Happy Halloween

It's the most wonderful time of the year.   It's the time when all the little ghouls and goblins of the world run wild through the street, collecting treats and playing tricks.  It's when the full moon hangs bright over the earth, shining down on bare trees and chilled ground.  It's a time for spooky, creepy, and crawly.  It's that last gasp before the earth settles into its wintry sleep.

I love Halloween.  I love to think that all the supernatural creatures in the world, or maybe just my imagination, run a little while this night.  It's the one night that they don't have to hide or cower.  They get to let their hair down and have a little fun with humanity.  It's the night when I imagine that Mira and Knox and Valerio (from the Dark Days series) have a little fun with the poor humans, or maybe just sit back and laugh at all the "vampires."  I'm still trying to figure out what Halloween means in Gage's city of Low Town.

Despite all my stories of fantastical creatures and monsters, I don't actually like horror movies.  Blame my over-active imagination, but I don't like to be be scared by a movie.  It's not actually the scary monster that gets me.  It's when you don't see the monster than my imagination starts to go a little crazy and I start envisioning things far worse than can be found in a movie.

So, when the trick-or-treating is over and it's time to settle in with a piece of chocolate and something warm, I will pop in a couple slightly friendlier movies.  My current first choice is Nightmare Before Christmas.  I love Jack Skellington and his amazing world . (Thank you, Tim Burton!)  I love the dreamers and the puzzle-solvers.  I love the people who reach for more, but it's also a matter of knowing when you need to work harder at the things that you've come to take for granted.  But above all, I just love Halloween Town.

The other Halloween movie that is a must see is the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Now, my eternal favorite is always the Disney cartoon version of Sleepy Hollow with Bing Crosby singing the song and narrating.  But if I can't get my hands on that version, I have no problem watching the movie Legend of Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp. (Thanks again, Tim Burton)  The atmosphere is creepy.  The Horseman is awesome.  Ichabod is just ... well awesome as a reluctant hero.       

What's your Halloween tradition?

And just looking ahead... tomorrow marks the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  I am going to attempt to churn out 50,000 words on a new, secret project during November.  Will you join me?  Do you have a story that you've been wanting to write but have been putting it off?  November is a great time to start.