Autumn Daybook for Halloween [look. listen. make. do. ]

We're getting ready to say farewell, October!  Let's celebrate with a few ordinary acts of paying attention to the ways earth's crammed with heaven in this season.  Here's some suggestions to get you started this week, no matter where you live.

  

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Look

Halloween

Grandma Moses, 1955

source

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Read

Halloween Party

BY KENN NESBITT

We’re having a Halloween party at school.

I’m dressed up like Dracula. Man, I look cool!

I dyed my hair black, and I cut off my bangs.

I’m wearing a cape and some fake plastic fangs.

I put on some makeup to paint my face white,

like creatures that only come out in the night.

My fingernails, too, are all pointed and red.

I look like I’m recently back from the dead.

My mom drops me off, and I run into school

and suddenly feel like the world’s biggest fool.

The other kids stare like I’m some kind of freak—

the Halloween party is not till next week.

source

Also: 

Edgar Allen Poe
illustration source

The tell-tale heart and other Edgar Allen Poe short stories

The Raven and other Edgar Allen Poe poems

6 Vintage Kids Books for Autumn

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Listen

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, full Vince Gueraldi soundtrack

Also: Listen to my always-evolving Autumn playlist on Spotify

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Make

Slight disclaimer: Now that my kids are mostly grown, and I have very little pressure on me to do much of anything for Halloween, I find myself getting a wee bit nostalgic -- as the following vintage photos reveal.  I want all you parents running hither and yon for random pieces of costume and party snacks this week to know that I haven't totally forgotten.  My real memories of parenthood at Halloween are described rather perfectly by my friend Anne in this blog post: Ten Reasons to Dislike Halloween.  (Since you probably need a laugh this week, you might want to read her post before going any further in mine.  Or you might want to read hers and skip the rest of mine altogether.  I'll completely understand.)

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Watch

Ghostbusters (on Amazon streaming )
This movie came out just as Brian and were starting high school.  It's completely intertwined with our memories of adolescence, which is why we were shocked (shocked, I tell you!) when our daughter mentioned that she'd never seen it before.  This is the year to remedy that.

Also: 

The Raven, the Simpsons version on Teacher Tube (thanks to my sister, Alicia, for this great idea!)

"Tricks and Treats" episode of Freaks & Geeks (S1:E3) (on Netflix streaming now & one of my favorite individual television episodes of all time!)

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (of course)

classic monster movies like The Revenge of Frankenstein

and one of the best ever, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (or rent on Amazon)

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Do

Also:

If you're concerned about free-trade chocolate, may I recommend the informative & reasonable post (which includes a ton of great ideas!) written by my friend Tsh at The Art of Simple:  Chocolate: the industry's hidden truth (and the easy stuff we can do to still enjoy it)

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Share your favorite fall things with me in the comments below, on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.