All Tricks and No Treats for Me This Year!

When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,
May luck be yours on Halloween.

Hello Everyone....And Happy Halloween!  I hope everyone had an exciting September! I personally find September to be almost as much fun as our much beloved October.  September brings all the excitement of the first Halloween items haunting the store shelves, and the first delicious taste of the Pumpkin Spice goodies of the season.  I truly live for, and long for, the 1st day in September all year long, which is then followed by the Autumnal magic of my favorite month of October!  Ahh yes...October! A month of leaves aflame in color, gourds ripe for the picking, breezy days and crisp cool October eves, twinkling with stars and awash in the glow of magical moonbeams.  And of course the mischievous grins of Jack O'Lanterns glowing bright on Hallowe'en Night!

In fact, this year I had actually begun my Halloween Countdown planning early and I was so proud of myself. Since this is my first post this season, you probably won't believe me.  But it's true....I decided that I would not be caught coming up short of posts in this year's Halloween Countdown, so I began completing posts early in the summer and saving them for October.  And I'm proud to say that I actually had 10 of them finished and under my witch's belt before tragedy struck.  Yes, anyone who has followed my blog for the last 5-6 years knows that I never miss the Autumn Season and Hallowe'en here in the blogosphere.  I might be MIA the rest of the year due to real life taking precedence, but I always find my way home to my Halloween Town on the web, and my little Witch's Lair in the Halloween Tree by August or September.  I blow back into town on a magical autumn breeze and revel in the Halloween Frolic with all my fellow Halloween Loving Denizens!  And I always come laden down with gifts to share of photographs, crafty things, haunted tales, artwork and poems to celebrate the season.

But sadly, that was not in the ole' tarot cards for me this year, even in spite of actually being semi-prepared in advance for once!  No, unfortunately the fickle finger of fate, lay it's boney curse upon me and turned my world upside down.  In mid-August, my dear Mother suffered a stroke.  So I spent the rest of a sleepless, stressful August, and first part of September, in and out of the hospital and rehab with her.  Then due to extenuating circumstances far beyond my control....we had no choice but to move her into our home with us for good.  This meant the rest of September and now October have been inundated with that massive transition, with no real end in sight any time soon.  Two lives have been forever changed and I'd be lying to say that it's been anything but overwhelming, exhausting and all-consuming!  It was not something that either of us would ever have wanted, yet it is what we now must both endure.  I have hopes that time will make things better, and that once all the dust of sorting out the mess and combining our lives has cleared....that maybe things will get easier for us all.  And maybe by this same time next year...we will have gotten into a groove that we all can live with..  And maybe, just maybe....I will be able to once again embrace the season with the same positivity, exuberance and anticipation that I've always had for it....but that has eluded me this year!

So needless to say, this is the very first chance I've had time to log on over here and provide an explanation as to why I haven't been online.  Since I literally exist the whole rest of the year...solely for the autumn months of September and October....I've found it rather depressing to be incapable of tapping into the excitement that this time of year usually brings. It hasn't been for lack of trying mind you...as I did reluctantly break out the Halloween decorations, and we've watched a lot of my favorite Halloween movies, and somehow even managed to still take our annual New England trip with a LOT of help from our relatives, who agreed to stay in our home with my Mom while we were gone.  But even in the midst of the most glorious Autumn Foliage we've seen in New England in a long time....I was just too depleted physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to tap into my usual seasonal excitement....and it's left me feeling rather down I must confess. But that doesn't mean that my favorite season of Fall, and my favorite holiday of Halloween is completely lost....it's just been majorly hijacked and hampered by life's ruthless twists and turns.:o(

So I have missed everyone here so very much, and I send out heartfelt wishes to you all for a most Magical All Hallow's Eve!  I didn't want to come completely empty handed, so  I'm posting a few Autumn Photos from my collection.  They are filled with the familiar black and orange colors that epitomize for me....the most spooktacular season of the year!  I sincerely hope everyone has been enjoying all the fun the Fall Season and Hallowe'en Holiday has to offer, and I hope to be able to share in the Autumn Revelry with you all in full next year, since life had other plans for me this time around! Hope to see you all around the Hallowe'en Tree this time next year, if not sooner!

