Chirp!:

    Friday, October 27, 2006

    Halloween Update..

    Yes, I know, it's un-Australian to like Halloween.
    *shrug*.

    I don't even know why I like it myself .. but I do have fond memories of the way the U.S. 'do' a holiday .. Americans seem much more ... festive .. than we.

    I have fond memories of Halloween in Ca., and visiting pumpkin displays and the like. I really should get my scanner fixed ( or buy a new one .. probably cheaper ), so I can scan in some pics of me as an 18yr old, in absolute awe of all the pomp.

    Perhaps it was because I came from a home devoid of joy, but I have a soft spot for those who celebrate such things as the turning of the seasons, the gift of the harvest. I like the whole apron strings and decorating bit .. although i'm pretty slack about it myself. I like to think i'm improving with age !

    Anyway, I noticed Kiddley had linked back to my proto-spider, except she'd made a damn good one that put mine to shame ! Ye Gads ! I'd never posted my updated version ( still not as good as Kiddleys ..but a hell of a lot better than the proto...





    And also, I want to make this ( courtesy of HappyThings ):




    I love felt. And blanket stitch. It's about all I can do. This bat is divine, and so in my league.
    Not his year though ... next year maybe ...

    I also wanted to carve pumpkin lanterns last year, but never did. I am so the Chick of Grand Ideas Unvisited. There is no way i'm even considering that this year.

    So....
    Lolly bags, and cardboard spiders. that's enough. Innit ?!

    15 comments:

    Stomper Girl said...

    I really like that little crazy-eyed bat.
    Carving pumpkins sounds like such hard work, its bad enough peeling the bloody things for a roast dinner.
    I've just come home from a crazy Prep Halloween party, 14 boys trick-or-treating in the freezing rain, totally mental, but fun. I'm with you, its fun to celebrate

    caramaena said...

    I'm in a quandary about Halloween. My son's childcare is doing something for it and now he's gotten it into his head that he wants to go trick or treating for real.

    Stomper Girl said...

    PS I like your spider better! Go the rainbow legs.

    Anonymous said...

    Hmmm.... I love celebrating Thanksgiving in the US - it was always special and the focus was not on giving and receiving gifts but on giving thanks.

    I like the dressing up aspect of Halloween (and I like the idea of it) but the trick and treating and candy aspect was gross (I should share a picture of the amount of candy A got one year!)

    LBA said...

    Bloody hell Stomper, it's freezing out there tonight !!

    And yes - pumpkins = too much hard work. I am certainly the 'easy option' girl, except for in the biblical sense { bats eyelashes }... maybe next year .. or maybe i'll just find a nasty plastic version in a $2 shop - yeah, that's more my scene ..

    Cara - do you have a few friends/family/neighbours willing to put up with a callover ? This is what littlies did when I lived in the US - no strangers involved at all. have fun ! :)

    LBA said...

    em - Thanksgiving was my favourite holiday - same reasons, Christmas without the gift hype, gah!

    Gina said...

    Yes it is!
    It's the Grand Idea that counts anyway. We so can't do it all -- therein lies the key, right? Knowing what to let go of. I'm finding, as a Mama, you got a pick and choose.

    Glad you chose that spidey -- very cool.

    Thumper said...

    Man, I miss having a kid the right age for trick or treating. Somehow I think if I took my 23 year old around, people would talk... ;)

    It's a fun holiday...too bad it's not as common in more places. I love seeing tiny kids in their costumes.

    Here via Michele's :)

    Catherine said...

    Unfortunately Hallowwen has crept into New Zealand, but I'm sure we don't do it right. Since everyone's impression of Halloween is gleaned from TV and the movies, we get the "gimme gimme" bits (trick or treating ie knocking on strangers' doors and asking for candy), but I think we are missing the real meaning. There must be more to it than that!
    We don't celebrate enough in New Zealand. I do remember harvest festival at church when I was a kidlet though.
    Here from Michele's.

    Anonymous said...

    Halloween is pretty big here in Japan...I'm guessing as a result of the post-war American occupation.

    I've never carved a pumpkin...but I did carve witches hats one Halloween (traffic cones to some)!

    Stomper girl: the pumpkins for carving are much softer than the ones for eating!

    SnowWhite said...

    I was tempted to have a dress up for the kids and let them go asround the family, but think that they wouldn't get much in the way of lollies lol. Love the excuse to get festivwe though and only just around the corner it's christmas,,, yipee.
    xx
    shona

    Pendullum said...

    I love that bat and the spider....
    My daughter finishes one Halowe'en and is planning her next costume the next day....
    She is a Halowe'en junkie!!!!

    LBA said...

    VK: The Hubs was in Tokyo this time last year, and brought me home all this quirky Japanese Halloween stuff - it was really cute and giggly Japanese girly, IYKWIM :)

    I didn't know there were special pumpkins for CARVING ?!?? Not here, i'm thinking ?!

    Anonymous said...

    Everything...and I mean absolutely everything is "cute and giggly Japanese girly" over here...even some of the men ;)

    The "soft" pumpkins in Japan get imported especially from the US. They have some mini ones for sale in our supermarket - which we are very tempted to buy.

    Suse said...

    A couple of years ago Mr Soup broke my TWO best knives, trying to carve jack o lanterns out of pumpkins for the kids. He's banned from it now.

    (Yes in America they have special soft pumpkins grown especially for Halloween. I don't think they're even edible ones, so you throw the innards away.)

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