DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

For a late night snack you have a craving for brain pudding instead of ice cream and pickles.(still might be all if you're a pregnant zombie) You start grunting a lot and pointing instead of speaking words. (more than just being in the bathroom) You drag your feet a lot while walking. Hygiene and using the bathroom are a thing of the past. You turn gray and green, your hair falls out occasionally, your teeth rot, and you become boney BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAD!!! You tend to sleep walk a lot with your eyes open. Hang out at the mall  to be with your dead friends. (I might be thinking of teenagers) Sometimes find a gutter to sleep in. ( more comfortable because you really don't care, BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAD!!!) Lose different body parts over time. ( ears, eyes, fingers, toes, hair, etc....) Often find yourself rummaging through the trash at the county dump. (almost like dumpster diving, except on a bigger scale!) The last time you changed clothes was 3 or 4 weeks ago.(im

   I know it may be a little early but I also love Christmas.  I have been writing alot of articles about Halloween time.  So here are some phobias that people may have during Christmas time.  Many people dread the Christmas season for many reasons.  Although the season is stressful, most people don't have actual phobias connected with the holidays.  But Christmas is stressful to many.  And it seems to aggravate a lot of phobias. Ochlophobia or Agoraphobia-(Fear of crowds) It also includes fear of lines, traffic jams and even social events.  Many people suffer from just the fear of not pleasing others during this season and end up overwhelming themselves with too much responsibility. Katagelophobia-(Fear of ridicule or embarrassment) this might include not giving the right gift, being around family and their comments, Christmas party pranks, etc. Mythophobia-(Fear of making a false statement) slipping and telling a secret you shouldn't, or what someone got someone, etc. Pog

Japan-the Japanese celebrate the "Obon Festival" (also known as "Matsuri" or "Urabon") which is similar to our Halloween in that it is dedicated to the spriits of ancestors.  Special foods are made and bright red lanterns are hung.  The lanterns are lit and then set afloat on the different waterways.  During the "Obon Festival", a fires is lit every night in order to show the ancestors where their families might be found.  "Obon" is one of the main occasions during the Japanese year when the dead are believed to return to their birthplaces.  Memorial stones are cleaned and dances performed.  The festival takes place during July or August. Korea-their festival is know as "Cusok."  It's at this time that families thank their ancestor for the fruits of their labor.  Families pay respect to these ancestors by visiting their tombs and making offerings of rice and fruits.  It takes place in August. Mexico, Latin America and Sp

   As one of the world's oldest holidays, Halloween is still celebrated today in many countries around our blue planet.  It is in  North America that it has most of the popularity.  Every year, 65 percent of Americans decorated their home and offices for Halloween. The only other holiday to exceed it is Christmas.  Halloween is the holiday when the most mount of candy is sold and is second only to Christmas again.  So lets start our country countdown and see what they do for Halloween. Austria- some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before going to bed on Halloween night.  They do this because it was once believed such things would welcome the dead souls back to earth, on a night which is believed by the Austrian people, to be brimming with strong cosmic energies. Belgium- they believe that it is unlucky for a black cat to cross your path and also unlucky if it should enter a home or travel on a ship.  The custom on Halloween night is to light candle

SPOOKS by Sandra Liatsos There's a goblin at my window, A monster by my door. The pumpkin at my table Keeps on smiling more and more. There's a ghost who haunts my bedroom, A witch whose face is green. They used to be my family, Till they dressed for Halloween. HALLOWEEN by Mary Jane Carr Witches flying past on broomsticks, Black cats leaping here and there, White-robed spooks on every corner, Mournful moaning in the air. Goblins peering out of windows, Spirit-things that rap and run- But don't be scared-it's just October, Having one last hour of fun!

 Oct. 23, 2009 Sharon Falsetto    The witch is a symbol of Halloween , yet many people do not know the legends and folklore associated with broomsticks and why witches are green.    Just as the pumpkin and haunted hotels are synonymous with Halloween, so is the witch.  There are many myths, legends and folklore associated with the popular Halloween witch and it is difficult to determine exactly how the common Halloween image of the witch evolved.  However, many legends surrounding witches appear to date back to Medieval times.    Witches were persecuted for several centuries before a series of Witchcraft Acts (1541-1735) of Medieval Europe spurred an even greater fear of witches.  Fact or fiction, many tales abound concerning the images and practices of Medieval witches.  Today, the Halloween witch is depicted as a green, ugly, old lady who owns a black cat and rides a broomstick.    Witches are famously depicted as green; the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 movie The Wiza