PS...And just so I can officially keep calling it the "Annual Viewing"....I am posting the disturbingly fun yet so awkward and creepy  "Pumpkin Man Dance Video below! At least I was able to keep one tradition alive and kicking (literally) this year!  Enjoy.....or not! ;o)

The Hallowe'en Tree Give Away #1

Okay....so I have some "Give-a-Ways" to do between now and Hallowe'en. I've actually been meaning to get to them, but September at the kids' new school has been chock full of events, preventing me from having time to do many posts. I always love to be around 'Halloween Town' here in the blog-o-sphere during the month of September because for me....this is the month of 'great anticipation'! October is just crazy busy with all kinds of wonderful Fall/Halloween activities. But September is when the Halloween goodies make their way into the stores and we get our first seasonal glimpse of our favorite holiday. Also, I decorate my entire house at the beginning of September, so I really start to get full on into Halloween mode during this month!
And that brings me to my first 'Give Away' for the season. As you have by now figured out, the name of my blog is 'The Hallowe'en Tree"! I chose that name based on my love of Ray Bradbury's book by the same title. I equally love Cartoon Network's "The Halloween Tree" movie that first aired back in 1993. It is available on VHS only, which really sucks acorns, because lets face it....VHS technology bites! And although my old copy still works.... it is now stuck in the VHS player that QUIT working at the end of our seasonal viewing this year! As thus, my beloved Halloween Tree video is currently stuck in there until we break the thing apart to remove it. But never fear...right before that tragedy occurred, I had made my husband record the VHS onto a DVD so we'd have a DVD version. For the life of me I don't know why they have not officially released a DVD version for purchase....as it is hands down the BEST Halloween Cartoon EVER in my 'not so wicked' lil' opinion! Bradbury narrated the movie and won an Emmy Award for it. And Leonard Nimoy is nothing short of spooktacular as the voice of the mysterious 'Moundshroud'!

So anyway....back to The Halloween Tree. I had watched the movie before I read the book and I fell in love for eternity. But then I finally read Ray Bradbury's book that the movie was based on, and I was thoroughly enchanted beyond words. His way of describing Halloween, and the history of the holiday, and the magic that it holds, was nothing short of incredible. I LOVE this book so much, and if there is ANY Halloween lover out there who hasn't read it.....then you are truly missing something special! So I wanted to give away a copy of "The Hallowe'en Tree" book by Ray Bradbury to one of my fellow Halloween Heads here in blog land. I wanted to get it to you early so that you could read it right away...before Halloween's arrival! I felt that if I waited until later in October, you might get to busy to read it. So I'm giving it away now. It's a quick read, we finished it over the course of one day while traveling in the car.

(These folks were "Halloween Trees" for Hallowe'en.....ha!)

So here are the rules: I'd like only those who have never read the book to enter because I want to introduce the 'magic' to someone new. And I want anyone who throws their name into my 'witch's hat' to REALLY want to read it. That's all! Just leave a comment saying that you'd like to be entered and I'll randomly draw a name out of the hat on Wednesday, and it will go out immediately, along with a few other Halloween goodies for good measure! "The Hallowe'en Tree" is not just the name of my blog, favorite Halloween movie, and book....but the 'Reading of The Hallowe'en Tree' has also become a beloved Halloween Tradition in our home, one that I hope my kids will always remember with fondness and pass down to their children!

P.S....I've uploaded Pt. 1 of the movie from You Tube. It's about 15 min. long, if you watch it and would like to finish out the movie, just plug "The Halloween Tree" into YouTube and look for the other parts posted by user "halloweenclassic"! You can watch the entire movie and not miss anything. It's become very hard to even find the VHS versions for a decent price anymore, so this is one way to enjoy it for free! Here is a link to the listings for those other parts.

What Color is a Witch?

Well...since I am on the subject of Witches this week, I figure this as good a time as any to post a 'Color Scheme Collage' dedicated to them. So....what color is a Witch anyway? That's another one of those absurd questions that has no one correct answer. I suppose it would be what ever color the Witch herself happened to be perhaps. But what comes to mind when you think of a Witch? Perhaps the public psyche thinks first of the 'green' Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz". I can pretty much ascertain that she was my first experience with a 'Witch' and it wasn't pleasant either. Unlike my daughter who loved her from the get go....I was terrified of Mrs. Gulch. I can't tell you how very scared I was of that Witch. Not just in her Witch state, but even as the crotchety Mrs. Gulch. I had nightmares about her. And it took me several years of getting older and watching The Wizard of Oz every year when they ran it as 'special programming,' to finally realize that she wasn't real and she wasn't going to get me. Can you guess which member of that cast I would have been....obviously the cowardly lion...ha!

