Day 9: This is Halloween! (LoEB Style!)

I'm postponing the rest of my Top 10 Kid's Books for Halloween for a couple of days, because it's League of Extraordinary Bloggers time again!

This week we're fitting the Countdown with a topic that is near and dear to my heart: Halloween traditions!

This is Halloween! This is Halloween! What are your Halloween traditions?

Let me take you on a tour of the Halloween traditions going on at the Goodwill Geek's house on and around Halloween!

See more after the jump!

Since we've moved our family of five into a new house this summer/fall, I've been wondering how our Halloween traditions will grow and change. In the years to come I foresee more lawn decorations, and window decorations galore: (WARNING. I will be recycling a lot of pictures from past blog posts here.)

But for now, we focus on decorating a few shelves inside the house, and hanging a few things up here and there to usher in the season:

We start reading Halloween books to the kids in mid-September, as well as books about fall, etc. 

 

We spend a great deal of time deliberating over costumes. Some years we go with a family theme: 

And some years we just go wild: 

PREGO: "It's In There"

We carve Jack O' Lanterns, and make it a family affair: 

Goodwill Geek Family Jack O'Lanterns, circa 2011

Goodwill Geek Family Jack O' Lanterns, circa 2010

Goodwill Geek Family Jack O' Lanterns, circa 2009

When it comes to Halloween music, I try to come up with a slightly different playlist each year. 

This year includes: 

Dragula by Rob Zombie 

Looking at the Invisible Man by the Dead Weathers

Murder in the Red Barn by Tom Waits

Transylvania Terror Train by Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures

... and many, many more. They make for great sing-along sessions in the family mini-van, let me tell you! Especially the Tom Waits. We also listen to Matthew Sweet's cover of Scooby Doo, The Barenaked Ladies cover of Grim Grinning Ghosts, Bing Crosby's rendition of The Headless Horseman, This Is Halloween from the Nightmare Before Christmas ST, and of course, the Halloween Anthem... The Monster Mash. 

I also force my wife to watch at least one or two Horror movies every October, this year it was Cabin in the Woods, and I almost got her to watch V/H/S with me, but ended up watching it on my own when she went out one night with her girlfriends. I still plan to squeeze in a viewing of Trick R' Treat, Sleepy Hollow, and Monster House. The kids and I always watch at least The Garfield Halloween Adventure, along with a few other Halloween specials. 

Let's see... what else... when it comes to the Night of Masks itself, we always go out to Ledgelawn in Bar Harbor, because it's one of those neighborhoods that really do it all up right. Rumor has it the town actually gives the houses on that street a fund for candy, and they even close the street off for the night so you can wander freely. 

Pretty much spot on.
 

When we get home we do the BIG CANDY COUNT. This includes any wrappers that have been emptied of candy on the ride home. The winner... has the most candy. 

Look into those cold, dead eyes.

And once we arrive back at the house... we look to see what the Great Pumpkin has brought for the kids. See, the Great Pumpkin visits our house on Halloween every year while we are out Trick or Treating. We don't make the mistake that Linus does and WAIT for the Great Pumpkin. We let him come while we're away, and we come back to find toys and goodies left behind. The kids don't EVER make the mistake of requesting anything from the Great Pumpkin... because he ain't no Santa Claus. Great Pumpkin will cut a bitch.

That's pretty much it for us... we do it up right. I feel like the kids will have some seriously awesome Halloween memories when they're older. 

Personally, Halloween is always a time for me to try and get some Halloween poetry written. I try to come up with one or two new pieces every year. I have no idea why. And I think some great new blog traditions have been started this very year, with my Goodwill Geek's 1st Annual Countdown to Halloween, and my participation in the Great Pumpkin Gift Swap. I think the Candy Corn Debate needs to be continued every year from now until... eternity, because that is just never getting settled. 

Before you go, check out what's going on with some of the other League Members, and their Halloween Traditions: 

- Hobgoblin over at the Monster Cafe describes an awesome tradition he's starting up with live music and a costume contest. And congrats on him getting his first Jack O' Lantern in something like 17 years!!! 

- Branded in the 80's goes full on corn-dog with a recipe for Ecto-Cooler (trying this!) pumpkin carving, and... exercise? 

- Geek 'Til it Hurts reveals his annual movie horror-movie-fest plans (Four Rooms" is on that list! How long has it been since I've seen that movie!? I was working in a video store back then...) 

So that's it for me! Speaking of the Great Pumpkin Gift Swap, my Great Pumpkin pakage arrived today! I'll be featuring it on here tomorrow... and let me just say... it was a DOOZY!!! I can't wait to show you guys! 

I'll be back soon with more Ghoulish Goodwill Goodies, so until then Happy Haunting!