The Elf Blog

Columbus Day Weekend

For many people, Columbus Day weekend is a long weekend.  So let's plan to use it well.

On the East Coast, the weather is supposed to be lovely.  That makes it a great time to get outside and be active:

• Work to prepare your yard for the winter.
• Go apple or pumpkin picking.
• Take a hike or a bike ride to enjoy the early fall leave.

This is also a good weekend to decorate for Halloween, to start Christmas shopping, and to spend some time making soups and stews to stock the freezer.  If the weather where you are is bad, it's a good weekend to do some fall cleaning, to switch out winter for summer clothes, or to organize a closet or two in advance of holiday entertaining.

As for me, I'll be taking my own advice -- Christmas shopping, hiking, and horseback riding.

Halloween is Two Months Away!

Halloween is two months from today! This year, it's a Monday, so most parties will be on the 29th.

I've seen that stores are starting to carry trick or treat candy. I am all about planning in advance, but that's just crazy. The likelihood that any candy bought now will survive until the end of October is miniscule -- at best.

But that doesn't mean some planning isn't necessary:

• If you and/or your children dress up for Halloween, you need to start thinking about costumes. Each year I post some ideas for last minute costumes, but do you really want to go that route? Plus, leaving extra time means you can check out thrift stores for inexpensive costume pieces. (Last year I found adorable fairy wings for 50 cents at a resale shop.)
• If you throw a Halloween party, start planning your guest list and menu.
• If you decorate for Halloween, you'll need to look over the decorations you have and make any necessary repairs or replacements. If you want to add anything, the shopping selection is best now and you still have time for crafting.

NO -- DON'T BUY YOUR CANDY YET!!!!!!

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

If you haven't started thinking about a Halloween costume yet, here are some quick and easy ideas you might try:

• Tarzan and/or Jane:  This one is easy, but it requires some courage. Stop at a fabric store and buy some animal print fleece.  Fashion it into a loincloth or sarong.  I recommend using stick-on velcro down the side and wearing a bathing suit underneath.  Accessorize with vines (real or artificial)wrapped around the wrist and ankle.
• A toga is always good and all you need is a white sheet and some greenery to make a wreath for your head.  Bonus points for adding a length of purple or scarlet cloth as a cloak.
• Vampires are hot right now and it's very easy to dress as one.  Buy some liquid makeup as white as you can get it and wear all black.  You're done. (It's way easier than the werewolf costume that requires washboard abs.)

What will you dress as this year?

 

The Question of Halloween Candy

Halloween treats seem to have become a political issue.  I guess that's not really a surprise given the rates of child obesity in the United States. Personally, I don't see Halloween treats as a huge problem.  The real problem to me is that they aren't treats.  Candy is not a special treat kids get occasion but a staple part of a diet already filled with other unhealthy things.

Let's face it.  If people ate healthily most of the time, the indulgences of Halloween candy, Christmas cookies, Easter baskets, and summer ice cream runs wouldn't be a big deal. But when we eat too much and too many processed foods on a daily basis, Halloween candy is just piling on.  Top that off with kids who spend most of their days indoors and in front of screens and you have a health crisis waiting to happen.

I do plan to hand out candy on Halloween.  It's one of the very few times a year (with Valentine's Day and Easter) that I actually buy candy at the store. Plus, I know that most kids in my neighborhood get a lot of exercise running around outside.  (I see them every day when I walk my dog -- she is quite popular with the younger set!) I guess my decision goes back to my theory that treating the symptoms isn't terribly useful if no one cares about the underlying cause. 

But many people will make a different decision and I totally respect that.  If you want to participate in trick or treating but you don't want to give out candy, you can do the pretzel or individual trail mix packets.  Of course, those are high in calories too -- just less fat and more nutritional content, respectively. You can also go a completely non-food route: fun stickers, Halloween pencils, press-on tattoos.  For affordable things to give out, check your local dollar store in the party favor section.  You may find some good choices there.

Halloween Preparations

Halloween is 11 days away, so it's time to kick those preparations into high gear.

• If you decorate outdoors, this weekend is your last chance.  Make sure you check the weather forecast and block out some time.
• If you are hosting a party, make your task list (cleaning, grocery shopping, decorating, etc.) so you'll be ready when your guests arrive.
• You may buy your trick or treat candy any time in the next week (depending on your level of self-control).
• If you (or your child) needs a costume, block out at least one evening in the next week to sew, glue, gather, or shop. Remember that costumes for children who will trick-or-treat should be warm, allow for ease of movement and visibility, and use face paint instead of a mask.