So fast forward to current times and that Wicked Witch is still entertaining us in the musical "Wicked"....and she's still green. Do a search on 'Witch', and a good portion of any that are drawn will be green. But that seems sort of crazy considering there has never been one sighting of a 'green witch' in reality. Unless you change your definition of 'green' that is! I find that Witches are often 'green' in their living and their connection to nature itself. So the things that I associate with 'Witches' do happen to be green after all. But not in a 'green skin' kind of way.
So today's 'Color Collage' is simply titled 'Witchy'! I would have gone with 'Wicked Witch' but I just don't find them to be very wicked, so that would have been an incorrect description. The other color I associate with the word 'Witch' is Purple. Purple is my favorite color and I find it to be very magical and witchy for some reason. So what color do YOU associate with the word Witch? :o)

Parting Shot - Plundering the Loot

Today was a busy day! Actually this weekend was a busy weekend. We celebrated a birthday here, and went to Universal and Harry Potter's Wizarding World. I was really hoping that they might have that area of the park all decked out for Halloween. You know, like the great hall is decorated in the Harry Potter films. But alas, nothing....boo hiss! But we did manage to do 2 fun Halloweeny things this weekend. 1.) We played Halloween Edition Yahtzee. I haven't played Yahtzee in years, and I am happy to report that my Halloween Magic was with me, and I rolled a Yahtzee on my very first turn...a Yahtzee of all Bats! And I beat the other 4 players to win the whole game. Woo Hoo!

The second Halloweeny thing we did was 2.) Read "The Halloween Tree" book by Ray Bradbury. Of course I love "The Halloween Tree" video, it's my favorite Halloween movie of all because it captures not only the magic of the holiday, but also its ancient roots as well. It smartly teaches children why they even bother to celebrate it at all. But the book is SO much better even than the cartoon movie, because it can really get more in depth with the story. And Bradbury's magical way with words and descriptions just can't be beat. If you haven't actually read this book, I would encourage you to read it this Halloween Season, and every month of October from here on out. It's truly a spectacular celebration of the most magical holiday of all!

With that being said...I'm just posting a 'Parting Shot' image. That's my term for images taken from behind, which are some of my favorites. This shot above is of my niece, pillaging and plundering her loot after a hard night's work of Trick or Treating!

105 Followers and the "Dark Arts Give Away"

Well, as usual I am ALWAYS late for EVERYTHING! And it pains me that I did not seize the moment when it came a few weeks ago. But none the less, it is official...I have reached 100 104 105 fiendish followers on 'The Hallowe'en Tree' blog. Woo Hoo! And in my witchy lil' world, that is as good of an excuse as any to have a drink celebrate! So I am celebrating with a GIVE AWAY! And this give away is titled..."Celebrating the Dark Arts"! So what you ask...is the meaning of a "Dark Arts" Give Away? Well step right up and I'll elucidate....

As most of you know, I am an artist/photographer....and a lover of the 'Dark Arts'! Not like VooDoo and Santeria (although they are scarily fascinating too), but rather the 'Creative Arts' with a 'Dark Side'! So this give away will have a little 'something something' from the Visual Arts, the Cinematic Arts, the Literary Arts and the Musical Arts. And that means that there will be 4 different winners, 1 from each category.

