7 Activities To Kick-Start Your Halloween Mood

          Welcome, Fall, my favorite time of year!   It feels, somehow, melancholy and energetic at the same time.   Even when the sun is out, it’s brisk and threatens the cold of winter soon to come, but the changing leaves cry for a painting too dazzling to put on canvas.   I’ve never had trouble getting into the … spirit of things when it comes to Fall and Halloween.   I already have some of my decorations up.   There are some, though, who find it a bit more difficult to get into the mood.   For those people, I’ve worked out a brief list to help everyone enjoy the holiday a little sooner.   The list is in no real order, but here it goes:

Window Shop Halloween Decorations

          Just go lose yourself in the Halloween section of your nearest DIY store.    Michael’s, Target, and Hobby Lobby are all great places to do this, although, much too well-lit, in my opinion.   Home Depot, generally, has a large section of the store devoted to their newest electronic and inflatable toys.   It is pretty expensive for mediocre stuff, but, as I said, we are just window shopping.   Walmart and the Dollar Store are exactly what you would expect, but they do offer some oohs and ahs for things to be converted into better and more exciting holiday things.

Buy New Halloween Attire

           By this, I mean, buy new everyday type of clothing: anything colorful; a black shirt, an orange skirt, or something “spooky”.    The idea, here, is that you buy something to put you in the mood, which will, then, lead you to wear that new something and put you even more into the mood: look the part, feel the part.

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Start A Spooky Book

          I suppose this might go without saying.   Halloween is a holiday of mystery and darkened corners.   A good story that makes you contemplate leaving the lights on when going to bed is just the sort of things for this list.   If things get too spooky, you can always parlay some of that into your homemade treats and decorations.   In case you’re … lost for ideas, the Asylum books, Amityville Horror, Hell House, ‘Salem’s Lot, or anything by Stephen King really, would creep you out.

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Have A Movie Fest

          I suppose this might also go without saying.    When I watch movies to get in the mood, though, I don’t watch just anything.    A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th don’t really scream Halloween to me.    I watch some of the animated stuff, like ParaNorman, Monster House, or Charlie Brown.    Some of the classic black and white movies fit the bill, too, like Dracula, The Wolf Man, and Frankenstein.    Whatever your style, just pop it in, cut the lights, and pass the trail mix.

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Burn Scented Candles

          “What’s the big deal with this,” you might think.   “I burn candles all the time.”   That’s probably true.   It’s the reason we burn candles, though.   Nothing is more powerful in bringing memories to the surface than a familiar scent, like pumpkin spice.   For me, it’s the smell of burning wood on a brisk evening.   Pick a scent that sparks your fondest memory of the Halloween season.   You’ll be in the mood in no time.

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Break Out The Haunted Music

          The same reasoning applies here: the tiniest note can resurrect a particular tune, which, in turn, brings up more memories.    Although not as powerful as our olfactory connections, it’s still pretty strong.    Many people listen while hanging up Xmas decorations.    So, it’s not a stretch at all to do the same.    I have some suggestions in the side bar.    There’s also Disney’s Halloween Songs & Sounds and Mickey’s Monster Bash, if you like that kind.    My favorite is The Haunted Mansion.

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Take Foliage Selfies

          There are some great places to do this, depending on where you live.   You might have to take a little drive if you live in a bigger city.   There are no shortage of places in New England, (where I live).    You could, easily, fill a memory card.   If you live in a place where this would be more difficult, just think, “higher altitudes and less populated.”    No matter how you go about it, enjoy it.    Have the experiences now, and the pictures will keep it fresh later on.

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