-house trick-or-treating, and nothing should, but this form of mobile trick-or-treating is quickly growing in popularity where conventional door-to-door trick-or-treating is difficult, unsafe or  not very practical.

Like many things, no one really knows or probably will even know how Trunk-or-Treating got started, but it doesn't really matter. It simply gives people another option for celebrating Halloween.

Some of these mobile trick-or-treating events are loosely organized, with one neighbor suggesting to their friends and fellow neighbors, "Let's have a Halloween Tailgate party in the Quickie Mart parking lot on Halloween night, see you at seven o'clock and don't forget to decorate your car."

Other Truck-or-Treat events have a whole committee, a business or even the town itself organizing them.

In some communities kids go out for traditional trick-or-treating in their own neighborhood, then its off to a Halloween Tailgating party. Double the fun, double the treats!

Whether its the trunk of a car that looks like an Autumn Harvest, the backside of a van decorated as a vampires lair, or a pickup truck with a mobile pumpkin patch on it, you can decorate your vehicle with a little imagination. Many organizers have a Trunk Decorating Contest where  prizes are given out to the best decorated trunk or vehicle.

Trunk-or-Treat Tips

Number one and most important is to get permission from the business, school, etc. to use their parking lot in advance. Make sure everyone parks out of the flow of their regular traffic so as not to disrupt their business.

Halloween Tailgating should only be held in well lit area's.

Let local law enforcement and the fire department know when and where you'll be holding the Trunk-or-Treat in advance. They may get involved, give you some tips and even help out.

Check with your local city offices and the local newspaper to see if there's going to be a Trunk-or-Treat in your town. If not, maybe you should organize one!

Use common sense safety - Never leave your children alone at one of these events.

Battery powered lights and decorations work great, but if you want to run holiday lights and props that are for AC power, and draw low current, you can buy a device called an inverter from your local auto parts store that will convert the DC power of a car battery into AC power.

Be sure to take a folding chair to sit on and some refreshments for yourself.

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THE FUTURE OF HALLOWEEN

THE FUTURE OF HALLOWEEN

While we can't say for certain exactly how Halloween will be celebrated one hundred years from now, we have a pretty good idea about the next three years. But before we get to that, here are some thoughts on how the particular day of the week that Halloween falls on influences this holiday.

For Christmas, it is not uncommon for people to start putting up decorations as early as Thanksgiving and they may leave them up all the way through New Years. Since the excepted Christmas season lasts literally weeks, you have much more time to spread out special events such as parties.

Halloween on the other hand, usually does not become visible until October 31st., or at best a few days before and then vanishes like dust in an Autumn breeze the following day. You may spend weeks or even months in preparation for Halloween night, but all you get is one night.

When Halloween falls on a week day, except Friday, celebrating tends to be smaller, particularly on a Wednesday or Thursday. These days are too far removed from the preceding weekend to have a Halloween party, and its virtually unheard of to hold a party after October 31st. If you have a party on a week night, it usually has to be short in duration as kids have school the next day and most adults have work. The best Halloween falls on either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, giving more time for parties, haunts and Halloween fun.

In 2007, Halloween fell on a Wednesday, and would normally be on the next calendar day the following year, but because 2008 is a leap year and February has a twenty-ninth day in it, Halloween will skip Thursday and fall on Friday instead. But the news keeps getting better. That also means Halloween will fall on a Saturday in 2009 and on a Sunday in 2010. There isn't another leap year until 2012, which will put it on Wednesday. The year 2014 will bring another Friday Halloween and the following two years will be weekend Halloweens.

Friday - Kids can celebrate Halloween in school making decorations and having class room parties if they are allowed to, then once home they can don their chosen Halloween costume and go out for tricks and treats. Adults can give out treats in the late afternoon and evening, and then get dressed for that Halloween party, or still have time to throw a party of their own.

Saturday - This is our favorite day for Halloween to fall on. Kids are out of school and have plenty of time to get ready. They can stay up later since they don't have school the following day. Adults have all Friday night to hold or go to a Halloween party and then Sunday night to greet their costumed visitors.

Sunday - Our second favorite day for Halloween to be, you can host or go to that party on Saturday and then have all Sunday to prepare for your trick or treaters.

So, what can we expect over the next three years? More Halloween parties, more business related events such as costume contests, a larger selection of Halloween products in stores and more haunted events like haunted houses popping up around towns. The next three years look to be great for Halloween lovers everywhere!

HALLOWEEN - A SEXY HOLIDAY

HALLOWEEN - A SEXY HOLIDAY

Halloween has always been very popular with adults, but over the last decade, the level of participation by them has grown tremendously. And there's a good reason why. Its the one night of the year that grown-ups can dress up as any fantasy they want and have their persona excepted.

This popularity goes far beyond helping the kids select their costumes and handing out treats. You see more and more adults in costume when they hand out their treats at the front door, and many are even going trick or treating themselves.

Many businesses hold Halloween office parties and allow, if not encourage, their employees to wear costumes to work as part of the Halloween spirit. Night clubs hold costume contests with some pretty hefty prizes for the best costumed person or couple.

But most of all, it has also become a social event for donning their costumes and heading to Halloween parties. Whether at someone's home, local night clubs or the office, just about everyone enjoys the Halloween festivities. The most popular years are when Halloween falls on either a Friday or Saturday for obvious reasons.

While traditionally filled with ghouls, goblins, ghost and other scary characters, Halloween night is also a very sexy holiday. Costumes portraying enchanting Witches and seductive Vampires are always a great choice, and let us not forget the Mistress of the Dark herself, Elvira. Its also a perfect time for couples to dress up together as anything they want to be from a Mad Scientist and Nurse to a Playboy and his Bunny, the possibilities seem endless! Every year you'll find new versions of Halloween costumes, from very sexy witch costumes to nurses, firewomen, pirates, you name it! Check out our Make-up and Costumes section for more ideas!

And why not, Halloween is the one time of the year that almost anything goes, allowing people to live out fantasies, if only for this one night.

The social freedom of Halloween gives people who are normally stressed out and/or emotionally restrained a chance to "let loose", get spooky, scary, naughty and even sexy without being judged. It's simply an assumed persona for a night of celebration.

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