Halloween Meme
What’s your favorite thing about the Halloween/Autumn season?
Nice temperatures, crispy leaves, pumpkin patch and general Halloween fun.
What’s your least favorite thing about the Halloween/Autumn season?
When it starts getting too cold.
Is Halloween your favorite holiday? If not, what is?
My favorite holiday is still New Year since it was such a big holiday when I was a kid. I would get presents on New Year's morning from Ded Moroz (Grandpa Frost), there was delicious holiday food. Even now I love it for all the nostalgic reasons. But I certainly enjoy Halloween.
If you could be anything for Halloween, what would you be?
I don't think I'm attached to any costume. Usually I try to piece together something that is around. I was a witch a few times and Batwoman one year, A Ravenclaw student another. But I'm not really attached to anything.
Do you celebrate Halloween or just let it pass by?
I have small children so we start celebrating starting in the beginning of October. We put up orange lights in the living room and a few plastic pumpkins that glow. Bear just got this light that projects skeletons, ghosts and witches on the fall that my girls loved playing with. We try to go to a pumpkin patch or a farm (last year was a farm with a playground, pony rides, pumpkins and eggplants but we couldn't do much this year other than regular pumpkin patch). My girls usually watch "Charlie Brown Halloween" episode and read the book too. This year they also watched "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride". On a normal year, Bear's parents' church has a Trunk and Treat in the basement with candy and games and the girls dress up in costumes for that. Tanya's school usually has a Halloween parade. We admire local decorations. And we went treat and treating starting when Tanya turned 3, although this year we did at home trick and treating. There are certainly costumes. Overall, it is a fun way to spend October.
Do you remember what you did on Halloween last year?
I went to work wearing my daughter's Minnie Mouse ears and stopped by the Halloween party on the 5th floor, and when I got home, my girls, my Dad and I went trick or treating together on a neighboring street.
Do you have a favorite Halloween memory from childhood?
I didn't have Halloween when I was a child. It wasn't a thing in USSR. We did dress up in costumes for New Year parties and Ded Moroz brought us candy in bug boxes there but it was not the same. I didn't even know Halloween was a thing. My first Halloween I was 13 and my neighbor, who was 10, was telling me about it and I thought it was the best thing ever. Her parents let her go trick or treating with me (her grandfather was shadowing us from a block away and it was a Sunday so we went during the day) and we had a blast. It was amazing really. I came up with this clown costume by making a silly hat, painting my cheeks red with actual paint, and wearing these orange pants I had.
Did you get to choose your costumes as a child or did someone else choose it for you?
There were no costume stores so we worked with what we got for New Year costumes. One year I was a cat, since my Mom reused this old bunny costume and I had a cat mask. Another year I asked to be a chess queen and my Mom made this chequered black and white cloak and a crown. I don't remember too many others.
What do you prefer: carving pumpkins or handing out candy?
I don't think I ever handed out candy. I did carve pumpkins a few times - I did like that.
Do you ever buy candy in excess so there’s some left over for you to keep?
I don't generally buy too much candy since we live in an apartment building and no one come to treat or trick here. This year I bought just enough for girls to have and for me to have some. It is certainly nice to have extras but if I have them in the house I will eat them, so I try not to have it in the house.
Have you ever been on handing-out-candy duty?
No.
Do you attend Halloween costume parties?
Not regularly. I went to two when I was in grad school and they were a lot of fun. For one I was Batwoman and Bear was Batman and we won matching costumes prize. Another one I was a witch and Bear was Darth Vader. In 2012 I was going to go with Yeva to a club for a Halloween party - one time I was willing to go somewhere fancy and even pay the ticket price already - but then Superstorm Sandy happened and everything shut down for a few weeks.
Would you ever hang out in a cemetery on Halloween night?
Not really but that is mostly because I would rather be home sleeping or something. I don't really believe in the supernatural and it wouldn't be spooky really. I have been conditioned from childhood as a woman not to stay in isolated places at night, so I would just be uncomfortable. Maybe if Bear was there with me. But I would probably just be bored.
Do you believe the superstitions surrounding Halloween?
Not really.
Have you ever had a spooky experience this time of year? If so, what happened?
I never had a spooky experience.
Do you enjoy horror movies/literature/games?