First up is the 'Visual Arts'....that is where MY particular art form comes in, and where you will have to do your only bit of work to throw your name into the Witch's hat for this Give Away. I am contributing an 8x10 Hallowe'en Art print of the winner's choice from my new Etsy shop. So to throw your name in the running, just follow the link to my store "The Artful Gypsy's Bohemian Marketplace", take a look at the 8x10 Halloween Art offerings, and then come back here to post which one you like best and would like to have if you are the winner. This will provide me with some valuable feed back, as well as allowing me to know which print to send you if it is your spooky lil' name that gets drawn. Next we have the 'Cinematic Arts'. Well okay....'Arts' might be stretching it a bit considering these are B-movies, but 'dark' cinematic arts they will be deemed regardless, for the purpose of this Give Away. Yes, I have a fiendish 2 Feature Film of old, and although the films themselves are old, the DVD itself is new and unwrapped. The first ominous offering on this Double Feature disk, is the 1967 B-movie, "Night Fright" with John Agar. And the second sinister showing, is 1977's "Sisters of Death" starring former Playboy playmate Claudia Jennings who died in a car accident the following year.
The third item up for grabs is a book from the 'Literary Arts'. This book is called "Emily's Good Nightmares" by Rob Reger. Now tis' true that this may not be a 'literary' masterpiece like a Poe novel, but the spooky artwork and quirky text are superb for any lover of Goth culture. It's really more of an 'art book' per se....but it's still a book, and thereby qualifies to be in the Literary category for this 'Dark Arts' Give Away.And lastly, I offer up the 'Musical Arts'. And for this I am giving away another creeptastic copy of The Moon-Ray's Vintage Halloween music CD, "Swingin' at the Seance". It's a fantastic audio compilation of re-recorded Big Band Classic Halloween tunes sung by the greats like Glenn Miller and Louis Armstrong. I can personally attest to it being one of my personal Halloween favs and it's not just because I had the honor of doing all the artwork for this CD either. It's a really great addition to your Hallowe'en Music Collection, I promise. And so I am happy to be able to share it with other Halloween music fans. So there you have it....The 'Dark Arts' Give Away with offerings from Visual, Cinema, Literary and Musical artists who all share a 'Dark' love of Halloween. And since there are 4 'Dark Arts' being honored, then there shall be 4 different winners chosen for this Give Away...one for each category. Unless of course only 1 brave soul dares to enter...then he/she will get the whole enchilada. And caution... my brand of magic is always random, so you won't get to choose, or even know which of the 4 'Dark Art' gifts you have won until you have the package in your slimy lil' hands. So please enjoy whatever 'Dark' gift the fickle finger of fate decides to hand you!

You'll have a week or so (give or take a few days for the July 4th holiday) to complete the above task, and get your name thrown into the Witch's hat. You only need to post one entry to be considered. But you are welcome to try bettering your odds by cajoling your friends and family to enter the Give Away and then pass the spoils along to you if they win....ha! On Sunday July 11, I will post the name of the lucky winner(s) and those said winner(s) will need to email me with a correct mailing address in order to receive your items.

Thank you to each of the 100 105 Halloween Heads that make this blog possible, and for following along with me and allowing me to follow along with you in the Halloween Blog-o-Sphere. You all are truly the peeps who feed my love for Halloween all year long and I'm honored and grateful to share this sinister space with you all! Best of Luck! ~ Wendy :o)

Countdown to Halloween Begins

Well today's the big day....the 31 days of Hallowe'en Countdown has officially begun! I know that I am not alone in celebrating the most Spooktacular month of the year! October starts NOW! Tick Tock....the clock is counting down the days to Hallowe'en!

I've come up with a quasi-plan to attempt to follow through on my commitment to participate in this year's web event without getting too overwhelmed by all the festivities crammed into this month and flaking out on it before the month is over like I did last year. I won't make promises, but I will try my very best! I will make every attempt to post something each and every day. But I will not be able to post my usual overly verbose blogs that I am accustomed to posting. I know some of you are probably thanking me for that....ha!

But I will be posting at least one piece of my photography or art each day, or at least something that is Hallowe'en related. If I can't make it an interesting read, then I will at least attempt to make it somewhat of a visual feast for my Hallowe'en Homies! Or perhaps..."Pumpkin Soup for the Hallowe'en Soul". You know, sort of a festive take on those "Chicken Soup for the _______ Soul" books, ha!

Yes...the more I thought on that great lil' title, the harder it became to resist the urge to create the very book that I wish were available at my local bookstore this Hallowe'en! So with the help of a little hocus-pocus (aka Photoshop), POOF! SPOOF! My book was complete. I quite like how it turned out, what do you think? Would this make it onto your rancorous lil' reading lists this month?

Well, neither here nor there....the most important thing is that October is FINALLY here my fiends....so please join me in some revelry beneath the Hallowe'en Tree this month! :o)
(Image © Wendy A.. All Rights Reserved)

A Real Hallowe'en Tree

Did you know that there really is a Hallowe'en Tree? It's true, there is a tree that looks strikingly similar to the tree that is illustrated on some editions of Ray Bradbury's book.


