The Master of Horror Wishes You a Merry Christmas!

Master of Horror, Vincent Price, is far more commonly associated with Halloween than he is Christmas.  But, the Yule season is actually a pretty spooky one, filled with witches, ghost stories, monsters, and plenty of supernatural superstitions. With that in mind, Vincent Price posing beside a Christmas tree seems a little more...normal?

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Witching You a Very Merry Christmas!

It's time for a Witchy Wednesday: Christmas Edition.  Now THIS is the kind of Christmas greeting card I would have loved to receive! Around the Victorian era through the early 1900's, holiday greeting cards were a lot more hard core, and sometimes, downright WEIRD.  This example isn't too far out there, but it certainly doesn't scream CHRISTMAS, at least by modern standards.  Don't quote me on this, but I BELIEVE this particular holiday postcard was put out by De La Rue. De La Rue was an English company dating back to around 1813.  They made Christmas cards (and some of their work is REALLY odd!) from about 1872 to 1885. 

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Witches!

Want MORE creepy, crazy Victorian Christmas cards? Bored Panda has collected at least 57 examples of dead birds, devils, and lots and lots of frogs, all wishing YOU a very merry holiday season!

Happy Independence Day!

It may only be July 4th, but that's no reason to forget Halloween!  Happy Independence Day, everyone...Halloween is just around the corner!

Happy Pi Day!

Happy Halloween!  Uh, I mean, Happy Pi Day! Celebrate this March 14th with a big slice of pumpkin pie---Donald Duck approved. 

Harvey Harmer and His Pumpkins

Harvey Harmer is serious about his pumpkins!  The Clarksburg, West Virginia man is show here proudly showing off his 1914 crop of gourds.  All four pumpkins, ranging from 38 lbs. to 104 lbs., came from a single vine.  That's pretty darn impressive! 

This wonderful old image was found on the WV History on View website, which notes that Harvey Walker Harmer was born in 1865 and died in 1961.  In addition to his farming accomplishments, Harmer was a lawyer, local historian/author, and a state senator representing Harrison County.  Here's a fascinating article on Harmer's integral role in the controversial 'American Constitutional Association' and his role of chairman for the America First Day celebration.

Halloween 1987?

Happy Throwback Thursday!  I'm that cute lil' princess, and that's my older sister as a gypsy.  I'm not entirely sure what year this picture was taken, but I'm guessing it was sometime between 1986 and 1988.  I still remember that crown as being not only a beloved Halloween costume component, but also a favorite everyday dress up item!  In fact, I'm pretty sure a year or two before THIS photo was taken, my sister wore that same crown as part of her Beauty Pageant Queen costume.

Before moving to Winfield, my trick-or-treating didn't take place around my neighborhood.  We lived in a rather smallish trailer park, so each year, my parents would take me and my sister to the mall in Kanawha City.  Back then, the mall was a bustling shopping center, and every store gave out candy to the trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.  But, before we collected our sugar haul, my mom would drag us into the mall's photo studio for our annual Halloween portrait! I'm sure back then I thought it was a huge drag to have to sit for a formal photo when all I wanted to do was eat candy, but I'm so glad my mom made us take the time to get them done.  I LOVE Halloween and now I have a beautiful photograph of my sister and myself to remind me of how we celebrated my favorite time of year as a child. This costume, like most of mine before the age of 10, was a simple one...a lacy, pink party dress paired with cheap sequined tiara headband...but I remember feeling just like a princess in it!

What was YOUR favorite Halloween costume as a kid? Let me know in the comments below, or join me over at Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page and share your own photos!  Happy Halloween 365, everyone!

Let Me Sing You The Halloween Song of My People!

Aww...I just love this vintage Halloween image!  From the wistful look in that jack-o-lantern's eyes to that apathetic crescent moon in the background....there's just a lot of cool Halloween imagery to see!  I'd love to hear the song that cat is singing as a serenade to his Halloween Gourd Friend.  