Not really. I would watch some movies on recommendation - when I met Bear, I watched "Halloween" and "Halloween 2" with him on the small dorm room TV his roommate had. "Halloween" is one of Bear's favorite movies so he wanted to show it to me after I said I never seen it. This was in that one week between when we met and when we started dating. I watched a bunch of horror classics with him like Chucky, Friday the 13th, etc. It's fine. I'm just not a fan of the genre. I went to see Scream in the movie theater with my friends when I was 16, as had every other teenager at the time, and I saw and liked 28 Days Later in the movie theater. So I have seen various horror movies but I don't seek them out. I also read a bunch of Stephen King, including the time when I was a kid, maybe 8 or 9 and I read the whole "Pet Seminary" in one day and then had nightmares that night. But again, not something I actively seek out.
Did you grow up with any Halloween traditions? (like decorating the house or carving pumpkins, etc)
No, I didn't have Halloween in my culture as a kid. Now with my kids we do everything.
What do you think about people who trick-or-treat as teens or adults?
Adults trick-or-treating is weird. But teens are fine, as long as they are in costume. I, myself, went trick-or-treating twice, when I was 13 with my friend Vera and when I was 15 with Rus, my first boyfriend. (Imagine a 6 foot tall, big guy in a Klingon mask, I'm sure some people were skeptical, but we were still kids).
What do you think about people who go trick-or-treating with babies?
I went trick-or treating with a baby! When Tanya was 3 and Olivia was almost 5 months so we had to take Olivia with us. Only Tanya was asking for candy though. I carried Olivia in her cute cat outfit and she was adorable just looking around. I don't think I've seen many adults getting candy for the baby, usually babies are there for siblings/other kids.
Would you give candy to someone who didn’t dress up in a costume?
Yes, since I won't really want to say anything but that rarely happens. I always see kids/teens in costumes who want any candy.
Do you enjoy, or have you ever been through a corn maze?
I have been to a corn maze but I find them pretty boring. Nothing happens, you just walk around.
Have you ever been to a haunted house?
Yes. One year I went with Bear and his friends to a Haunted Firehouse, which is still my favorite one I went to. Another year I went to two small ones in Luna Park on Coney Island. I like them; they are pretty fun. Something I would like to do more of.
Would you go to a real haunted location on Halloween just for fun?
If Bear wanted to. I don't believe in ghosts though so I wouldn't really care much.
Have you ever performed a prank?
I don't think so. I don't like pranks. I think they are mostly mean.
Has anyone ever performed a prank on you?
Not that I can think of.
How enthusiastic would you say you are about Halloween?
Very.
Do you like bonfires?
Yes but I don't associate them with Halloween. Mostly with camping.
Do you believe in witchcraft?
Not really. It would be fun though.
If spirits were to return to the earth on Halloween, whose spirit would you want to show up on your doorstep?
My grandma Tanya. It would be nice to see her.
If you were a ghost (or are a ghost), who would you haunt and how would you pester them?
I don't think I would haunt anyone really. I would like to visit family once in a while but mostly it would be fun to explore the world.
Do you hate raking leaves?
I never had to do it. Living in apartments has its perks.
When you see a leaf pile, are you automatically tempted to jump in it?
Of course. But I would probably just walk on the edges so as not to ruin the hard work. There are really nice small piles of leaves in our courtyard now so we have been enjoying playing in it last few days.
What are your thoughts on candy corn?
Blah
If you enjoy Halloween parties, do you prefer to attend one or host one?
Attend. Hosting is too stressful but I don't have that much room.
Tell one story about something creepy or eerie that’s happened to you.
Nothing really.
Would you prefer a professionally-made costume or one that you’ve made yourself?
Both? I never bought a full professionally made costume, just like a mask or accessories. For kids I did buy a few dresses and my sister in law got a few really cool ones in Salvation Army for the girls. And I got some used ones passed along to me. So making it myself for me, but professionally made for the kids.
How much do you know about the history of Halloween, and do you have a favorite fun fact?
Not too much just the thin veil between worlds - I like that fact.
In the spirit of Halloween, what is your favorite monster or villain from horror culture?
I don't know if I have a favorite. I do like vampires but mostly Buffy type ones. Maybe Spike wins by default.
Do you carve basic faces on your pumpkins or do you use patterns?
I draw the basic faces on it and then cut it. Nothing too fancy.
Where would you rather be stuck on Halloween: a dark forest, a haunted house, an old abandoned hospital, lost in a cornfield, or a cemetery?
A haunted house and abandoned hospital would be warm, so those. A haunted house since I don't believe in ghosts.