We're coming to the end of the year, and that means my very favorite holiday is about to arrive: HALLOWEEN! Every year, I get so excited to see costumes and decorations show up in stores and peruse the Halloween stores such as Spirit Halloween and Halloween City. I have a six-foot black tree that I cover in green, orange and purple lights with tons of Halloween-themed ornaments that I've found in after-holiday sales. I have a skeleton raven that perches on the top and skeleton bats that hang off various branches. I found a tiny candy-corn colored tree recently and bought miniature jack o' lantern lights to wrap around it. I want to find some more little trees in various colors for more mini themed lights!
Since this blog focuses on books, I wanted to think outside the box for a post about Halloween. Books and movies can be a large part of any holiday. I think most people have favorite holiday movies they like to watch each year, and Halloween is no exception. I always watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, either on Halloween or in the days before. I have friends who choose Hocus Pocus or the original Halloween as their go-to movies. Some of them always go to watch a scary movie on Halloween, or they rent or watch a horror movie they haven't seen before.
In our family tradition, we would do the typical pumpkin carvings and trick o' treating. But one thing my dad used to do was turn off the lights, light up the jack o' lanterns, and recite, from memory, the poem [hist whist] by e.e. cummings. Dad's version isn't exact--I can recite it as well because I heard it over and over again, and it's not word for word. But Dad made it entertaining by tickling us when he said, "rustle and run and hidehidehide!" and singing the ending "wheeEE" in a high, silly voice. He loves the phrase "little itchy mousies with scuttling eyes", and sometimes we were dubbed as such when he was teasing us in general.
This year, though, it seems that large Halloween events are going to be canceled. Theme parks are closed, schools probably won't have truck or treat events, and I imagine door-to-door trick r' treating won't be an option. It sounds so sad... but really, it doesn't have to be.
There are still ways to celebrate Halloween with your family and friends. And I think we can incorporate movies and books as well. I was perusing ideas online, and I realized we all have a tool available to us that can help us be together while still being safe, and that's using video conference options. Social media platforms have the capabilities, and there's always Zoom, Skype, and other online video chat options.
But what to do with a video chat? Well, why not a watch party or a story reading? Watch parties are when everyone joins into an online chat to watch a movie or TV show. You can schedule it with the video chat provider or on social media. There are capabilities to discuss the film as you're watching it or schedule time afterwards to talk about it. You can choose a movie everyone has seen that maybe is nostalgic, or pick something no one has watched and see what everyone's reactions are. Or maybe it would be fun to introduce a movie you and other folks in your circle know well to others who haven't seen it and see what they think.
A story reading could be even easier. Have each person pick out a short Halloween, ghost, or horror story or poem that they love and want to share with other people. You can put a word or page count on it so your stories don't go too long, such as short stories or poems only, no novelettes or novellas.
So as the host, it will be your job to figure out how the watch party works. In all honesty, I have no idea how to run a watch party myself or I'd be happy to explain it! But I have done Zoom and Skype meetings with multiple people, and it was extremely easy. I was sent a notification email from the host and I just clicked on the link at the time of the meeting, and viola: everything begins!
If you're not computer savvy, as I'm not, then check in with friends who are and see if they can help you out.
Another way to connect everyone would be to send each of your online guests a Halloween party gift package before the scheduled date. Some ideas to include are:
- A bag of microwave popcorn. "Theatre style" popcorn is always a lot of fun, or choose an organic option in case there are folks who can't have all that butter and salt!
- Halloween candy or a box of movie candy--big box stores and dollar stores usually sell them for about a dollar to a dollar fifty.
- A box of Halloween cookies. You can include local bakery-made cookies or make your own!
- An inexpensive DVD copy of the film or a similar film. Sometimes you can find Halloween movies really cheap at drugstores and dollar stores around the holiday. Really bad or campy horror movies can be just as fun to watch as a good one, too!
- A copy of a classic Halloween, ghost, or horror book that can be found inexpensively online or in a used bookstore. Frankenstein, Dracula, The Haunting of Hill House, and The Halloween Tree are some titles that immediately come to mind.
- Assorted Halloween party favors. It seems everyone loves spider rings and tiny bubble bottles!
- Or, if you want to be more adult about your party favors, you can do Halloween-themed pencils, pens (the syringe pens are so cool!), tiny notepads, lip balm, vinyl stickers, shot glasses, lanyards, hand sanitizer, stress balls, and/or silicone wrist bands. Just google "adult Halloween party favors" and a lot of options come up!
There are also some activities you can incorporate into your event. You can keep it a surprise, or let your guests know beforehand what you're planning so they can prepare.
If you decide on a watch party and you choose a movie that everyone has already seen, dig up some trivia on the film you're watching. Either before or after the film, ask the questions and give a point to whomever answers the question first. Whomever gets the most points wins! You can also just ask general horror movie trivia questions, or horror trivia in general. Some questions can include how do you kill a werewolf, what film slasher has a counting children's rhyme about him, or what is the first line of Poe's "The Raven". You can make them as easy or as hard as you want. I googled "Halloween trivia questions" and lots of options appeared.
If you have the story reading, you can have a contest at the end where everyone votes for the best storyteller. Suggest to your readers to dress as a character from the story or as the author, and to really have fun with how they read it. I know I would choose "The Tell-Tale Heart" as my story, and I'd probably dress as Edgar Allan Poe to read it. Or as a raven, which could be really funny. Everyone writes down the name of the person they think was the best, then reveals the name on the screen when you ask. You tally the results and announce who wins. You can even do first, second, and third places, and perhaps have a booby prize for the one who was the "worst" or got the least amount of votes.
As a prize, you can mail them a "certificate" that designates them The Best Storyteller or The Horror Trivia Champion. Or perhaps a copy of your favorite horror movie or horror novel could be the prize. First, second and third could get ribbons that can be bought online, or cheap plastic trophies. Even gift certificates can be great--a $5 card to a coffee shop is always appreciated, and they're easy to mail! It's all in good fun, so you can always keep it light and inexpensive.
As I was writhing this post, I discovered there are lots and lots of ideas online for both Halloween parties and virtual parties. Google is your friend, and you might find that you can't decide on what to do! But I would imagine that wouldn't be a bad thing. You can make it as expensive or as cheap as you wish, or you can just spend some time with your friends online by sitting and chatting!
I hope this post sparks ideas for you. If you end up having a party, let us know about it! We'd love to see pictures, too! And, of course, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
~ Andrea Thomas
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