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…)