Monthly Archives: November 2013

Ghost Stories By The Fireside

Fireside Ghost Stories

What makes a group fire the perfect setting for ghost stories? It may be Halloween (or any fall holiday party for that matter) where guests gather around the fireplace. Everyone gets cozy and warm and waits for the storyteller to spin tales of fear and terror. If it’s summertime, the beach bonfire or campground fire pit is where these stories begin. The warmth from the fire is what causes people to gather, but time after time the setting will evoke someone to start bringing up stories of ghouls and ghosts. I think in general people are fascinated by tales of mystery. This probably goes all the way back to the days of the cavemen. They probably tried in those early days to tell stories around the fire. (That’s assuming they all understood what was being grunted of course.) During the middle ages, elders gathered their families by firesides and told tales of heroism and magic, capturing the imaginations of everyone who listened. If we take a look at holidays of the Victorian era, its easy to see how telling ghost stories around the fireplace was an important tradition. This is even reflected in the classic Christmas song “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”. The lyrics are “There’ll be scary ghost stories, and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago”. It almost always happened at the Christmas Eve celebration. People would gather and try to outdo each other with the scariest tale. Charles Dickens tale “A Christmas Carol” is now probably the most famous of those wintertime ghost stories. Fortunately the summertime fireside ghost story time is alive and doing well. But unfortunately it seems the tradition of Christmas ghost story telling by the fireside has dwindled during the last century. Maybe because not everyone has fireplaces in their homes anymore. Or maybe everyone is too wrapped up in the stress of gift giving. I think this Christmas Eve I will try to bring the tradition back. After all what better way to enjoy chestnuts roasting by the open fire.

Beware Of The Black Eyed Children

Black Eyed Children

I’ve recently heard stories about The Black Eyed Children. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but this one was new to me. Apparently the myth states that black eyed children will come up to your front door and knock or ring the doorbell. When you answer, they will ask to enter your home. You will know something is wrong when you see their pale, almost corpse like skin color and solid black eyes. Whatever you do, DON’T LET THEM IN. I’m not sure what happens if you do but it can’t be good. Trust me! Even if they are disguised as girl scouts! The myth also states there are several hundred cases of this happening around the world. Could be an elaborate hoax, but I wouldn’t take any chances these days. If you want to read more about them, you can read the book by David Weatherly called The Black Eyed Children.

Can Children See Ghosts?

Children See Ghosts

I have a question for you…can children see ghosts? I’ve heard people discuss this very subject several times throughout my life. For example, sometimes people claim they’ve seen their infant staring at something in the room that isn’t there as if they were staring in the eyes of a spirit. Sometimes the child will be calm looking at “something”, and other times will cry uncontrollably glancing fearfully at the fixed area where no one is standing. Ordinarily I don’t believe ghost stories. Too many weird people in the world looking for weird ways to get attention. Sometimes people want so much to believe in something that they can trick themselves into thinking they hear strange noises or see shadows in the dark. But what about children? Is there any truth to the claims that children are more “tuned-in” to the spirit world because they are so young? I am ever the skeptic, but then I heard a story that chilled me to the bone and made me wonder…could this be real? Continue reading

Follow The Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage

One of the most beautiful times of the year is when leaves begin to change to hues of orange, brown and gold. Here in Southern California, it’s sometimes hard to really feel like it’s Fall because there are so many evergreens and palm trees. But in certain neighborhoods you can find groups of tall maple trees that are changing their colors and dropping their leaves only to be whisked away by the gentle autumn winds. I love these areas, and try to seek them out as often as possible. It helps me get in the mood for Halloween and Thanksgiving by infusing a little bit of holiday nostalgia in my life. I have always wanted to plan a trip to the east coast to the places where the fall colors are abundant. And I’ve found a great tool to help me plan a fall foliage tour thanks to the US Forest Service. Continue reading

My Five Minute Halloween Costume

Sometimes great things can come from procrastination. Case in point, my Halloween costume. I didn’t have one. It was a crazy month and I never got time to even think about what to be this year. My plans were to take my little four-year-old cousin trick or treating. I was kind of happy this year was going to be more relaxing without having to worry about a Halloween party or costume. Thing is…I LOVE HALLOWEEN. That’s kind of obvious or this website wouldn’t exist. So how could I not have a costume to show my little cousin. After all I want her to have fond memories of Halloween night just like I did when I was a child. So after watching a few youtube videos for inspiration, I made the coolest Halloween costume in my neighborhood, a Glowing Stick Figure. And it only took 5 minutes to make! Enjoy the video below and read on to see how I made it.

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