"Protecting our environment is a year-round effort that is getting increasing attention from people from all age groups."

Halloween is the season of dress-up, make-believe and fun. Great preparation goes into buying costumes that transform young children, teens, college students and even adults into an array of characters including ghosts, goblins, witches, devils, superheroes and storybook characters. It’s a time when it’s okay to be something or someone other than yourself for a day.

This year some thrill seekers may want to consider Halloween alternatives to provide a new twist on an age-old event. During this season of green witches, slime and other spooky characters, going green for Halloween can extend the positive theme of protecting the environment even during this season of dress-up and make believe.

“Halloween is a perfect time to demonstrate commitment and concern for the environment,” says Dr. Debra Huntley, program chair of the BA Psychology Program at the Argosy University Twin Cities Campus. “Protecting our environment is a year-round effort that is getting increasing attention from people from all age groups.”

While the traditional ritual of trick or treat has its place, going green for Halloween is an opportunity to host a costume party and serve treats without food coloring or preservatives. Guests can enjoy healthier snacks like popcorn balls with salt and butter substitutes or caramel apples and fudge with sugar substitutes. The host can serve juice drinks, flavored water and apple cider instead of sugary soft drinks that are loaded with calories and caffeine. By preparing treats, money and the environment are also protected by not using extra packaging and wrappers. And with fall harvests, it’s a great time to shop at a local farmer’s market for nutritious, local snacks. Buying locally is not only a healthy choice, but patronizes vendors that are nearby as opposed to those that require resources to transport.

Going green for Halloween can also mean deciding not to drive that evening or identifying activities and events closer to home to reduce driving time and air pollutants from vehicles.

Dr. Huntley explains some youth or college-age groups may want to share the green Halloween spirit while lifting the spirits of senior living and nursing home residents. They can visit residents and share wholesome snacks, play music and lead a ghoulish and festive dance around the facility. In addition to enjoying the costumes, the residents can enjoy healthful snacks and the afternoon with friendly little ghosts and characters.

For those partaking in traditional trick or treat activities, Dr. Huntley encourages everyone to remember it is important to maintain safety and caution to ensure this is a fun and safe experience for young trick or treaters. Children should be accompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible older sibling. Costumes should not be too tight or obscure vision. Children must be encouraged to cross streets carefully and always with a traffic light when present. Trick or treat in familiar neighborhoods or at homes with whom you are acquainted. Many malls and shopping centers enjoy hosting trick or treaters as a fun community service initiative. Often schools help promote safety by encouraging teachers to let students trick or treat at various classrooms in the building. Some schools host a costume parade in the building or a fun assembly.

Whatever you decide, make this Halloween season a fun, safe, nutritious and tasty experience for all participants.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Hosting a healthy Halloween

(NC)-Hosting a Halloween party doesn’t have to be all about the candy. Be a super-mom by hosting a healthier kid’s party that includes the classic Halloween décor but offers candy-free goodie bags and fun games designed to get kids physically active. This spooky feast will keep kids eating a balanced diet while still having a horrifically fun time.

A Creepy Feast

. Bat Wings: Bake frozen chicken wings and serve with barbecue sauce (blood!) for dipping.
. Witches Cauldron Dip (recipe available at www.homebasics.ca)
. Ghostly Potato Cakes (recipe available at www.homebasics.ca)
. Frozen Eyeballs: Scoop vanilla frozen yogurt onto cookie sheets and refreeze. Garnish with a maraschino cherry iris and a raisin for a pupil. Serve two eyeballs per child.

Horror-ific Fun

. Monster Mash Off: Have a dance competition where kids create their own dances based on classic Halloween characters like the “Slime Swing” and “Footloose Frankenstein”.
. Spiderweb Team Challenge: (For school-aged kids.) Stand in a circle with a group of four or more people. Grab hands with two people who are not beside you. Untangle, as a group, moving under and over limbs, back into one open circle, without letting go of hands.
. Haunted Obstacle course: Plan a spooky obstacle course indoors or out. For example; create a “bat cave” out of old sheets hung over chairs, a cotton batting-lined hula hoop “spiderweb”, or a pile of pillows for “sleeping ghosts”.

Candy-Free Loot Bag Suggestions

. Dollar store treasures that could include Halloween stickers, spider rings, slime toys and glow sticks.
. Trick-or-treating survival kit, which includes a small flashlight, toothbrush, toothpaste and floss.
. Make-your-own spider pet kit that includes a black balloon, pipe cleaners, garbage bags cut into legs and instructions for assembly.