Halloween - 2 Months Away

Halloween is two months from today!  In the spirit of countdowns, here's your Halloween countdown:

• If you are planning to host a party, you'll want to start deciding on your guest list and menu.
• If you decorate for Halloween (I don't), decide what you'll need to craft and start gathering supplies.
• Start thinking costumes for you and for your kids. If you will be making a costume, you need a decision by the end of September.
• Do NOT buy candy yet. It's too early!

Hershey at Halloween

Last week, I made my adorable dog, Hershey, a Halloween costume. I used sale fabric I picked up in a big box store for less than $5 (and I have tons left for other projects).  I downloaded a free stencil for the monogram and I made a pattern from newspaper.  All told, it cost less than a dollar and took about an hour and a half -- most of that trying to measure her while she squirmed.

Here are the results:

Pretty cute, eh?  And the cape is nice too.

Happy Samhain

To those who follow the Old Path, Happy Samhain.  May the turning of the seasons bring you light, prosperity, and peace.

Bright Blessings!

Last Minute Costumes

So, you're off to a Halloween party tomorrow night.  What are you wearing?  If you haven't decided yet, here are a few last-minute ideas that you can put together relatively quickly and inexpensively:

• The Professor from Gillgan's Island.  A white shirt and some khakis are all you need.  To accessorize, detach the receiver from an old phone and duct tape it to a coconut from the grocery store.  Invite people to test your island phone.
• Given the horrendous calls in this year's baseball post-season, wear a black jacket and pants over a black shirt.  Carry a white cane.
• In honor of Where the Wild Things Are, where kiddie clothes and go as your inner child.
• Wear a white lab coat, carry a stopwatch, and wrap yourself in red tape.  You're a doctor trapped by the health care system.
• Wear baggy old clothes and a battered hat.  Outline your facial features in triangles or other shapes using an eyeliner pencil.  Tape some straw (available at craft stores) at the openings of the clothes (between buttons, wrists, neck, ankles) and go as a scarecrow.

What will you be?

Halloween Hints

With Halloween less than 2 weeks away, here are some random thoughts to help you prepare.

If you are hosting a Halloween party, your invitations should have already gone out.  This week, you need to finalize your menu and decoration plans.  If you plan any games or contests, organize them as well.  By this weekend, you'll want to have developed your schedule for cleaning, decorating, cooking, etc.

Decide when your will power will allow you to buy the treats you'll hand out.  I already have mine in a plastic storage container in my living room.  I am incredibly proud that I haven't opened anything yet(though the peanut butter cups are calling my name). 

Personally, I hand out candy for Halloween.  I don't think an occasional treat for kids is all that bad.  I am not responsible for kids eating junk the other 364 days of the year or for eating their entire Halloween stash in a single day.  If you have kids, do feel free to lock up the treat bags and portion the treats out over a period of several days.  However, if you don't want to hand out candy, there are other options: low sodium pretzels, sugar-free gum, granola bars, fruit roll-ups (though they aren't necessarily that much better than candy), Halloween pencils, sheets of stickers, press-on tattoos.

I also hand out glowsticks.  I buy them at Michael's craft stor, 15 for $1.  Kids love them and they do a little bit to make them more visible as they walk door to door.

If your kids are going trick or treating, you need to decide costumes this week.  As you make the final decision, please keep safety in mind:

• If you live in a cold weather area, make sure the costume allows for layers.  Halloween is far less fun when you spend the next week sick.
• Make sure costumes aren't too long.  If they are, you don't have to sew.  It's a Halloween costume, not a wedding gown.  Turn up the hem and use duct tape or double-sided tape to hold it in place.  It'll last one night and that's all that counts.
• Consider face paint rather than a mask.  Face paint allows for better peripheral vision. 
• All costumes are beautifully accessorized with reflective tape.  (Get it at a home imprvement store.)  Put it on the back and front and down both legs.
• Everyone in the trick-or-treat group should carry a flashlight.  The adult chaperones should carry extra batteries.  If I planned the world, there would be more sidewalks and streetlights.  Since I don't, we need to carry our own light to watch out for uneven pavement, branches, and other hazards.

Halloween may be scary, but it shouldn't be dangerous.