The Big Day is finally here, Halloweenies! The wait is over and we made it to Halloween 2008. And it’s a FRIDAY no less! How lucky are we? However you celebrate this magical day – in costume, watching scary movies, eating candy, scaring the kids, partying until the sun comes up – have fun and stay safe!

Remember to take millions of pictures and come back tomorrow to share your stories and photos. On Saturday the calendar will say November, but it’s always October 31st at 365 Halloween!

With just 2 days left until Halloween there are spooky events everywhere! It may not be the weekend yet, but you could still spend the remaining days and nights going to haunts, pumpkin patches, and a vicious variety of Halloween events. Not sure what’s going on in your area? Here are some websites that will help you get your spook on no matter where you live.

• Eventful
• Citysearch
• Craigslist

Looking for some specific spooky fun?

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 out HauntedHouse.com for one in your neighborhood.

You haven’t carved your jack-o-lanterns yet? Get thee to a pumpkin patch! These kid friendly events – pumpkin patches, corn maze, hayrides, etc. – make a great day trip for the family or a trick-or-treating alternative. You can spend some time outside in the crisp Autumn air and partake in fair-like activities such as face painting, bounce houses, and petting zoos.

Eastern State Penitentiary image
courtesy of Mike Munchel

For a scare from the other side, visit a truly haunted house. RealHaunts.com has an extensive list of haunted places ranging from houses, businesses, schools, bridges, places in nature, and yes even cemeteries. Users can submit suggestions for haunted places as well as leave comments and stories about their experiences.

With less than a week to go until the Big Day, all things mundane seem to undergo a spooky transformation. Our pretty pumpkins become grimacing jack-o-lanterns and even offices and schools are decked with bat decorations or a few flying witches. Why not food, too? Here are a few healthy Halloween snacks to make your lunchtime into a freakishly fun meal.

Calavera Sandwich
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos early with this cute and easy Skull Sandwich. Inspired by the symbolic skulls (calaveras) that are used to celebrate the Day of the Dead, this impressive looking sandwich uses just a few ingredients and is easy enough for kids to make. They will love arranging the dried fruit and nuts in creative patterns.

Watermelon Brain
Here’s a clever 1 ingredient recipe sure to please zombies and fruit lovers alike. And how can you not love a recipe with instructions like “With a sharp paring knife, carve channels out of melon to resemble cortical folds”? Serve with a butchers knife and you’ve got an easy and fun to serve healthy Halloween party food.

Boo-nanners
Another ridiculously easy recipe that transforms fruit into a spooky and fun snack. There are a few more healthy Halloween recipes from GoneRaw.com that feature whole foods, all of which I’m dying to try.

OMG! Halloween night is only a week away and there are those of us who don’t even have our costumes yet. WTF? Don’t worry, this happens every year and our retail stores know it, which is why we’ve got these pretty tables with colors to help you order up to the last possible second. That is if you want to get your second or third pick for the best costume ever.
That’s right, the best costumes are selling out faster than you can sing “Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize.”, so the sooner you order the better.

Buy Costumes:

As always, Buy Costumes gives us the most leeway. You can order as late as the 27th and they will still guarantee delivery by Halloween via Ground/economy shipping.

*Only available for locations within a valid UPS Saturday Delivery Zone.

Get 10% off your order $50+ at Buy Costumes with coupon code ZOMBIE50 (Offer expires 10/31/08)

Spirit Halloween:

It’s too late to order with Ground/economy shipping BUT Spirit is offering free shipping upgrades until the 27th. Awesome.

Shipping SALE: 3 day shipping is now being offered at Ground shipping rates. Get your costume fast, without paying any expedited shipping fees. (Offer expires 10/27/08)
Buy One Get One 50% SALE No coupon code needed, just load up your cart. (Offer expires 10/27/08)

Hey Halloween fiends, it’s time for another contest. Zombie Pumpkins offers its own breed of unique pumpkin carving patterns that are definitely a cut above the rest. Every year many new stencils rise up and the website itself even transforms with a new design and theme. This year’s theme is “Night of the Zombie Pumpkins“. In honor of these recently reanimated creatures, 5 lucky winners will get a full membership to the Zombie Pumpkins stencil library. That’s nearly 200 spooky stencils for your pumpkin carving and other artistic activities.

There are 2 ways to enter the contest;

• Head to the Zombie Pumpkins stencil library and pick your favorite patterns. Leave a comment here and let us know which stencils you’re digging like a grave.
   
• For another chance to win, leave a comment anywhere on 365Halloween.com and sign off as “Night of the (your name)”. You can comment on the blog, the costume ideas, rotting recipes, spooky decoration tutorials, or any of the exciting extras. Just make sure that you do so as Night of the Roger, Night of the Franny, or whatever your rad name is.

Contest runs October 23 – 27, 2008. Get your comments/entries in by midnight PST on 10/27.

Fine Print: 5 winners will be chosen at random. Be sure to use a valid e-mail address so we can contact you if you win. Your privacy is important and no one but 365 Halloween and Zombie Pumpkins will have access to your e-mail address. Winners must respond within 48 hours or that prize goes to the next person. And leave genuine comments if you opt to enter with method #2. Spam and one word comments are not eligible.

For more chances to win Zombie Pumpkins goodies, be sure to submit photos of your carved creations to their annual contest!

I’ll bet your potion cupboard could use a little added mystery. Whose doesn’t? Download these magical and menacing potion labels from Love Manor and have your glue stick at the ready. Transform your spice jars and empty booze bottles into such concoctions as Life Renewal Potion, Scrumptious Earth Worms, and our favorite, Snake Oil. They all have a gorgeously designed, decaying vintage look.

For a next to free alternative, some Dollar Tree stores have a ghastly collection of potion labels, too.