Posts Tagged ‘Halloween’
Spirit Halloween just posted a video on Youtube that shows a lot of the 2011 Spirit Halloween store displays.
This video shows a lot of great props!
It is now July ( already ) and the REAL Halloween season is beginning. 
Yes, there are those folks that do not love Halloween as much as the rest of us.
Well WE LOVE IT.
In the coming days and weeks we are going to begin posting more for the season and discuss the many new things available for the new season.
Technology has made it possible for newer props to be more sophisticated whit more than just one movement. Also, many props seem to have not increased much in price or lowered in price. This will make things great for the year!
Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the American holiday calendar. Halloween costumes have not always been worn. The origins of Halloween go back thousands of years to the Celtic people of Ireland and Britain. The ancient Celts had a different calendar than the one we use today, and on the Celtic calendar the new year started on November 1. The night before was called Samhain, and it was believed by the Celts that on that night the spirits of the dead would be able to return to the world of living and play tricks on the living. The Celts used to carve gourds, which are small squashes, into scary faces instead of pumpkins. They would put lit candles in the gourds to light them up and scare away the spirits.
Halloween today is a fun holiday full of magic and make-believe. The majority of Americans celebrate Halloween by trick or treating or attending costume parties, giving out treats and watching scary movies. Here are some fun facts about the celebration of Halloween in the US:
1. 38 million children under the age of 13 went trick or treating in 2008. Even though that number wasn’t as high as the number of kids who went trick or treating the year before that is still a lot of kids who did enjoy trick or treating. That number doesn’t include the number of teens and adults who also went trick or treating. You’re never too old to go trick or treating.
2. 93% of households in the US felt that their neighborhoods were safe enough to trick or treat in as of 2008. That number may surprise you, since so many cities and towns now hold supervised trick or treating events at local malls because neighborhood trick or treating is considered to be unsafe. Most of the people surveyed said that they felt very safe taking their kids trick or treating in their own neighborhoods.
3. At last count in 2007 there were more than 110 million occupied homes in the US. That’s a lot of potential candy! Most people think of trick or treating as something that is done from house to house many kids who live in apartments with their parents trick or treat in their apartment buildings where they can get a nice haul of candy without going outside.
4. More than a billion pounds of pumpkins are grown for Halloween – All over the country farmers grow huge pumpkin patches just for Halloween. Since pumpkins are the primary decoration for the entire autumn season, not just for Halloween, they are in high demand from the end of September to the middle of November. Illinois produced the most pumpkins of any state in 2007.
5. In 2007 Americans ate an average of 24 pounds of candy per person – Can you imagine eating 24 pounds of candy? You probably did, but just didn’t realize it since you didn’t eat it all at once. This Halloween after you go trick or treating weigh your treats to see how many pounds of candy you’re eating that are just from Halloween treats.
October is a magical time of year. There is a chill in the air, the leaves have begun their own slow display of fireworks, brightening the sky with vibrant oranges, reds and yellows, and all the Halloween decorations begin to appear. Jack-o-lanterns grin eerily out from the doorsteps, scarecrows stand ominously among bundles of high cornstalks within yards all along the street and as the sun begins to set the shadows come out to play, carrying with them a creepy sense of mischief that inspires laughter and fun.
The Halloween season offers a special kind of joy that is simply not present in other holiday celebrations. While the emphasis may seem to be on scaring the bejeebers out of your friends and neighbors, the real gift of this season comes from the sense of freedom and creativity it entails. Halloween is the only holiday that is based on an open concept rather than a particular event. There are no boundaries, no limits, and no expectations to fulfill. You are free to be as playful and original as you wish.
This aspect of Halloween is one that should be cherished because it affords us the space to be as silly as we want while also nurturing our inventive sides. Parents can encourage their children to choose any character or costume that they would like to be for Halloween, and then spend time helping their child to make the costume they want to wear. Families can also take advantage of the season to bond as a unit by voting on one theme for the entire family, such as the Addams Family or The Incredibles. There is nothing quite like the feeling of belonging to a cohesive group that is easily recognizable in public. It really establishes a fun sense of being part of a team.
Larger projects, such as haunted houses or mazes can also be an excellent event for the whole family to join together in building. Many people use their yards or garages to set up a simple haunted maze that the trick-or-treaters can walk through if they dare. These sometimes take a lot of work, and getting the family and friends involved stimulates a great feeling of comradery among those who worked so hard on it. And the satisfaction derived from the screams and nervous giggles of the people going through the maze is unparalleled.
