Merry meet all,
Samhain is only days away!! I bet you are all excited. I want to share tips on how to better enjoy our fave time of year! Mm I enjoyed roasted acorn squash and reheated mulled cider for lunch. You can watch and subscribe to Lair of Voltaire for the recipe. See link below.
On to the tips:
- You might be attending a party or two. You may need (or not) a costume. Take it from an experienced sewer. It’s so much less time consuming and less maddening to buy a costume at the thrift shop than to sew one. If you wanted to sew yourself a costume, I would suggest beginning a few months ago. Anything can go wrong in sewing. Buying the costume ready made spares you that. Make sure you are comfortable in your costume too. And make sure it is something you will wear more than once. If you do only intend to wear it once, then donate it. Why should a one time item take up that space in your closet?
- If you can, you may have accessories at home to match your new costume. This can save you money. It costs more to sew a costume than to buy one. If you want specialty fabrics, then you are looking at spending a lot. I buy a lot of broadcloth cotton because it is $5.00 per meter. Silks, chiffon, velvet and linen are astronomically expensive. Five or six meters of fabric can easily run you up to a hundred dollars. I was gifted a black wool cloak. There is no way I would have sewed it otherwise. So if you can, and are crafty, consider making or acquiring cheap accessories. Masks can affect how best you see everything. At night, everything is in shadow. Consider this too. Masks aren’t safe. Wear comfortable shoes.
- This may go without saying but if you have a black cat, please keep your kitty indoors where it is safe. Raccoons and owls eat cats, your cat might get hit by a car, or catnapped, or lost, or get a disease or be attacked by another cat. There are all kinds of dangers out there. So keep Fido indoors. It is one night. Even one fun night out can be a hazard for your fave feline. Or pooch, lizard or guinea pig.
- If you are on duty to hand out candy to adorable costumed trick or treaters, consider offering organic snacks or treats. I might say this because I have teeth that crack from those hard caramel chews and now no longer eat them. But I’m not you. Raisins are a good treat. If you still want to get candies for kiddos, there are plenty to choose from at the local drugstore. Chocolate is good. I confess I can’t resist it either. I just don’t prefer the caramel chews. (They ruin my teeth which has resulted in expensive dental bills).
- Honoring your loved ones this year doesn’t have to cost a fortune. The local dollar store has everything you need. That includes picture frames which are quite nice for photos of your deceased loved ones. They sell affordable candles, incense, trays and other dishes. I bought a bottle of rubbing alcohol and long matches. I already had a jar of Epsom salts. I found and gathered sand at the local small beach. I performed a banishing ritual. I wanted to use the Epsom salts and rubbing alcohol in my extra large cauldron. It cost about $5.00. Not bad. I love shopping at the dollar store. Being a Witch doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune. I found a discarded Tim Hortons coffee cup and used that to scoop the sand into the plastic bag. I needed the sand to quickly extinguish the fire in my cauldron if it got out of control. Another good life saving item to have on hand is a fire extinguisher.
- Getting evicted from your apartment due to fire is never cool. Safety first. Always.
- I know you already know this, but it’s a good idea to check out your little sister’s Halloween candy haul or your own kid’s haul before letting them eat it. There are all sorts of weird crazy people out in the world now. Accompanying little kids as they sweet talk neighbours into offering sweets is a good safe idea. They shouldn’t go alone. I read stories online all the time about people who go crazy and commit crimes. I don’t have children of my own but if I did, I would go with them as they tricked and treated and check ALL of their candy. Yup. Make sure that the kids’ outfits are safe and warm and comfy and their masks fit well too and let them see easily. It’s a weird world now.
- Be sure to social distance, sanitize your hands and wear Covid masks. It is a very good idea to keep a bottle of Echinacea tincture on hand too. Now is the time to stock up on lemons, raw ginger and jars of natural honey for the cold season. These ingredients will always outdo and outlast NeoCitran. NeoCitran does nothing as it has none of the nutrients that lemon and honey does. Lemon and honey are antibacterial and antimicrobial. They naturally boost the immune system. My throat felt scratchy. I drank a glass of water with a drop of Echinacea tincture and the feeling in my throat was gone. !!
Have fun this Samhain (or Halloween, if you prefer)!!! I hope these tips help.
BB Spiderwitch
The Paranormal Quill 