Wahoo! We did it, Halloweenies! The wait is over and we made it to Halloween 2007. However you celebrate this magical day- in costume, watching scary movies, eating candy, scaring the kids, partying til’ dawn- have fun and stay safe! Remember to take millions of pictures and come back tomorrow to share your stories and photos. On Thursday the calendar will say November, but it’s always October 31st at 365Halloween.com!
Before you head out, send some Halloween love to your favorite boils and ghouls via ShaktiWeb, Care2 or Hipster Cards. (Hey, you could even send one to us. We love mail!) And if you see anyone looking a little down today, wish them a happy Halloween, too!
There are countless rites of passage that we experience during our transition to adulthood. Always educational, sometimes quite embarrassing, these are the times we recall years down the road. An event that inevitably happens for every little Trick or Treater is the Halloween you ask yourself “am I too old to go out this year?” What will your friends think? Will they laugh at your costume? Should you be at home watching scary movies or out TP-ing and egging houses that are giving out crappy treats? Perhaps you even wanted to show just how mature you’d gotten since last Halloween and chaperon your younger siblings while they get sacks full of candy. Or maybe it just got boring?
When did you know it was time to stop Trick or Treating? How did you spend your Halloween nights after that fateful year?
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Since Halloween falls on a Wednesday, we might be tempted to throw in the towel after the last weekend of partying and spend the next few days thinking ahead to other holidays. That’s just crazy talk. We’ve got 3 more days to cram in as many Halloween themed events and entertainment as possible. Memories and inspiration from these final October days will help tide you over when Halloween 2008 is months away. Let’s soak up the last bits of creepy fun before the holiday zombies take over and things get all cheery.
For a really wide variety of events, GooGhoul and Eventful are the places to start. Citysearch and Cityguide are also useful resources, but with these last 2 sites look for “Guides” to Halloween rather than listings for individual events. It’s much easier to actually find a great event that way.
Haunted Attractions range from amateur haunts in your neighbors front yard to huge haunted mazes created by the pros. Major cities usually have a handful of options, but smaller towns also have their share of events, too. Check your options by visiting HauntedHouse.com and HauntedHouses.com. (There are plenty of other directory sites around, but they aren’t as easy to browse and navigate. Lots of them are mirror sites, too, so you will get the exact same results even though the site name and layout look different.)
Real haunted houses are another Halloween treat. Sometimes they get a lot more exciting around this time of year… but is it because the veil between the living and the dead is lifted on Halloween, or because we get wrapped up in the ethereal mood? What do you think?
For families and those seeking fun that also celebrates Autumn, you’ll want to find a pumpkin patch. You don’t even have to buy a pumpkin- we almost never do- to have a good time. There are a lot of outdoorsy activities like hay rides and corn mazes that are worth checking out. Large pumpkin patches or farms will also sometimes have events with music, rides, and food.
Don’t feel like going out? That’s why you pay the cable bill! Get a bowl of popcorn and park yourself in front of the boo tube for the remainder of the scary movies and Halloween episodes on TV. Perplexingly enough, AOL offers free streams of Halloween episodes from years gone by such as the Beetlejuice cartoon and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper. YouTube has a lot of those episodes as well, but usually broken down into 3 different files. For full length movies, Lycos Cinema offers 70 horror films that you can also watch for free.
How will you be spending the next few days? What are you doing on The Big Day?
It may be the 27th, but there is still time to order a costume online and have it shipped by October 31st. Halloween falls on a Wednesday so there are still 3 business days left for shipping. (Well, that’s one advantage of a mid-week Halloween.)
At Fright Catalog you can get 10%-25% on your last minute Halloween purchases.
Use code FREAK7 to get:
10% off all on orders under $100
20% off orders between $100-$149.99
25% off orders $150+
Expires 10/31/07
Costume Craze has placed everything on sale. Not a select few, not overstock, but everything they carry. Most of them seem to be about 30% off. Check their shipping calculator to ensure enough time for delivery.
At BuyCostumes you can get 25% off any order with code sweep25. Expires 11/2/07. Plus you can still take advantage of $5.99 FedEx Express shipping which is 2-3 days.
4 days left. OMG! Who else is dying of anticipation?
In short, they’re both. It’s always funny to see a furry little quadruped dressed in his or her finest inmate costume, but cats insist that the process is highly unappreciated.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to find a “dog costume“, but that “cat costumes” pretty much don’t exist? Even if you don’t live with cats, you probably understand that getting one into a costume is generally a fool-hearty adventure. Yes, they look so cute that you will probably squeal, but at what cost? Some cats are good natured enough to let you treat them like a dog (zing!), but most of them would rather rabbit-kick you in the face than endure the humiliation of a costume.
