20 September 2008

Six Weeks of Halloween 2008

Six Weeks of Halloween 2008


Halloween is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday. Christmas? No, all of that obligatory consumerism has turned it into a chore. Thanksgiving? Nah, the post-gluttony is dampened by the family-insisted sports-games on the TV. St. Paddy's? Sure, drinking green beer can be fun, but how many years in a row can I watch Leprechaun and Darby O'Gill? No sir, Halloween is it. When else can you impersonate another person all day and not be arrested? On what other day would it be socially acceptable to decorate your yard with imitation corpses? Only during Halloween do hollow, burning fruit look good on your porch. Most of all, Halloween somehow makes most everyone in the country a fan of my favorite genre. One day just isn't enough for this type of fun; I make it six weeks.

The plan is to fill these 42 days with a variety of fall activity. I've gotta really enjoy the season after last year's poor showing. The cornerstone of every week is the beer-, pizza- and candy-fueled weekend horror movie watching with friends. Outside of that, I'm looking forward to picking up the little one's very first costume, making a trip or two to the local cider mill, the smell of the leaves collecting on the ground and carving up a pumpkin.

And, as always, I will watch the movie Halloween on October 31st. This year marks the 10th anniversary of this tradition. Somewhat appropriately, I'm retiring my beloved Anchor Bay Limited Edition -- one of the first DVDs I ever bought back in 1999 -- and I will be watching Anchor Bay's Blu-ray version instead. Hi-def P.J. Soles, here I come!

The Tub o' Decorations Stands Waiting