Dozens more ideas for a safe and fun Halloween can be found online at www.homebasics.ca.
Credit: www.newscanada.com

I’ve always preferred entertainment with bite.

While I have to admit that the sequel, Lost Boys: The Tribe, was terrible, I still haven’t had my fill of vamps.

Thanks to young adult author Stephenie Meyer and he wickedly addictive “Twilight” series of books (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn), I’ve had more time to spend with bloodsuckers as of late.

Then there’s HBO’s new show, “True Blood”, based upon the vampire series written by Charlaine Harris, which includes Dead Until Dark, Living Dead In Dallas, Club Dead, and Dead To The World.

And, not to be outdone, Twilight (the film version) will soon be released in theaters.

I’d say my vampire obsession is only being fed right now, with no plans to expire any time soon!

People often say, “Halloween, it’s just about the candy,” and although I often agree with them on some level, I don’t really think it is a bad thing. To me, Halloween is one of the truly whimsical holidays around. There is no deep meaning, although there is a history, and children and adults alike, can simply enjoy the day.

Okay, maybe not the adults since Halloween is not only filled with ghouls, goblins and other costumes but it is filled with candy. Lots and lots of candies and whether you are simply handing out some candy at night or stocking a classroom with some well-deserved treats, chances are you are thinking about the presentation as much as what you will be giving up.

Over the last few years, I have really seen an increase to the number of items that you can now purchase for grab bags. There are boxes, envelopes, stamped bags and the usual plastic bags. You can find them pre-stuffed or empty and chances are your grab bag will probably be different from all the rests.

The only problem that I really see with store bought grab bags is not being able to create them myself. If you are a crafty type of person like me, then chances are you feel the same way. There is nothing as enjoyable as making a grab bag for your child’s and seeing the overjoyed look on his face as he carts them out the door.

Since most of us don’t have much time, the key to creating an excellent fun and fright-filled grab bag is to find one that is easy to make. Enter my ghoulishly delightful grab bags. These are fast, easy and you don’t need to be the craftiest of people to make them, although they do allow for some changes and you can make them as complicated or simple as you like.

So let’s kick off Halloween right with these cute little grab bags that will have all the kids screaming, “TREAT!”

Halloween Grab Bags

What you need:
• Sandwich bags (You can use freezer bags or snack bags but you will need to measure the width of the bag and change the cardstock dimensions.)
• Black, Orange and White Cardstock (Halloween Colors)
• Stamps (I used the Stampin’ Up stamp set called Booglie Eyes)
• Black Stamp Ink
• White Craft Ink
• Straight-edged cutter
• Glue stick
• Orange Pumpkin Ribbon
• Embellishments (I used a paper clip but you can use just about anything)
• Stapler

Directions
Before I get into the directions, I just wanted to mention that you don’t need to create the exact same grab bag as I did. Follow the basic size directions but after that, the night sky is the limit. One of the secrets to creating nice homemade projects is layering. If you layer the paper, then you have a more 3 dimensional style grab bag. If you don’t have stamps, just use stickers or color Halloween Printouts that you find on the internet.
1. Measure your baggie. If you are using a standard sandwich baggie, then the measurement should be 6.5 inches wide.
2. Cut the black cardstock into 7” x 8” strips. Fold the cardstock in half so you have a folded strip that measures 7” x 4”. Set aside.
3. Cut the white cardstock into 2” x 2” squares. Also cut additional black cardstock into 2.25” x 2.25” squares. Finally, cut the orange cardstock into 2” x 5” strips. Set aside
4. Take one of your stamps and the white craft ink (or some stickers) and cover the front and back of your folded black strips with images. Don’t line the images up; simply throw them on in a haphazard manner.
5. Stamp the saying into the middle of the orange strip.
6. Stamp the Halloween ghouls onto the white cardstock. If you mess up an image, don’t worry, simply turn over the card and stamp the other side.
7. Glue the white square in the center of the black square.
8. Put the grab bag tops together. To do this, align the orange cardstock onto the center of the black folded cardstock, glue into place. Glue the ghoul cards onto the orange, leave a little of an overhang on the outer edges.
9. Tie a small piece of pumpkin orange ribbon onto the paperclip.
10. Slide the paperclip onto the grab bag. Make sure it overlaps one of the ghoul cards and the orange strip.
11. Attach to a filled sandwich bag by placing each side of the folded card onto either side of the bag. Staple to secure to the bag and close the card.

