DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

The Witches Toolbox, They Don't Leave Home Without It!    There are twelve tools that are considered essential for ritual magic.  They are the wand; Athame; pentacle; censer; scourge; bolline; staff; cauldron; cord; cup; Book of Shadows; and the altar (also they have to have transportation to get from witch meeting to witch meeting, so they need their trusty broom).  These tools may have slightly different names or composition depending on the particular magical path that they practice.  The list is of the traditional ones.  The Witches Wand     The wand, the most important tool in witchcraft, may be made of many different types of wood.  The wand should be made of a slim tree limb about an inch in diameter and as long as the distance from your elbow to the top of your first finger.  Ideally, to bind it to yourself, 2 inches of pith, or the interior of the wand is removed and filled with a piece of cotton containing a few drops of y...

Are Pumpkins Vegetables or Fruits?    The answer to that commonly asked question depends on who you ask.  Technically, they are a fruit.  This is because fruits are generally classified as having seeds.  Pumpkins have seeds; thus, it is a fruit.  So if you are ever on a game show trying to win a million dollars and you get asked whether it's a fruit or vegetable, go with fruit.  But for those people out there who always thought it was a vegetable rather than a fruit, don't worry, you aren't that wrong.  In culinary terms, it would be classified as a vegetable and not a fruit.  The word fruit is usually used to only describe food that is "sweet and fleshy". Growing Them     To grow them, you plant the seeds around the end of May to the mid part of June.  The seeds are planted in groups call hills.  It takes three to four months for them to grow.  In the process of growing, they don't just grow in size but ...

 The Great Pumkin Trojan Horse     The pumpkin has been around in the U.S. long before the pilgrims first landed on the shores of Cape Cod Bay.  Most scientists seem to think that the tasty squash (pumpkins are part of the squash family) was first cultivated in southern Mexico over a thousand years ago, and gradually the large vegetable spread north along with maize, squash and beans.  These newly developed crops greatly changed the way the Indians lived.  Native populations increased and cultures flourished as many parts of North America saw a change in Native life that went from hunter and gatherer towards farmer.    Every yer the Thanksgiving holiday gives us a chance to have a big feast, reconnect with long lost relatives and watch football.  Most Americans have some inkling of the vast array of modern foods that originated in the Americas, and also of the importance of corn in the aboriginal diet, but the story is much more fascinatin...

 The Raven  The Crow        Raven are the largest members of the crow family, so it's only natural that the two species look similarly.  Ravens are clearly spotted when they are next to crows by their sheer body size.  But ravens and crows do not always conveniently stand next to each other when a human observer is trying to identify them.  Then, the observer has to look at other features on the bird.  The Crow     A Note On Species Differential    There are several species of ravens, but the most familiar species is Corvus corax, or the common raven.  Unfortunately, this species is not so common now due to hunting and habitat loss.  Other species of ravens in the world do share similar characteristics, including a mostly black body.  There are raven species that have dark brown feathers or white marks on the back of their necks.  Also there are dozens of species of crows ...

The Obamas    The White House Christmas tree is a tradition that dates back to 1889.  The very first Christmas tree in the White House was when Benjamin Harrison lived there.  It was displayed in the Oval Room on the second floor.  The Harrison White House Christmas tree was decorated with lit candles.  This very first simple Christmas tree displayed in the White House has transformed into a treasured, national tradition.  The national Christmas tradition didn't take off right away, however.  Not all of the presidential families displayed Christmas trees during the holidays.  The event became official with the 1929 White House Christmas tree.  First Lady Lou Henry Hoover was in charge of the decorations for the Christmas tree in the White House.  Since then, decorating the White House Christmas tree has become an honor bestowed upon the First Ladies.  The Bushes II   The Bushes I   ...

   A solstice, as defined by the dictionary is "a furthest or culminating point; a turning point".  The winter solstice occurs when the sun is furthest from the celestial equator (a theoretical projection of the earth's equator into space).    Technically, the winter solstice lasts for only the instant of time during which the sun is at its furthest.  However, "winter solstice" typically refers to the entire day.  In the Northern Hemisphere the day of winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and the point at which days begin to lengthen.  This usually occurs on the 21st or 22nd of December.    There are much more fascinating aspects to the winter solstice, however.  For thousands of year the winter solstice has been associated with religious and philosophical importance. Around 46 BC, the 25th of December was established as the winter solstice.  At that time the Julian Calender (named after Julius Ceasar who first int...

   Chocolatre lovers come in two categories.  One-you love chocolate so much but feel like your being naughty when you divulge your pleasure in eating it (I tell my wife that I love it soooooo much! I want to marry it!!).  Two-Must have it at all cost and could care less if it adds a pound or more.  It's worth it (kind of also goes with the marrying part again!!).    Regardless, you're a chocolate lover and you should read these factrs about your forever obsession.  While you're at it, grab a Snickers Bar, you'll need the extra peanut protein as you expend precious energy reading.    Mel Gibson said: "AFter about 20 year of marriage, I'm finally starting to scratch the surface of that one thing women want and I think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate." Fun and Interesting Facts about Chocolate :    Contrary to rumor, the Baby Ruth candy bar created in 1920 was not named for the legendary basebal...

