Keeping Halloween Alive All Year Long

          I’ve seen numerous posts on Facebook about having more Halloween or replacing certain innocuous holidays with another Halloween.    While I completely agree, it’s probably not going to happen, at least, not on a national level.   So, instead, we have to find ways to keep the scares going until October, (which is one of the reasons I started this site in the first place).
          The movies and the music are obvious suggestions.   I have a Halloween playlist consisting of common songs like “Thriller,” and :Ghostbusters,” and stuff from Disney’s “The Haunted Mansion.”   I break it out once in a while to bring the mood back, but it’s difficult for that alone to do the holiday justice when it’s 90 degrees outside and the trees are all green.   The same pretty much goes for the movies, too.   You could cut out the lights, fill a bowl with Candy Corn leftover from last year, and watch a horror movie with your significant other, or, something less… jolting with the kids.   Some of my favorites are “The Nightmare on Elm St,” “Hocus Pocus,” “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” and “Para-Norman.” Oh, Halloween….
          One thing I did find that really helps bring the festivities back: Arts and Craft, so to speak.   I’ve discovered that making things for next October gives the mood a big boost.    Perhaps there’s a particular decoration idea that you’ve had bouncing around in your head.   Why wait until the season officially starts? Not into that sort of thing?    Well, there are other ways, too.   I’ve also been toying with “scary” drink concoctions and dessert plates.   It’s quite liberating to experiment now and have the mistakes ironed out before Halloween itself comes.
          Back to decorations.   You might think it’s a little… weird to have Halloween lights up and dead bodies in the ground long after the holiday is done, and, perhaps, your neighbors do, too.   Yet, I see this very thing in my travels, (at night, of course): people have lights up around their yards without any reservations about the time of year.   Do it!   Pinterest has more ideas than you can shake a stick at.   Maybe we can bring about a second one, unofficially.
          Lastly, if you really want to get in the Halloween state of mind, working on this year’s costumes is a good idea.   If you don’t care what people think, you could always wear it around the house, whilst doing the laundry or mowing the lawn.   You could even wear it to work.   I bet sneaking up on coworkers dressed as the Angel of Death would be a real office life-bringer.
          What ideas do YOU have for keeping the holiday alive? Feel free to comment below.