DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

  A ghost ship is a ship that is haunted, has been abandoned at sea with no evidence of its crew (or with its crew dead on board), a ship that apparently "haunts" a specific area or various combinations of the above. There are many ghost ship stories in history. Some of them seem to be easily explained, others, not so much. You see, ghost ships are not always related to claims of hauntings, there are some, like the Mary Celeste, that are simply mysterious. Here are three of the most famous ghost ships in history and descriptions of what make them ghost ships. Famous Ghost Ships: The SS Queen Mary     The SS Queen Mary started her life as a cruise liner. However, when World War II broke out, she was commissioned as a personnel carrier. While acting in this capacity, the Queen Mary struck the HMS Curacoa off of the coast of Ireland. It was an accident that was caused by the ship's defensive maneuvers, which were being undertaken to avoid German...

 Green Goblin Origin : An heirloom from Chioggia, Italy; also called sea pumpkin but most commonly sold as ‘Marina di Chioggia’. Design cred : Knobby blue-green skin has frosty highlights. Can you eat it? You definitely should! It’s delicious cut into wedges, drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and herbs, and roasted until tender.  Cinderella Origin : An heirloom from France; also sold as ‘Rouge Vif d’Etampes’. Design cred : It’s easy to see how the softly flattened top and ridged, deep orange skin could have inspired Cinderella’s carriage in Charles Perrault’s classic French fairy tale. Can you eat it? Yes, the rich orange flesh is tasty in pies.        Mini Fairytale Origin : A miniature version of an heirloom from France. Design cred : It’s small (les...

     Grouped together on the mantel, Drac-o'-lantern and pals create a Transylvanian scene. Run-of-the-mill pushpins turn into devilish red eyes. I found these on www.marthastewart.com .  Enjoy making these from real pumpkins or if you want them year after year, use the small fake ones. Tools and Materials Thumbtack or pin Small white pumpkin (For a big bite, choose a small pumpkin so the plastic vampire teeth seem huge) Miniature saw Plastic vampire teeth Small red map tacks Print mouth template . Lay template on pumpkin, and poke thumbtack through, all along outline, to transfer design. Cut out with saw; remove excess flesh. Wedge teeth into hole. For eyes, pin map tacks onto pumpkin. Fangs, partycity.com . Map pins, 1/8 inch, in Red; latitudesmapstore.net .

Austria     In Austria, some people leave bread, water, and a lighted lamp on the table when they go to bed. The reason why it is done is that it was believed by doing so it would welcome the dead souls back to earth for this particular night was a night of strong cosmic energies. In Austria Catholics celebrate the entire period between October 30 and November 8 as Seleenwoche or Alls Souls' Week.     On All Saints' Day Catholics attend church services in honor of the saints, the martyrs and those who have died for the Catholic faith. People may also visit their family’s graves to beautify them with wreaths and small lanterns. Sometimes a mass is said at the grave site and the grave sprinkled with holy water.    On November 2 or All Souls' Day, Catholics attend a special Requiem masses, where they remember those who may be close to them that have died. Prayers for the dead are said and votive candles are lit to honor their ...