Want an easier target? Kittens are easy to dress up, if you can find a costume small enough. Unless it involves meeting the family dog, they’re a pretty agreeable bunch. That wild look in Link’s eyes over there makes me think that he’s got more important things to do than hold a grudge. Immediately following the photo he just hauled ass to chase a dust bunny, not even noticing the fancy little cap he was still wearing. Kittens grow up though, so what are your options after Link Jr. starts cataloging your offenses, and extracting revenge via your home furnishings?
You can safeguard your flesh and furniture whilst still making your pet look a little more festive with latex nail caps.
Soft Paws/Soft Claws come in a long list of colors, and around Halloween the black/orange combo looks perfect. We’ve been using these on our cats for years and they barely seem to notice them, while we get a good laugh every time they try to claw up the carpet. Hah hah, nice nails tough guy.
As long as you’re not endangering or hurting your kitty, you can probably get him to wear a costume for at least long enough to take a picture. He may rip it off moments later, but you’ll still have proof for the Cats in costume flickr group or Costume Cats. If you happen to have a cat who enjoys being dressed up (or just want to laugh at more cats in costumes), be sure to check out Pet Office from Japan. (Here’s the English translation.)
April UPDATE: Cat wigs. Seriously.
Have you dressed your cat in a costume? We’d love to see pictures, so please leave a comment!
Here’s another round of couple costumes ideas, this time with a focus on the same gender. Whether you’re spending Halloween with your best friend or partner, here’s a few ideas for what to wear on The Big Night. If you don’t have time to put a costume together yourself, there’s still time to order from Halloween Costumes For Less (best costume retailer ever).
Dress to impress this Halloween with Couples Costumes from HalloweenCostumes.com!
For the Ladies
Daphne and Velma: The more interesting half of the Scooby Doo team wear brightly colored outfits that you can probably find at your local thrift store. Notice how even with the huge, dorky glasses and sweater that Velma is still totally foxy?
Ginger and Mary Ann: Another classic duo with costumes that are probably already in your closet are the lovely and comedic ladies from Gilligan’s Island. You’ll need a long, clingy dress with big red hair and red gingham with dark pigtails.
Shining Twins: The Grady Twins are unmistakable with their cult status, but surprisingly not a costume you see very often. Don matching blue dresses with a bit of splatter and you’ll be ready to play forever and ever.
Xena and Gabrielle: This is a popular costumed duo at conventions, but you can also go the store bought route. The dynamic between the two women makes this a great buddy or couple costume.
Absolutely Fabulous: The brash and hedonistic Patsy and Eddy are perfect costume choices for a Halloween party. The hair (blonde beehive and unruly red mane, respectively), fashion disaster wardrobe, and perpetual bottle of booze are good for a laugh, but the scathing one liners are what make these really fun costumes.
Siamese Twins: For the couple who simply can’t be apart, you can’t go wrong as conjoined twins. Sew together 2 skirts (for ease of movement) and start practicing your shambling.
Thelma and Louise: These outlaws are clad in denim, sleeveless tops, huge curly auburn hair, neck and hair scarves, sunglasses and red lipstick. Here are some suggestions and photos from the movie that would help with developing your costumes.
For the Fellas
Batman and Robin: What a great team. Superhero costumes have been a hot choice for several years in a row, but Batman and Robin will never go out of style. And neither will the innuendos.
Jay and Silent Bob: Except for Jay’s really long, stringy blonde hair, here’s another costume choice that you might have sitting in your closet. They’re the ultimate slackers so the costumes really take a back seat to the mannerisms and Jay’s one-liners.
Hot Fuzz: Nicholas and Danny are the ultimate buddy cops, with an English twist. First order of business in these costumes is to fire your gun in the air and yell “Aaaaaaah!”
Ambiguously Gay Duo: Spandex clad Ace and Gary are your ticket to non-stop double entendres. Actually, you might be surprised how many people made a go at this costume. If hits on flickr and Google are any indication of satisfaction, then this costume is a real winner.
Spy vs Spy: Have fun pranking your spy nemesis all night! All black or white costumes are easy to assemble, so just make a posterboard cone for the mask and add an extra large brim to your hat. This would work just as well for women, too.
Siamese Twins: This costume works for guys too, but it might be a little harder to walk with a set of conjoined pants. Maybe try for joined-at-the-waist a la Stuck on You.
Have you worn or seen any cool couple costumes? Share your ideas in the comments!