The real life 'Hallowe'en Tree' is actually a Persimmon tree. Popular in Asia as well as the United States...this tree is beautiful throughout all 4 seasons of the year. But when it produces its fruit is when it begins to resemble the Hallowe'en Tree. I found this photo of one and I just knew that was the tree for me. They are especially striking when the leaves have dropped, leaving only the mini-pumpkin resembling fruit hanging from the bare branches. Of course if it were MY tree, I'd be VERY VERY tempted to go out there and draw Jack O'Lantern faces on all of the fruits. :o)

The Hallowe'en Tree Poem

by Wendy A.
© 2006 - 2008
All Rights Reserved
(This is the poem that
accompanies the image
at the top of my blog.)


The Hallowe'en Tree

October’s wind begins to change.
A chill comes blowing in.
The colored leaves fall off the trees.
It’s Autumn time again.

Pumpkins ripe upon the vine.
Scarecrows standing guard.
The scent of burning leaves entwine,
the piles raked in the yard.

Children choose their costumes.
Townsfolk decorate their porches.
Jack O’ Lanterns shining bright,
become the welcome torches.

Invitations are mailed out,
for a night of Merrymaking.
The Apple Cider’s toasty warm,
and Pumpkin Pies are baking.

The time draws nigh for scary things,
that go bump in the night.
Like Witches, Vampires, Goblins, Spooks…
Those things which give us fright.

As the Gypsy Fortune Teller,
looks into her Crystal Ball,
Our Séance summons up the ghosts,
of Samhain, one and all.

The veil between the worlds grows thin.
The witching hour is here.
Tonight, we meet to celebrate,
the Harvest Time of year.

The Moon is full, so come join in,
the ‘Autumn Jamboree’,
and Conjure up some Spooky Spells…
with Midnight Alchemy.

As we Revel in the Magick…
Of the Hallowe’en Tree!

The Halloween Tree

"Halloween. Sly does it. Tiptoe cat's paws. Slide and creep.

But why? What for? How? Who? When! Where did it all begin?

'You don't know, do you?' asks Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud

climbing out from under the pile of leaves beneath the Halloween Tree. 'You don't really know!'"

~ Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree

The title of this blog is "The Halloween Tree", and I titled it after my favorite Halloween video of the same name. "The Halloween Tree" is a book written by Ray Bradbury that was later made into a full length cartoon. The synopsis of the book and movie is summed up perfectly in the following excerpt from Wikipedia....

"A group of eight boys set out to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, only to discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin, has been whisked away on a journey that could determine whether he lives or dies. Through the help of a mysterious character named Moundshroud, they pursue their friend across time and space through ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures, Celtic Druidism, Notre Dame Cathedral in Medieval Paris, and The Day of the Dead in Mexico. Along the way, they learn the origins of the holiday that they celebrate, and the role that the fear of death has played in shaping civilization. The Halloween Tree itself, with its many branches laden with jack-o'-lanterns, serves as a metaphor for the historical confluence of these traditions."

Halloween is an oft misunderstood holiday and even more often vilified, but it will never change the fact that it's origins are rooted in world history. Bradbury's story helps children make sense of some of our Halloween traditions and symbolism. The Emmy winning video itself is atmospheric and entertaining to watch. The viewing of the Halloween Tree is an annual tradition in our home and one that my kids look forward to with great delight! If you have not seen this movie, I strongly encourage you to add "The Halloween Tree" to your collection...you won't be disappointed. Order yours today at:

http://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Tree-Kevin-Michaels/dp/6304140738

Wendy the (Very) Good Witch

This is my first official blog post on The Hallowe'en Tree Blog. My name is Wendy, and I am a professional photographer, as well as an artist and graphic designer. But my heart belongs to the Autumn. And Halloween is my favorite holiday of course. But only the 'Autumn People' can truly know how the season permeates every corpuscle of our being and courses through our veins. I love anything and everything to do with the Harvest Season and Hallowe'en. So I thought it appropriate that my first blog be a place from which to share my love of Halloween and Autumn with other Autumn People like myself, and anyone else who happens to wander in and linger beneath the Hallowe'en Tree with me. I also have a cartoon alter ego 'Wendy the (Very) Good Witch', who will haunt these halls with her trusty black kitty sidekick 'Coventina'. After all, every Witch needs a 'familiar'! And a Spooky Lil' Girl Like me is no exception. So I will share with you whatever wonderful whimsies that happen to bewitch me, in addition to other Autumn Artistry, Magickal Moon Musings, Happy Haunts, Hallowe'en Happenstance and other such Hocus Pocus. By the way, there are only 92 days left to Hallowe'en/Samhain, so there is no time like the present to start stringing up your cobwebs and stuffing your scarecrows. Have a most Bewitching day!