Isn't it lovely, warm and crisply sunny out today? It couldn't be a better day for Halloween. Here's the origin and story of Halloween told by Garrison Keillor, which includes this salient note (among others):
What's interesting about Halloween is that it has no real connection to the majority religion of this country, it does not celebrate an event in our nation's past, it does not involve traveling to visit family, and it doesn't even give us a day off work. But it gives us the chance to try out other identities.
In a way that's what Fall Colors Month has been about, trying out other identities, in the sense that we've been able to try out other people's homes and reimagine what we might do ourselves. We've been inspired by all the different submissions, and hope that you have been too. Starting later today, we'll begin to vote for a champion.
As for November, we're going to try something else completely different. Originally inspired by Tim and Nina Zagat, whose whole business started because they used to hand out a list of their favorite restaurants to friends, were going to spend the month updating our Stores Guide and systematically - with your help - collect and vote on the best home stores in the city and online. This will be our trial run for an annual survey in which we hope to discover new resources and crown a few amazing ones who deserve to get more attention. As with everything we do, connecting people to resources and waking those shops up is what we're going to do. We start today. (top pic: ess dog)
How about spending the evening in avoiding trick-or-treaters, hmmm?
I'll be on the reference desk. *sigh*
hear, hear curtis!
i am so planning to do the same thing, and i'm going to watch a cruddy chick flick too, just to be completely anti-halloween
i hate what this holiday has become!
I'll be trying out another identity by working on a dollhouse for my husband's youngest niece. It's PINK and "cute." But I think I'm going to slip in some black or chocolate brown trim just so I don't gag.
Nobody comes to our house; it's not in a dense enough neighborhood. So my daughter will be trick-or-treating where there's better pickings, and I will be having a drink at someone else's house while dads take kids around.
What I always found interesting about Brooklyn is that children go beg on the commercial strip, and do not ring the bells of private houses. We sat home one year, practically begging children to take the mini Snickers off our hands!
The Halloween Parade in Park Slope is extremely hilarious, btw. Hundreds of yellow pokeman figures, three feet tall or sugar shocked asleep in strollers the year I went.
But seriously, folks, I think the "Utopian Halloween Trick-or-Treating" condition was that of my old building (which was kind of big), where all trick-or-treaters signed a list, and everyone willing to offer them candy signed another list. The trick-or-treaters were given a copy of the list of apartments they were welcome to go to, and that prevented any unpleasantness.
That was really kind of fun -- the parents seemed to really enjoy how safe it was, and all the residents who wanted to be on the list knew that when their doorbell rang, it would be the little goblins who were offspring of their neighbors within the building.
We will be spending the night in a hotel because THE CONTRACTORS HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED TO DO OUR KITCHEN!!!
Ann--
Bitter and grumpy much? Jeez, if you don't like the holiday, fine, but put yourslef in some smaller shoes.
We have an even cinchier plan in our 100-unit building (no xeroxing necessary): those who want trick-or-treaters merely hang a decoration on their door. That way, when (if) you run out of candy, you just take down the pumpkin or witch and you're off the hook.
I'm wondering what was better about the halloweens of yesteryear, ann? I remember smashed pumpkins, shaving cream and Nair fights, and general mayhem back when I was a kid. Nostalgia is hard to muster...
Guido--
MINI SNICKERS?!?! MMMMM!!! One of my Halloween favorites! I'm THERE! Where do you live?!? :)
Now, where'd I put my Pokemon costume!?!?
As an adult with no kids, I usually have very anticlimactic halloweens, but I am going to a party at the hard Rock Cafe here in DC where there's a led Zepplin cover band playing...should be a riot. Basically, I want to go out and no one I know is having a party...hence, cover band city.