Government Shut Down

Hahaha!  As of this writing (January 2nd, 2019) the government shut down is still in place, and this couldn't be a more accurate graphic.  Here in my city, we don't have Spirit.  Instead, we have a Halloween City that takes over the old Teays Valley Big Bear grocery store in Liberty Square each year.  The higher-ups apparently refuse to get the A/C turned on for the month they're open, so its always sweltering hot.  Animatronic merchandise is always broken and the costumes are always outdated.  Staff is generally nice, but most are under-trained and don't want to be there.  So yeah, I can definitely see some similarities with the government shut down, lol.

But, to be fair...there IS a Spirit store about 25 minutes away.  It is much better stocked and maintained, but instead of taking over a vacant building, its always housed in a tent, located in the mall parking lot.  The temperature may fluctuate between the Arctic Circle and the 3rd level of Hell, but at least you can breathe.  Unfortunately, the open air trade off is that while you can breathe, if it rains, you have to stand in 3 inches of water while you shop. 

Seriously, though...although both stores could be greatly improved, my heart always skips a beat when I see them setting up for another year.  We have enough vacant buildings here in Putnam County that I'm sure we could accommodate a Halloween store operating year round.  I know I would be a frequent shopper...what about you?

Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols

I've started 2019 on the right foot...a spooky, Halloween-inspired foot!  Early on January 1st, I fought back the effects of a minor hangover, and read my new book, Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts:  The Story of the Halloween Symbols!

How I acquired this vintage treasure is a strange little bit of serendipity.  On New Year's Eve, the family and I headed into Charleston for our last lunch outing of 2018.  We wanted to try Tricky Fish, a popular eatery on the East End...which was excellent, by the way!  And, since we were in town, I wanted to stop by Taylor Books on Capitol Street to peruse the used book section.  I had some Christmas money that was burning a hole in my pocket, and the last time I had been there, I had a major score with some vintage paranormal non-fiction paperbacks.

I had found quite a few books to purchase, including a stack of Goldenseal Magazines, and even Luke had found a couple of books he wanted to read.  We were on our way to the register to check out, when I decided to take one last peek at the Young Adult shelf.  My back was hurting a bit, so I had put my hands out on the shelf, took a step back to stretch, and as I looked down, this glowing orangish-yellow book caught my eye.  I saw what it was and had to have it!

This past year, I've been really into collecting vintage Halloween children's books, and this example, published in 1972 by The Seabury Press was an awesome find! I wasn't around in the 1970's, but everything about this book just screams that decade to me! 

Written by Edna Barth, this is an informational text about the history of Halloween and why many of the symbols we associate with Halloween today have come to symbolize the holiday.  Although I had a few doubts that the information was 100% historically accurate, its actually a really neat, fact-packed non-fiction read.  Added to the text are the classically 70's illustrations by Ursula Arndt.  Done in black and orange, the simple drawings reek of nostalgia and are arguably the best part of this book.  It's just such a treasure trove of vintage Halloween imagery and I wish I could display every single page at once.  I've added just a few photographs to pique your interest, but if you'd like to see more, a re-issue of the book can be found on Amazon, as well as the 1972 edition.

Book Bonus:  Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts was challenged in 1992 by a parent of a Gilbert, Arizona elementary student.  The parent wanted the book banned because it 'promoted Satanism and occult.' In the end, the parent lost out.  You can read more about that case HERE. From the markings found inside my personal copy, it was once part of the Dunbar Public Library's collection, and was discarded around 1995, I think.  I wonder if anyone in West Virginia ever had a problem with its subject matter?

Anyway, let me know what YOUR favorite vintage Halloween book is and why! You can comment down below or join me over at my paranormal blog's (Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State) Facebook page for more discussion on Halloween, ghosts, and all things spooky in West Virginia and beyond! I'm hoping to really revive Theresa's Halloween Wonderland blog in 2019, so let me know what else you'd like to see here.  Happy Haunting, ya'll!