So maybe the grand finale for the ghoulish season has just come and gone, but that does not mean Halloween is over until next year.

Now is the perfect time to SHOP for next year’s festivities since all things Halloween will be on sale. Costumes, accessories, decorations, and party supplies are all being marked down 30%- 80% everywhere.

Don’t miss all the great bargains to be had on Fall and Halloween stuff. Be a savvy shopper and get some great deals!

Here it is - finally! Our favorite holiday has arrived, and we can finally celebrate Halloween in all it’s spooky, eerie glory. So put on your Halloween mask or makeup, and enjoy this day when you get to creep and romp in the night in costume!

Whether you are a vampire or a gorilla, a witch or a princess, we hope you have a spectacular October 31 and you get lots of treats! Happy Halloween!

One of the best things about Halloween is it’s appeal to a broad population. Anyone and everyone can enjoy Halloween.

Some people are really into the darker side of Halloween: the gory and the horrific. I remember a house on a corner in Fort Worth, Texas that went over-the-top every Halloween with the latest in decorations designed to SCARE. They had the fog machine going, the horror sounds playing, corpses hanging from tree branches- whatever was creepy and scary, they had it. The residents dressed up as well and the kids especially liked to have a part in scaring other neighborhood kids. No surprise that it was always a popular stop for other Halloween horror enthusiasts.

Other people focus instead on the fun and mischief that are associated with All Hollows Eve. For the natural trickster, or for the person just taking advantage of a time designated for mischief, there is no better time to plan a devious trick- all in good fun of course! Then there are costume parties to go to, the yearly Halloween scary movie or two to see, and perhaps even visiting a haunted house. Much of how we celebrate Halloween is just plain fun.

And there are those who like the seasonal and whimsical aspect more- the cooler weather, the caramel apples, pumpkins, and the light-hearted friendly witch or cherub-faced ghost. For these people, the plethora of fall festivities make the whole season. There are fall festivals, pumpkin patches to visit, hay rides, apple orchards, and the like. The lighter side of Halloween, with all its whimsy, appeals to plenty of people.

Halloween, and all it encompasses, has wide-spread appeal because it offers so much. And no matter what different people relish the most when it comes to Halloween, there is enough variety that everyone can enjoy this unique holiday.

While other places in the country are experiencing the “classic Halloween” with fall weather, a multitude of gold and yellow shades of leaves, and the magical spirit of Halloween in the air…we in New Orleans are still wearing short sleeve shirts and turning on our air conditioners. It’s about 80 outside, and humid. So how can I enjoy Halloween, when the atmosphere is like it is?

To be sure, it’s not ideal. My neighborhood doesn’t look very festive, for one thing: our home is the only one with a pumpkin on the porch, a big fake spiderweb covering the side, and orange lights stringing the porch. No one else is decorating! And the weather, as I mentioned, isn’t very “fall-like”. (It’s just plain hot, actually.) And I don’t think there is any chance of my kids searching for The Great Pumpkin because this place is nothing like the world Charlie Brown lived in.

But New Orleans is a wonderful place to experience truly spooky Halloweens. I recommend that the person looking to really enjoy Halloween in New Orleans would first read a few specific books, however, to put them in the mindset. One would be Gumbo Ya-Ya, just to learn all about New Orleans. The second would have to be Ghost Stories of Old New Orleans“>. This is a highly-collectible book - and by that I mean it’s extremely expensive if you can even find a copy! (I was lucky enough to work in an eBay drop-shop when someone brought in this book to be sold on eBay. Don’t tell anyone, but I took it home and read it before selling it.) The last book I would have to recommend is Interview with the Vampire.

When the darkness descends, and the fog sets down, and the spirit of Halloween is in the air on Oct. 31 I plan on being in the mindset to enjoy the night and really have some fun. I’ll be wearing a costume, hopefully I’ll have some candy, and maybe I will have watched the movie Halloween already. And I will imagine the New Orleans ghosts and stories of years past I’ve read about.

Halloween in New Orleans will be a lot of fun this year! (Even if it is 80 degrees that day…)

Ok.  Let the countdown begin. Only 18 more days until Halloween, and there’s still so much to do for those of us who live for this goulish season!

By now, you should have your costumes picked out for each occasion.  If you don’t have them laid out and ready to go, then you should at least have an idea of what you will be.  If not, shame on you….  There is simply too much to do and time is running out.

This year, we are having some friends and their kids over for Halloween.  So I am planning lots of family friendly activities for the party.

And what’s a party without some yummy food?  With a Halloween twist, of course.

Here are a few recipes everyone is sure to enjoy:

1. Gooey Chocolate-y Slime Bowls

Ingredients

8 2-ounce bars of baking white chocolate
2 tablespoons heavy cream
6 to 12 drops green food coloring
Angel food cake, cut in large cubes
Red and green grapes, rinsed and removed from stem
2 to 3 bananas, sliced into 1-inch rounds
2 to 3 red or green apples, rinsed, cored and sliced
2 oranges, peeled and divided into sections
1 to 2 pineapples, cut into large chunks

In a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate uncovered in a microwave set on medium-high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for additional 10- to 20-second intervals until smooth.