Some people go to quite elaborate lengths to create an environment that is fun and scary for their neighbors to experience during the season. They spend months designing and building facades or effects that they display in front of or inside their homes just to entertain people with a fun scare. This is a gesture of hospitality like no other, presenting parents and kids alike with an experience that they are unlikely to ever forget. For those who do this, it is an offering of themselves to the guests who will come to their door, a whimsical engagement in the fun and frivolity of the season that represents a genuine interest in joining in the fun and enhancing every person’s Halloween eve. In return, they are gifted with the opportunity to briefly take part in the lives of their neighbors if only for the evening.
There are many neighborhoods in America that actually gather together and decide themes for their entire street during Halloween. Each neighbor then builds a façade or decorates their house in accordance with that theme. These can be extraordinary sites to behold. For instance, one street created an old western theme in which each home had built a different set in front of or surrounding their home, so the whole street looked like something you’d find in an old western movie. Another neighborhood made a pirate themed experience, with a nine foot tall pirate ship that spanned several house lengths. These kinds of things can definitely bring a community together.
Neighborhoods that don’t want to go to such extremes can still benefit from this time of silliness and fun. Parents often work together, within their own neighborhoods as well as the surrounding streets, to create a fun and safe environment in which the children can enjoy trick-or-treating. The adults take turns with street duties, keeping the passing drivers aware of the presence of all the kids in costumes and helping the children to cross the street safely. They accompany the kids as they go door to door so that they can meet or chat with the people on their street with whom they have limited contact otherwise. This is a convenient and non-intrusive way to introduce oneself to the neighbors living on the street, or get to know them better. Communities who know each other tend to be safer in general than those who aren’t acquainted with the people living around them.
There is no denying that Halloween is a wonderful holiday, one that brings people together in unique ways. The freedom of style and expression it offers makes it the one holiday when we can truly share our own individuality with all of those around us while celebrating theirs as well.
By early September stores are already stocking Halloween candy. There are dozens of different kinds of Halloween candy that you can choose from, but how will you know which ones are the most likely to result in happy Trick or Treaters and no rotten eggs or other “tricks” all over your property? Kids have high standards when it comes to Halloween candy and if you don’t live up to their expectations you can expect to be branded as the house with the bad Halloween candy for the rest of the year. But parents prefer houses that give out relatively healthy treats instead of sugar laden candy that will keep their kids bouncing off the walls for days. Here are a few tips for picking out Halloween candy that will be popular with kids and parents this year:
Snack size chocolate bars are always a good idea- Snack size bars are small enough to not cause an overdose of sugar in young children but the chocolate treats make the children very happy. Always get at least two more bags than you think you need because once the word gets around that you have good candy you’ll get more Trick or Treaters.
Brand names matter- Don’t go for the cheaper, off brand candy when it comes to Halloween. Kids don’t buy it when their parents buy the store brand cereal and tell them it tastes like the name brand cereal and they won’t believe it when it comes to Halloween candy either. Unless you want to want to spend the money you saved paying for a new paint job on your car after it’s pelted with eggs shell out the money for the name brand stuff. You’ll be glad you did.
Pre-package treat bundles – Letting kids grab their own treats from a bucket is never a good idea. You’ll be left with three pieces of candy after the first round of Trick or Treaters. Instead, package your own treat bundles in small plastic bags. Arrange a few chocolate bars, hard candy, and whatever other treats you’re giving out in a clear plastic baggie and give one to each child.
Offer more than one treat- Buy a few different kinds of treats to give out so that if you run out of one you have more. Kids will also feel like they’re getting more treats if you give them a variety of different kinds of treats. Some kids can’t have chocolate, or can’t have candy with nuts, or have other dietary issues that you need to be prepared for. Having different types of candy will help you have treats that are appropriate for different kids.
Think outside the chocolate box – Chocolate treats are popular but don’t forget there are other candies that are great for Halloween too. Pixie sticks are a classic Halloween treat. So are Sour Balls, Gummie Bears, and other non chocolate candy. These candies are usually cheaper than brand name chocolate treats too so if you’re trying to keep your Halloween candy spending to a minimum choose hard candy and other non chocolate treats.
HALLOWEEKEND MOVEMENT COMES KNOCKING
National Retailer Spirit Halloween Launches Campaign for Permanent Saturday Halloweens
NEW YORK, October 1, 2009 – Last year, Halloween fell on a Friday, inspiring revelers to celebrate all weekend. This year, with the beloved holiday on a Saturday, trick-or-treating can start at dawn. But every year can’t have a Halloweekend. Or can it?
