costumed freaks

[CJBurgandy]

I know it's a little over 2 months away, but it's the time I year I start planning on what my halloween costume is going to be. (have to have time to actually make it)

Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays because I can dress in any bizaar costume I want to, and no one will think oddly of me (well not any more than they already do). So yeah....

Is anyone else costume crazy like me? Already planning on what you're wanting to be on all hallow's eve? I want to know... because I'm nosey.

So far my first idea that I was thinking is George Michael. I might change my mind a couple of times, but eventually I'll set my sights on an idea and not let go.

[Rkolter]

Aside from the actual celebration of Samhain, we've got a couple traditions of our own too.

1) Give out GOBS of candy. We buy 50-75lbs of candy and give great handfuls out to kids.

2) Build huge Jack-o-Lantern displays that get into the news.

Last year I did a piece called Evolution - a 150lb Jack-o-Lantern eating a 60lb Jack-o-Lantern eating a 15lb Jack-o-Lantern eating a tiny little Jack-o-lantern with a terrified look on it's face.

Beth did the Pumpkin from hell - made a 100lb Jack-o-Lantern and then we soaked it's guts in kerosine, added wax, and Whom! it was shooting five foot flames out of it's mouth and eyes. Curious fact: Insulate your house with pumpkins. We kept that fire burning four hours, and the outside of the pumpkin never even got warm.

3) Scare the sh*t out of the kids.

I'm not satisfied unless at least one child runs away in terror and forgets to get any candy. My best disguise is as a ghoul (I make a hell of a ghoul) and handing out candy using a real, articulated skeletal human hand.

[JPSloan]

I think the answer on my end would be fairly obvious.

Each year, my circle tends to throw a huge frikkin' party for Samhain. (I posted a couple pics from last year's on my LJ recently)

This year the tygress and I are doing the whole Venetian Masquerade thing. We just inherited a couple authentic Carnival masks from Venice, and we're going to bung together some garb to go with them.

[Grabmygoblin]

I generally wear the same thing I wear anyday. ; )

[JexKerome]

My best disguise is as a ghoul (I make a hell of a ghoul) and handing out candy using a real, articulated skeletal human hand.

From what I've picked up from the surveillance cameras, you don't really need any disguise, Ryan nyo.

[Zhan_Dvega]

Where the hell do you get 150 lb pumpkins? O_o

[Rkolter]

Where the hell do you get 150 lb pumpkins? O_o

There are a couple pumpkin farms outside of town. I put in requests. The biggest they've ever sold me was 225lbs. They keep anything over 250lbs for their "Kids Pumpkin Playground".

[Zhan_Dvega]

How much'd those cost?

[Warren]

I usually go to a party, just like the characters in my strip.

Of course, if you read my strip, you already know that.

[Nyke]

I just chose the last option just for the hell of it.

[Rkolter]

How much'd those cost?

I don't remember exactly; about $0.20 a pound gives numbers that sound right. I think the 150lb one was around $30, and I'm pretty sure I've never paid over $50 for a pumpkin. Last year we spent about $120 for eight pumpkins with a combined weight of a quarter-ton.

[Jim North]

Halloween is one of only two holidays I really give a damn about. The other is Christmas, but Halloween is the more important of the two.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to actually celebrate it effectively for several years due to low funds and lack of planning. The last time I got to really do anything for All Hallow's Eve was a few years ago when I took part in a haunted house kinda thing for the Wal-Mart my mom works at. It was pretty cool . . . my brother and a buddy of mine helped out as a werewolf and a mad scientist respectively. I was dressed all in black, myself, including one of those faceless masks, and scared people by reaching out from a hiding spot and tapping their shoulder. I was kind of surprised how many folks nearly jumped out of their skin just because a huge, lurking, just barely seen something suddenly grabbed at 'em and started screaming about their brains.

[McDuffies]

It's not celebrated in Serbia, meh.

[JPSloan]

Halloween is one of only two holidays I really give a damn about. The other is Christmas, but Halloween is the more important of the two.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to actually celebrate it effectively for several years due to low funds and lack of planning. The last time I got to really do anything for All Hallow's Eve was a few years ago when I took part in a haunted house kinda thing for the Wal-Mart my mom works at. It was pretty cool . . . my brother and a buddy of mine helped out as a werewolf and a mad scientist respectively. I was dressed all in black, myself, including one of those faceless masks, and scared people by reaching out from a hiding spot and tapping their shoulder. I was kind of surprised how many folks nearly jumped out of their skin just because a huge, lurking, just barely seen something suddenly grabbed at 'em and started screaming about their brains.

If you could stand the drive down to Baton Rouge, I'd invite you and Kat down to our party. It'll be hell on wheels!!!

[CJBurgandy]

Where the hell do you get 150 lb pumpkins? O_o

only 150??

you should see some of the ones at the Alaska state fair. They can get upto 700lbs.

[CJBurgandy]

Halloween is one of only two holidays I really give a damn about. The other is Christmas, but Halloween is the more important of the two.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to actually celebrate it effectively for several years due to low funds and lack of planning. The last time I got to really do anything for All Hallow's Eve was a few years ago when I took part in a haunted house kinda thing for the Wal-Mart my mom works at. It was pretty cool . . . my brother and a buddy of mine helped out as a werewolf and a mad scientist respectively. I was dressed all in black, myself, including one of those faceless masks, and scared people by reaching out from a hiding spot and tapping their shoulder. I was kind of surprised how many folks nearly jumped out of their skin just because a huge, lurking, just barely seen something suddenly grabbed at 'em and started screaming about their brains.

A lot of the times for halloween, my friends and I will do murder mystery parties. Last year we did one based off of the Anita Blake Novels. That was fun.

for the most part though, we party and go to the bar.

[JPSloan]

Just because I like to torment you people...

...here is a taste of our Halloween parties.



Anita Blake murder mystery party? Sounds pretty freakin' cool!

[CJBurgandy]

You're the 2nd to the right, right?

[JPSloan]

The fishnets were a bear to get over these thighs, let me tell you!

[[geoduck]]

I'm not much of a party-goer, so I usually just put out a jack o'lantern. And there aren't that many trick-or-treaters in this neighborhood, so there's not much need for candy.

There was a family down the street a few blocks who was putting up wildly elaborate halloween displays every year: coffins with skeletons, a giant spider on the roof, bat flying overhead on strings, etc. They collected donations for the local food bank from visitors. But they finally burned out and gave it up. It's a pity; it was so noticible that at least one Christian family on the street felt compelled to up a banner denouncing Halloween as a evil Satanist holiday. (Although they didn't say that in so many words.)