I’ve never gotten into Halloween decorations. At least not before this year. I do love the creativity of dressing up in a costume and the neighborliness of doling out candy to children all decked out in theirs. But I’m not a fan of the spooky stuff. I refuse to drape my house with spider webs or fill the front yard with  ghosts and ghouls and tombstones. Don’t we have enough to scare us in the real world? Just watching the evening news for ten minutes is more frightening than any fictional book about Dracula.

That’s why it’s surprised me how much fun I had this weekend making my first-ever Halloween decoration.  

 I made the Wicked Witch of the West’s legs, in hopes that Trick-or-Treaters will think our house (or rather, our garage door) fell on her. It was so easy and only cost $2 to make – the price of a pair of black shoes (I couldn’t find ruby red slippers) from Salvation Army.

The little girls next door were my guinea pigs. When they asked me to open the garage door so they could see the witch’s face, I knew it worked.

 Halloween, the biggest retail holiday in the U.S. after Christmas, is a mixed bag. Many believers ignore the festivities because of the macabre flavor. Some choose to host Harvest Parties instead. And others focus on commemorating Reformation Day, in honor of Martin  Luther posting his 95 Theses on the Wittenberg church door on Oct. 31, 1517. I’ve written in years past about the beauty I experienced in Europe, watching the processions of people with white flowers and candles, headed to the cemetery on All Saints’ Day to care for their loved ones’ plots.

 May you enjoy the fun aspects of Halloween, and stay safe!

(In case you’ve noticed the addition of more photos, my publisher recently upgraded my blog and I’m playing around with my new options today.)