This Upcoming Halloween.

The thirty-one days of October is really my second favorite time of year. Talk about a communal event. No one gets the day off of work. The pretense of having to go to church is totally not there. Kids even get to be in on the joke wearing costumes of their own. Folks get a vague premonition that a holiday really makes no sense outside of being a party. It's people deciding to do what they want when they want. 
Yes it's dark and moody, but at least folks don't have to carry their own crosses to preset places of death or celebrate child birth in barns. And the costumes aren't as creepy as a dude in red velvet wanting kids to sit on his lap for prizes or a walking rabbit hiding discolored eggs in shrubbery. Despite Charles Schultz's best effort, not one single para-religious entity must be appeased to make Halloween and the days leading to it a time of fun.

Last year I was concerned about all the movies that I wanted to watch. This year I am mixing things up a bit. Here's my list of celebratory activities:

15. Read "Batman: Haunted Gotham." It's a little tough, the comic is really hammy.
14. Play along with whatever in the World Ben Lathrop's werewolf thing is. over at his blog
13. Watch some Casper, the Friendly Ghost, Wendy, the Witch, and Hotstuff cartoons.
12. Re-watch the Scooby Doo movies from the early Aughts.
11. Play Betrayal At the House On the Hill.
10. Write a major Crawlspace event specially for the season.
9. Check out Troll 2.
8. Finally visit one of the big haunted houses that own abandoned strip malls these days.
7. Find the movie about Count Down, Dracula's son, the one with Ringo Starr as Merlin in it.
6. Read "The Devil And Daniel Webster."
5. Watch any new IFC "After Midnight" or of the new Hammer Horror flicks that I come across.
4. Re-watch The Fearless Vampire Killers. It'll be nice to see how it sounds in English finally.
3. Listen to a radio theater episode of the Shadow.
2. Watch an old Hammer Horror flick with Peter Cushing and Christoper Lee in it.

and...
Hand out candy on Halloween night, after I get home from work.