And there are your cute, fun and, most importantly, easy grab bags.

When one person in the group heard I was a horror film reviewer/blogger and buff, she asked, “So what’s the scariest movie you’re ever seen?”

Glitter, Showgirls, Alfie (the remake), Eyes Wide Shut…all train wrecks and scary in their own right.

The sarcastic responses were swirling in my head, but I knew what she was getting at–what is the one film that I can say truly terrified me beyond all others?

We went on to discuss the classics (Carrie, The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, The Omen) and splatter fests (the Saw franchise, Hostel and its sequel).

But there is one film I hold above all else as the scariest.

The Blair Witch Project came out in 1999, and I remember dragging my then boyfriend (now husband) with me to see it. The entire audience seemed riveted by the film, and it was one of only a handful of times I can honestly say I did not feel robbed or cheated in any way after the film was over. In fact, I probably would have paid more to see it in hindsight.

Although I loved every scary moment of the film, I did not see the film again in the theaters, and I would also not allow it in my home. No way.

It’s not that The Blair Witch Project is a true story (although it’s given a real feel courtesy of documentary-style footage and a marketing campaign that had everyone convinced for a while there). And it’s not gory at all.

In fact, it subscribes to the less-is-more theory that sometimes what you don’t show the audience is much more terrifying than what you do show them.

It’s been nine years since The Blair Witch Project first came out, and I have only re-watched it once since then.

I don’t need to see it again to recall the feeling I got in the last five minutes of the film. Luckily, I haven’t been camping in the woods in well over two decades, and I’m not much of a hiker, so at least the film didn’t ruin the woods for me (like Jaws did the ocean).

Although my husband and I laugh about it, as one more than one occasion one of our two cats will sit facing a corner, a pose we call “Blair Witching”, I don’t think I will ever be able to wipe from my mind the final images from the film.

For that (as well as its brilliant cinematography, directing and acting), The Blair Witch Project is, hands down, the scariest horror film I’ve ever seen.

I love Halloween, in part because I’m a scary/horror film addict. I have it bad–so bad that I will give pretty much any scary movie a try in the hopes of getting my fix. (Hello, 1408, I want my money back!)

I was raised on scary movies. I bet you don’t believe me, but it’s true. My absent permissive parents didn’t care when my sister and I stayed up late to watch 1976’s The Little Girl Who Lived Down The Lane (I was learning how to read and write at the time), or 1972’s Home For The Holidays (when it aired on television). And there were, of course, the classic slumber party films such as 1976’s Carrie and 1983’s Cujo.

Now before you go shaking your head about my parents, you should know that even had I not been allowed to watch those films, I was reading the books anyway. By junior high, I was a fan of Stephen King, and I went on to appreciate the likes of Dean Koontz and Anne Rice. But somewhere along the way I put down the books and expected scary films to fill my need.

That need is the heart pounding, dry mouth, dropped stomach, almost pee your pants feeling of being scared silly. But more importantly, it’s the exhilarating feeling of being alive. There’s no question that when your heart feels like it’s beating in your throat, you’re very much present and accounted for.

Through the years, I’ve come to catagorize the scary films I watch into five general types, although some films fall into more than one category:

Pee Your Pants Horror (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake)
Psychological Horror (Silence of the Lambs)
Gross Out Gore Horror (House of 1,000 Corpses)
Silly/Funny Horror (Scream trilogy)
Smart Horror (The Blair Witch Project)

To me, any film that is scary (horror, sci-fi, thriller) is fair game, as long as it falls into at least one of the above categories.

Among my favorite horror flicks are The Blair Witch Project, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake), and The Shining.

How about you?

Most years, we don’t attend. I’m usually sick or just getting over a cold at that time of year, or we already have plans, or sometimes I just can’t think of a good costume.

But one year, not only did we attend, but we went all out. And when I say “all out”, I do not mean we spent $$$ at a costume shop (which is fine, by the way). I’m old school when it comes to Halloween costumes, so we went the DIY route.

Behold, Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein, made possible courtesy of Halloween makeup purchased at the grocery store, a white sheet, hair spray paint, and generous backcombing of naturally-curly hair (bride); and black clothes, Halloween makeup, and fake neck bolts purchased at the same grocery store.

Bride of Frankenstein

Frankenstein

Total cost, about $15.

Reaction from party goers? Priceless!