Happy Halloween! In my humble weird-loving opinion, today is the best day of the whole year. However, when the 31st arrives, I always welcome it with a mix of excitement and melancholy. After all, tomorrow will be the very furthest we’ll be from all this great Halloween joy. So to get you through November 1st, here are four after-Halloween tips to enjoy the fall.
Savor the fall foliage
Depending on where you’re located, there might still be some great colors on the trees, even after today. If you haven’t had a chance to go on a bucolic walk or drive yet this year, then the next week is the time to do it before it’s too late. After all, Halloween is less a date on a calendar and more a state of mind, and nothing says Halloween like a panorama of foliage.
Visit creepy locales
As I mentioned in one of my spring articles, the off-season (as in not September or October) can be the best time to visit places like Salem, Sleepy Hollow, Gettysburg, and other macabre sights. Your visit will help keep the local economy bolstered year-round and ensure these places and all their cool restaurants and niche businesses will be open for years to come.
Watch scary movies
I’m a year-round horror editorial writer (and horror fiction author), so I’m a huge fan of scary movies all year. But November and December offer some great titles to celebrate the season. Virtually any classic Hammer film has some great foliage in the background, even if the actual season is never mentioned in the story. And once the snow arrives, you’ve got plenty more freaky films to watch. From The Shining to The Thing, cold weather has never looked so scary.
Make pumpkin recipes
Once the sole domain of October, pumpkin has now become a staple food all yearlong. From November to September, put pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin fritters, pumpkin soup, and any other pumpkin concoctions of choice on your must-bake list. The aroma of fall will permeate your kitchen and remind you of Halloweens past and more importantly, Halloweens to come.
Happy haunting, and happy Halloween!