Don’t overcook. (For an alternative method, use a glass or nonreactive double boiler set on medium-low heat. Stir regularly until the chocolate is smooth.) Add the cream and food coloring and stir thoroughly.

Keep warm in a double boiler or fondue pot and present with cut cake and fresh fruits. Makes 8 servings.

2. Bug Juice, by Jodie Shield

Ingredients

2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen strawberries, defrosted
1 6-oz. can lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 quart ginger ale
2 cups raisins
6 gummy worms

1. Mix the strawberries and lemonade concentrate in a blender until smooth and thick.

2. Gradually add ginger ale.

3. Transfer the beverage to a punch bowl. Stir in any remaining ginger ale and the raisins. Place the gummy worms on the rim of the bowl for a swampy effect. Makes 10 servings.

3. Bat Chips

Ingredients

1 large flour tortilla per person
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt

Preheat your broiler. Using Halloween cookie cutters, cut each tortilla into bat and ghost shapes. Lightly brush both sides of each creature with oil. Arrange on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Broil, flipping once when they begin to brown. When brown on both sides, lightly sprinkle with salt.  Serve with your choice of dips, with the Halloween twist, of course!

4. Monster Toes- Kids will love the gross-out factor of this tasty finger food. Parents will love the fact that it is candy-free. Try some for a party or pre-trick-or-treating dinner.

Ingredients:

Cocktail wieners
6-inch tortillas
Ketchup or mustard
Toothpicks

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a wedge into the end of each cocktail wiener to make a toenail.
2. Cut the tortillas into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Discard the ends.
3. Soften the strips in the microwave between damp paper towels for 10 to 30 seconds.
4. Roll each wiener in a tortilla strip and secure with a toothpick.
5. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven, then fill the toenail with ketchup or mustard. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

Now some drink recipes for the older family members:

Brain Hemorrage

2 oz Schnapps
2 tsp Irish Cream
1 tsp Grenadine

Pour Schnapps into a large shot glass. Slowly pour Irish Cream into Schnapps so that it basically forms a “brain” in “formaldihide”. Finally, dribble the grenadine (dribbling onto a spoon then into the schnapps helps) directly into the center of the irish cream mass . As the grenadine amount slowly increases it will eventually burst through the irish cream creating a “hemoraging” “brain”.

Crawly Jello Shooters

You’ll need vodka, water, Jello (lime, orange, black cherry and grape work well for Halloween drinks), Gummy Worms and disposable clear plastic shot glasses. Prepare Jello according to package directions and add Vodka. Pour liquid into shot glasses and chill. Before they get firm, add a gummy worm to each glass. Serve chilled. Your party guests will enjoy these Halloween spirits!

Porch Crawlers

2 cans Lemonade - pink & frozen
10 bottles Beer
26 oz gin/vodka

Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl.

Dark Angel

You’ll need black vodka, Jagermeister and Red Bull to make this creepy concoction. Create this layered drink upside-down. First add Red Bull and ice to a highball glass. Then layer shots of black vodka and Jagermeister, with the black layer on top. This is a cool orange and black Halloween drink to match your party!

The big question everyone is asking is not who is gonna be the next President, Obama or McCain.  It’s not whether or not the big Bailout will help any time soon, or even why the government took it upon itself (really, upon the taxpayers- YOU and ME) to rescue greedy Wall Street with it’s questionable and failing policies.

The big question on everyone’s mind is what are you gonna be for Halloween???

The good news is that with so much revelry going on for the Halloween season, you get a chance to wear more than one costume!  So go ahead and get creative and indulge in variety.

Going to an adult Halloween party? Then it’ s the perfect time to wear that sexy Vamp piece.  Or if you are more mature and sophisticated, go with something a little more politically satirical, like an Obama mask combined with a devil suit or Muslim attire.

Bringing your kids trick-or-treating?  Wear the Super-Robot-Martian-Girl type fun costume.  Personally, I can’t wait to do my hair in neon pink and wear some funky retro glasses!

Working a haunted house?  Break out the over-the-top gory serial killer victim outfit and really scare people till they crumble in fear and maybe even pee on themselves.

So while time is running out for you to answer the big question, the good news is that you don’t have to settle for just one Halloween persona this year.

Greetings, fellow lovers of all things Halloween.

I am sure that you all are also are despising these long hot and bright days of summer and looking forward to the coming autumn. Autumn- while it signifies ridiculous sweaters, aromatic apple desserts, the glorious color changes in foliage, and cooler weather to most people- to us who love the darker side, autumn means more. The days shorten and the sun dares not be so bold anymore. Those things that go bump in the night have more time to frolic. And then there’s the climax of it all - Halloween.

If you are anything like me, you have already been planning for those beloved fall activities, and I am not talking about bobbing for apples either!!! How will you re-create your favorite scene from that horror movie in your front porch? What wicked trick will you play on the trick-or-treaters that knock upon your door? What costumes will you wear to the various parties that you are looking forward to??

(I think I will look quite fetching in this little number.)

So if you are behind on your planning, then I suggest you get into the mood and watch some classic horror movies (hmmm… “The Pit and the Pendulum,” anyone?) and then join me in making our devious plans with an impish smile.