Halloween 2023: Postponed until next year

This October has not been kind to me.

I've put off writing this, partially because I haven't had the time or energy to put my feelings into words, but also because it feels like admitting defeat.  Still, with only one day left until Halloween, I see no reason to put it off any longer.

Due to extenuating circumstances, I've made the difficult decision to postpone my yard display until next Halloween.  I have had little time to work on props, and even when I have time, I've lacked the necessary energy or conviction.

Sadly, I think I had already given up on Halloween halfway through the month. This month has taken a mental and emotional toll on me that I never could have anticipated. Increased workloads and back-to-back emotional upheavals severely reduced my time and motivation. This weekend, I faced an unexpectedly harsh case of Halloweekend FOMO.  It all became too much. For one of the few times in my life, I just want October be over already.

What about the yard haunt?

I am still proud of the concept for this year, and I think it deserves a proper execution. Rather than executing a barely-half-baked haunt, I am saving the few props I've made and will carry over this year's theme to Halloween 2024.  Hopefully then, I will have the pleasure of sharing a fully-realized yard haunt with you all.

October 2016

Thank you to all of my regular and intermittent readers.  I hope the rest of you are having a fantastic Halloween season.  For my fellow haunters, I am very excited to see what you have created!

Happy Halloween,
Tjalgahorn

New shirt from Just Okay Company

Picked up this awesome Over The Garden Wall t-shirt from Just Okay Company.  They had a booth set up at a local market, and I couldn't pass it up.

They are currently taking online pre-orders for this shirt, which you can get here.

Here's a few other autumnal designs available on their website that I loved. Click each image for their respective store pages:

The Great Pumpkin Project: October 2nd 2023

A lakeside park, right off of the freeway.  The park is well maintained, so this jack probably won't last long, but it's on a popular pedestrian path and next to a well-traveled side road (Even at 1 A.M. I must have been passed by a dozen cars) so it should get some good visibility.

If you want to know more about The Great Pumpkin Project or participate yourself, check out this post of mine and follow @GreatPumpkinProject on Instagram!

Happy October!

The best month of the year is officially upon us, and the veil grows increasingly thin.  

It's crunch time for me and my yard display, and time to realize that it won't be all I had planned.  While disappointing, it's ultimately for the best. If I spend my time lamenting what I won't be able to achieve, I might not have the will to make anything this year, and that simply cannot happen!

Some time after October I may talk about the importance of building your haunt in "layers". But until then, there's much work to do!  Keep creepin'!

Jack-o'-lantern from 2022 video