Myself wearing a black top that features an open skirt, with black cigarette pants underneath. A white blouse peeks out at the top and a large orange bow with a print of black cats is worn at the neck.

Anaheim Halloween Parade – Drive Thru Style

October 28, 2020, 3 Comments

I’m lucky enough to live in a town that has a Halloween parade every year. Under normal circumstances, there is a fall festival during the day before the parade starts. The festival is full of games, artists selling their unique works, and live music. Then as the sun sets the parade, with its collection of…

A boy and girl bite into the same apple inside a pumpkin. Text at the top reads "Halloween."

The Long Lost Matchmaking Rituals of Halloween

October 21, 2020, 6 Comments

When it comes to holidays about true love, one typically thinks about Valentine’s Day, but once upon a time, it was Halloween. Yes, Halloween, the time of year we typically associate with more macabre imagery than that of cupid, used to have a rather romantic element, Halloween matchmaking. Some of the earliest noted methods of…

Myself, wearing an orange cardigan over a black t-shirt with a black and white illustration of black cats running around a fire that has spooky ghost cats rising from it, and black jeans.

When Black Cats Prowl…

October 15, 2020, 4 Comments

Obviously things are different this Halloween season as a result of COVID-19, and Halloween is big business here in Southern California. Typically all of the amusement parks have special events, rural areas become autumnal havens full of pumpkins and apples, while LA has its very own Haunted Hayride, and even local homes do their own…

A buffet piece sits on the back wall of the dining room. Atop the buffet is a diecut owl, cat atop a skull, a skeleton wearing a pirate costume, in the middle a spirit board themed to the House on Haunted Hill, with a woman screaming, skeleton, and Vincent Price, to the right of it a plastic jack o'lantern with a black party hat with an orange cat atop it, and next to it a diecut skull. Hanging above all of it are themed framed pieces. On the left is a framed segment of a paper table cloth featuring an illustration of a haunted house. In the middle framed witch and skeleton, on the right a framed segment of a paper table cloth with witches and pumpkins. Sitting atop each frame is a diecut black cat.

Halloween is Creeping in Early

September 16, 2020, 6 Comments

Normally I don’t share my Halloween decor until early October, because despite decorating mid-September, I tend to spend the remaining weeks of September combing antique malls and flea markets for fresh vintage finds to add. But, this year obviously is much, much different. I’ve taken COVID-19 extremely seriously, and despite many antique malls reopening, and…

Myself, standing in front of a green painted wooden door, wearing a black t-shirt with a circular design reading "HEX" in the middle. Text below reads "Hex Girls Spell Bound World Tour 99" with various cities listed below, a black pencil skirt, with a red belt, and black boots.

Hex Girl

November 4, 2019, 1 Comment

As much as I love Christmas, I’m bummed to say goodbye to the Halloween season. I added a lot to both our vintage Halloween decor collection, as well as my spooky wardrobe, and I didn’t even get to wear all of it! But one new addition to the Halloween closet that was not going to…

A collage of the various trick or treat bags.

Vintage Mini Trick or Treat Bags

October 17, 2019, 3 Comments

Two years ago I started collecting vintage Christmas cards. The cards were like mini works of art, and I thought I would display them like clothes hanging on a line. I kept the idea going with vintage Valentines, and then for Halloween last year I decided to do it with vintage miniature treat bags, perhaps…

Cover of Holiday Jubilee, with text added reading "Just Finished"

Book Review: Holiday Jubilee

October 15, 2019, Leave a Comment on Book Review: Holiday Jubilee

In his latest book, Holiday Jubilee, Charles Phoenix, the Ambassador of Americana, celebrates the holidays in all of their mid-century glory, arguing that the “holidays are so retro!” And, you know what? I think he’s right! While holidays have been around for thousands of years, it was in the mid-20th century that they came into…

An orange, black, and green decoration of a haunted house sits on a shelf.

Trick or Treat

October 9, 2019, 4 Comments

Per usual, I’ve had the house decorated for Halloween for a few weeks now, but have been procrastinating because I keep stumbling upon new items! But seeing as it’s almost mid-October, I’d say it’s time to share. Recently Patrick and I scored this beautiful vintage atomic shadowbox. It was in shambles, but we restored it…

Two witches stand outside a spooky house. One holds a broom, while the other stirs a cauldron. A black cat walks by, an owl and a bat fly overhead. Text reads "Atomic Redhead Presents Witch Watusi Witchy Songs for Halloween"

10 Songs to Cast a Spell this Halloween

October 3, 2019, 7 Comments

Last year I started a new tradition here on the blog, sharing ten songs from my Halloween playlist, which currently has over 200 songs on it. Because seriously, there is way more to Halloween music than “Monster Mash” and “Thriller.” Last year I just threw together a random selection (which you can catch here), but…

Myself, walking away from the camera with the black and white Ouija board shawl billowing out behind me.

Ouija Queen

October 1, 2019, 2 Comments

While Knott’s Scary Farm kicked off two weeks ago, Knott’s Spooky Farm, the kid-friendly Halloween theme event at Knott’s Berry Farm, started last weekend. Even though the event is geared more toward children, it’s still a lot of fun! Friendly spirits roam Ghost Town, there is “Spooky Storytelling” inside the Bird Cage Theatre, crafts in…