    There are many locations throughout the world that are considered to be one of the scariest places on Earth.  However, there is one road that is approximately 200 miles in length that has many individuals frightened to travel on.  This is Highway 666.   While the U.S. officially renamed this haunted highway "U.S. Route 491" in 2003, those that have traveled upon it, live near it, and have heard or directly experienced its horrors, continue to refer to it as the ominous 666.  There are many different types of unexplained phenomenon that have occurred and continues to occur on this desolate road.  Throughout this guide on the scariest places in the U.S., you will learn why it instills fear in so many individuals. Historical Notes    Throughout the entire nation of the United States, Highway 666 is considered to be one of the top haunted highways.  This particular highway is so large that it is found in 4 individual states-Arizo...

    From pumpkin farmers to confectioners to costume shops and beyond, Halloween is big business in the U.S.--generating nearly $6 billion annually in retail sector alone.  We dig into the numbers to show where the big money is spent, on everything from national charities to neighborhood dentists. 36 million -Number of trick-or-treat aged kids 5 to 13 in the U.S. 93% -Percentage of children who get to dress up and go door to door. $5.77 billion -Total spent in 2008 on Halloween, including candy, parties and witches' brew. $140 million -Money Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has raised since 1950. 51.8 million-Number of adults who don their sexy nurse, pimp or pirate outfits on Halloween. 73.4% -Percentage of households that say they will dish out treats on Halloween (26.6%: Number of households just asking for a nasty trick) 28% -Number of children, aged 2 to 5, who will get cavities. 1.1 billion -Pounds of pumpkins decorated, turned into pie and smashed in the...

Jaws is still the Number 1 horror movie ever, with a worldwide gross of $470 million. 37 Stephen King scary stories have been made into feature films. Jamie Lee Curtis starred in 6 horror movies between 1978 and 1981, earning the nickname "THE SCREAM QUEEN." 189 horror movies were released in 1972, the most prolific year in Hollywood for the genre. The nightly wage for a zombie in 1978 was $1 ($3.55 adjusted for inflation), according to an extra who played one in that years Dawn of the Dead . 4267 Roxbury St., the house in Simi Valley, Ca., where POLTERGEIST was filmed, was last sold in 1979, for $143,500 ($431,247 in todays money).  Zillow estimates the home's current value at $573,500. The real-life Wisconsin grave robber and killer Ed Gein, who disembodied and skinned his victims in the 1950s, inspired three villians: Psycho's Norman Bates, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's Leatherface, and The Silence of the Lamb's Buffalo Bill.  One 1 h...

Number 5, Catacombs, Paris, France When Paris as a city was starting to grow, they needed more room for the settlers to live in, which meant that they needed to remove the Parisians who would not resist to move, in this case the dead.  They removed all dead corpses, millions to be exact and took them and placed them along the dark passageways underneath the city where they lie till this day and have been given the name The Empire of the Dead.  The Paris Catacombs attract over a million visitors a year who walk along the skeletons and remains that are left.  Many of the visitors and guides who have visited the place have encountered many ghostly inhabitants that still roam and follow the visitors as they walk along the Catacombs.  There have been many visitors who can't handle the tour and become very overwhelmed that the tour is cut short.  It is also said that if you were to take pictures within the Catacombs they will reveal orbs and ghostly apparitions....

   You have seen it on television, a group of men and women sneaking around dark and mysterious buildings with high tech gadgets seeking out the things that go bump in the night.  The popularity of shows like Ghost Hunters , Scariest Places on Earth , and Paranormal State have sparked new interest in haunted places.    Not only is ghost-hunting fun, but also your results could be worth a million dollars.  The James Randi Educational Foundation  offers a one million dollar prize to any one who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event.  If you are planning a midnight trip to the abandoned cemetery, you have better be prepared.  For under a hundred dollars you can get the same equipment used by the professional ghost hunters.  This reasonably priced equipment can be found at local stores and low-cost online retailers and should include a digital camera, an Ir Thermomet...

  Chocolate is one of the few foods known to man about which people are actually passionate.  We're talking about a wild, burning compassion; one that continues to grow with each delicious bite. For some of us, chocolate s considered to be a necessity of life.    Eating chocolate feels good.  Some physicians claim that chocolate has something to do with the hormonal imbalance that happens within the body from time to time.  Psychiatrists go so far as to say that chocolate could be a substitute for sex ( especially after you've been married for a while!), particularly when sex isn't available or just not very good (like I said before, after you've been married for a while!!!).  There are lots of theories as to why we want or need chocolate, none of which are proven but all of which are interesting to explore.  Particularly, if that exploration involved more chocolate.    Most people believe that the Aztec Indians should be credited for ...