Some rather random things I noted.

Homemade costumes saw a sharp rise at our place in 2009. In fact, originality in general had a sharp rise.

Costumes were far more varied and creative. Seemed like a lot more buying of a cloak or shirt or something and doing makeup from there than in the past.

About the most common costume I got was Spider Man, and it seemed to be pre-school ages, all of them.

Of the home-made ones that stood out, I had a lego block, a box of puppies (2 toddlers in puppy costume in a wagon with a bunch of stuffed puppies), the classic cardboard box robot, Raggedy Ann (didn't know kids even KNEW that one these days), and a rather creative viking.

Perhaps the down economy forced some more creativity?

Noticeably lacking were pirates and star wars, of which I got 1 Yoda, and a teenage girl pirate, and that was it.



Our treat bowl featured an assortment of full size candy bars, 'big grab' bags of chips, (12 oz)soda, and various fruit flavored 'candybars'.

A very pronounced and clear preference was seen:

Soda
Chips
Nestle
Hersheys

With the oddballs going for the fruit candies.

Seemed anyone over 8ish went straight for the soda and/or chips, and under went for the chocolate. With the oddballs going for the starburst/skittles types here or there.

Many would just open the soda on the spot, foregoing the treat bag.

The irony is this was more or less cheapest -> most expensive, as far as treats go. Much more Soda next year.



People are much more likely to strike up conversation with you when you are in makeup instead of a mask...

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Some things I noticed:

1) Adults seem much more into the haunts then the kids which I think was mentioned here before. U could seem them turn around to there wives like acting all excited and asking can we do this next year? can we can we? please please its so cool honey! It was hilarious.

2)Again homemade costumes were few and far between. Some relly cute liitle toter's though

3)Best comstume of the night was the lunchlady complete with a lunch tray u had to put the candy on. It was so original.

4)No stupid scream movie masks! yay!

5)It seems has though the spirit of halloween is disapating around me. Alot of houses had their lights off which was very not right and one house that always decorated really well did not. Sure signs of the economy hopefully and not people just not caring.

6)Christmas yet again shoved down our throats lol. I feel like it started october 15th around these parts. I love christmas but it makes me sick to see halloween sharing shelf space with x-mas. no thanks.

I here you! Love Xmas but it pisses me off that its always lurking around the Halloween stuff mid October.

I would be an oddball, I would always go for skittles! And I too am glad the "Scream" phase has finally passed! I have like 5 of those suckers that I look at every year and say "I will never use these again!" Also they are all you can find at thrift stores it seems, which is where I like to find my haunting items.

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"Where there is no imagination there is no horror"

Everyone kept asking me what do I do for Xmas? Also is this your favorite holiday? Umm duh!!!

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What I noticed:

1. Serious decline in TOTers - I only had about 10.

2. Less lights on in the neighborhood

3. My open house was a bust. Some legitimate illnesses and family matters kept some people away but there are a few who will not receive repeat invitations.

4. Despite 1, 2 & 3 above, I enjoyed the big night and all those leading up to it.

I plan to protest the encroachment of Christmas on Halloween turf by putting a witch's hat on my outdoor light-up snowman.

GD retale is railroading Halloween. I mean the 15 of October through January is too much Christmas. It pisses me off that the retale bearly even noteses Halloween and Halloween is the second $ grossing holiday. If it weren't for specialists like Spirit we would not get enough time to haunt. Halloween and Christmas stuff came out nearly at the same time here.

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Stay scary

The amount of TOT's was way down over here, which is understandable, since my street was pretty much a waste of time to visit, as most of my neighbors didn't decorate or, at the least, pass out candy, including ones that previously had in years past. Halloween seemed very dull around my area, period; it appears that hardly anyone cared this year, which is unfortunate.

1. TOT's increase from last year .
2. More families doing more theme costumes (had a couple dressed up as thing one and two and their daughter was the cat in the hat . Also had the entire Wizard of Oz cast at my door although the cowardly lion was passed out in the wagon fast asleep so I did not get a chance to see him ) .
3. Parents with babies were appreciative of the teddy grams as treats for the babies so that is a keeper for next year .
4. Less people passed out this year but the three of us that did do it on our block had fun rummaging the left over candy of each other bowels .
5. More thought out costumes this year and not a whole lot of store bought costumes spotted.
6. Random thought that shocks me the most is that more teenage boys in costume this year then I have ever seen and with really creative costumes .

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I had a lot of boys dressed as girls and old ladies. That was weird.

But, three boys dressed in alike in blond pig tailed wigs and wearing skirts... I asked them what they were and all three simultaneously said, "Cheerleaders!" LOL! My favorite costume of the night!

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How-to's for all kinds of props: http://www.halloweenforum.com/album.php?u=20959
Videos at my YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Scaryladyvideos