Spirit Halloween believes Halloweekend can – and should – be every year. The leading seasonal retailer proposes that costume-loving, home-decorating fans of all ages give Halloween its own permanent home: on the last Saturday of October.
“With homework, jobs and busy weekday schedules, Halloween often doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” said Steven Silverstein, Spirit Halloween’s CEO, who is leading the uprising. “We’re tired of seeing this enchanted holiday getting lost on a weekday, disappointing ghouls, goblins, witches and warlocks. Halloween deserves a Saturday to call its own, and we all deserve a Halloweekend.”
“Saturday Halloween will let adult and kids alike trick-or-treat earlier and longer, while adding more jobs to the economy,” Silverstein added. “Halloween-related retail sales are as much as 30% higher when Halloween falls on the weekend versus a weekday. Halloweekend could mark a turning point in global economic recovery.”
To rally Americans, Silverstein recently marched up Capitol Hill with supporters Wonder Woman, Popeye, Scarecrow and Dorothy at his side. A concerned citizen captured never-before-seen video of the march which can be viewed at www.spirithalloweekend.com. The new Halloweekend online hub also gives instructions on how to join the Halloweekend movement in your local community and on Facebook.
About Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween (www.spirithalloween.com) is the largest seasonal Halloween retailer in the country with 725 locations in strip centers and malls across the United States and Canada. The authority on all things Halloween, Spirit has offered one-stop shopping — ranging from costumes to décor and party goods to accessories — for more than 25 years. In addition to being a fun and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, ‘tweens, teens, adults, and even pets. At the heart of Spirit Halloween is the Spirit of Children program, which is devoted to bringing the fun, imagination and fantasy of Halloween to pediatric patients in hospitals and rehabilitation centers across the United States.
The image of a witch dressed in black with a big pointy hat riding a broomstick is an iconic Halloween image. But why are witches so closely associated with Halloween? There are a lot of reasons why the image of the evil witch became associated with Halloween, and most of them are rooted in Middle Age Christianity.
When the Christian Church in the Middle Ages started to take over as the dominant religion throughout Europe the leaders of the Church needed to find a way to get people to stop believing in old Pagan traditions and embrace Christian beliefs. In order to convince people to convert to Christianity they waged a negative public relations war against anything associated with Paganism. One of the things associated with Paganism was the practice of Witchcraft, or manipulating energies and using plants, herbs, and other natural materials to heal disease and to help growth. Usually witchcraft was practiced by women who worked as natural healers and were seen as being very wise and educated. In order to convince people to turn against Paganism the Church began a campaign against witches saying that witches were evil people who worked with the Devil and were using herbal potions and other mixtures to harm people, not to help them. The campaign worked and witches were hunted, tortured, and vilified.
When the Church wanted to stop the celebration of Samhain it used the same tactics that it had used against witches to make the celebration seem evil. Samhain was described by Church elders as the night when witches and the Devil would roam the Earth killing the innocent, stealing souls, and causing havoc. The stereotype of the witch that has come down through the centuries to modern culture developed from various practices and stereotypes throughout the years. The image of a wicked witch that most people have today was derived from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West with her long black dress, black pointy hat, green skin, and mole. For many modern people the image of a wicked witch flying through the air on a broom with a pointy hat, black dress, and green skin like Margaret Hamilton in the Wizard of Oz movie is the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word “witch”.
Witches are almost always ugly because they are evil, and evil is ugly. Unlike the vampire cult in literature and film which makes vampires seem like sympathetic, attractive, misunderstood creatures who still have human feelings and emotions witches are always portrayed as ugly, mean, evil creatures who want to harm humans. Witches will always be associated with Halloween because they are supposed to be minions of the Devil, and Halloween is the Devil’s holiday for some Christian sects. Even though today Halloween is considered a secular holiday when Paganism and Christianity were both fighting for control as the dominant religion in Europe Halloween was a religious holiday. The Church tried to end the holiday by scaring people into not celebrating so that the witches wouldn’t get them but they never quite succeeded. Their image of the witch as an evil force to be reckoned with who flies out on Halloween in search of victims still endures though.
Spirit Halloween released a new game.
It can be found here:
http://www.cavernsofblood.com/spirit-game/
It is pretty fun! You can also put it on your site.