The Show Must Go On
Where I live, Mother Nature decided to go to battle with The Great Pumpkin this year. A pretty bad snow storm hit us right before Halloween, which really made things different.
When a heavy, wet snowfall lands on trees that still have their leaves, you're going to get branches breaking. And with falling limbs come broken power lines. Much of the state was hit with power outages. Seems like everyone I know had some issues. No heat, no power, no cable, no internet, or no phone.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much of an audience for my show. Typically I expect to see hundreds of trick-or-treaters. But this year the doorbell rang only sporadically, with about 30 kids spread throughout the night. I thanked these kids for being brave enough to venture down the darkened streets, sloshing through snow and stepping over any downed power lines they might encounter.
Those who showed up did offer the usual "oooohs" and "aaaahs" for my pumpkin display, which is enough to make it all worth the effort. And I struck fear into the eyes of some of the kids, so that means the costume was a success too.
Most of the kids were polite, although there was that one older girl who put out her hand for candy, and when I placed a pack of Raisinets in her open palm, just just gave me a look as if to say... are you serious?
She said, "Raisins!?" I replied, "Hey, they're healthy for you." She said, "Uh... don't you have any candy?" I responded with, "Raisinettes are candy. Get outta here and go suck the chocolate off them."
This Halloween was a little different, but it's still another one for the record books. I'm still hearing rumors that kids will actually be trick-or-treating next weekend, for a "Halloween observed." But I'm exhausted, so I'm blowing out the candles and calling this season complete.
Plus, now that all these Raisinets are gone, I'm keeping the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for myself!
October 18, 2011Freaky Just Got Fabulous
After designing well over 300 pumpkin patterns in my day, you might think this site would have just about everything. What else could you possibly make into a pumpkin stencil design? Answer - a lot! I get dozens of emails every day with more pattern suggestions. It's pretty clear that I'll never run out of subject matter.
So when it comes time to decide on the next pumpkin pattern, how do I choose what it will be? Do I go for gory fright or keep it cartoony? Classic monsters or modern trends? Something for adults or the kids? Boy stuff or girl fluff? I get pulled in many directions, and realize I can't please all people all the time. But I do try to offer a good mix.
But there are other demographics, and thankfully I have plenty of parents who email me,
letting me know what their child is begging for. This year there seems to be a trend among
the girls toward Monster High. Unfamiliar? It's a line of fashion dolls
(which has spawned other merchandise and a cartoon) with a twist -
they're the offspring of famous monsters. Think Barbie mixed with Frankenstein and you'll
get the picture.
So a common email I've been receiving this Halloween season goes like this: "Hey, my daughter loves Monster High, could you make a pumpkin pattern of Frankie Stein or Draculaura or Clawdeen Wolf? I know you're a guy, so I'm sure you've never heard of these dolls."
Oh yeah? Just look at what I have sitting on my desk right now:
Okay, now before you judge me and think I play with dolls, let me explain a couple things. First, this was a gift from a kind fan of the website (who apparently has a good sense of humor). What would I do, hide it away? No, of course I will display it proudly with the other Halloween memorabilia people have given me over the years.
And secondly, she's an ACTION FIGURE!
October 2, 2011Better Early Than Never
Welcome to October. You are now officially allowed to hang up your plastic skeletons and rubber bats, without fear of receiving strange looks. Well, at least you won't be judged for being too early. After all, October IS Halloween.
Still, many "normal" folk don't really do things to celebrate Halloween until the last week of October. Some wait until the official date of October 31, celebrating for only one day. But why limit yourself? I say, do your Halloween celebrating now! Do it early, and often.
I have many traditions at this time of year, some of which involve movies. Halloween themed classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas, or Trick 'r Treat. In years past, I've waited right up until the end of October to watch these movies. But guess what... things get crazy and I ultimately end up not finding the time. So why risk missing the window of opportunity for your favorite traditions? Do them now and get in the spirit for this, the best and most chilling month of the year.
This philosophy applies to pumpkin carving too. I always hear people say, "I don't want to carve until the day before Halloween, because my pumpkin will rot before the the trick-or-treaters get to see them." Well that may be true, but who says you can't carve a new pumpkin every weekend, for the whole month? If you have a lit jack 'o lantern on your porch on the weekend of October 8th, you have my respect! And at the very least, if you see a good looking pumpkin at your local grocery store or farmer's stand, pick it up while their supply is good.
So don't wait until October 31st to order that pumpkin spice latte, or to listen to your party mix CD of Monster Mash and Thriller. Enjoy your Halloween traditions now. Better early than never. With one exception... don't buy bags of candy for the trick-or-treaters quite yet. You just know you'll eat it before Halloween night, you have no will power.
September 24, 2011Happy Birthday Jim Henson
I've always looked up to Jim Henson. Even wrote short biographical report on him during my school days. The man behind the Muppets just seemed to have so much creative drive, often ahead of his time in areas like technology and story telling.
As a kid I couldn't fully grasp the value of his artistic vision, I just knew that I was entertained. Like every toddler, I learned my ABCs from Sesame Street. And soon after that I graduated to the wacky Muppet Show, never missing an episode.
The Great Muppet Caper was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. And once a bit older, I could appreciate darker fantasy films like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. From childlike innocence to edgier humor that adults can appreciate, there's something for everyone in the Henson library.
Today would have been Jim Henson's 75th birthday, which seems like the perfect time
to add his most memorable character to the collection of carvings. So hop to it and
carve yourself a tribute Kermit the Frog pumpkin pattern.
And if you're wondering why I would associate Kermit with Halloween, you need look no further than this photo of my costume from 1982. Let me tell ya, it's not easy being green.
