10 ways to add humor to halloween

Image Credit: Happy Halloween Greeting - photo by contrariaN creativE

Image Credit: Photo of painted pumpkins taken by mensatic and posted on Morguefile.com

What would Halloween be without gourds? More to the point, what would Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang do on Halloween if they couldn't camp out in a pumpkin patch awaiting the arrival of the grandest gourd of all...the Great Pumpkin...with loads of loot but only for well-behaved girls and boys?

In the good old days, the people of England, Ireland, and Scotland carved jack-o'-lanterns from large vegetables, usually turnips, beets and cabbages and built great bonfires to honor the Celtic holiday of Samhain.

North Americans decided it was way too hard to carve rutubagas, so they chose something bigger, better and brightly colored -- the pumpkin.

So grab your knife and spoon, or maybe a palette and paint brush. It's time to come up with a wild and wacky pumpkin face design which will tickle a funny bone and invite the spirits of spunk and serendipity to knock on your door on Hallow's Eve.

Source: Wikipedia: history of the jack-o-lantern.

Image Credit: Scarecrow - photo by Kevin Rosseel from Morguefile.com

Fortunately the Halloween holiday falls around harvest time. So, why not celebrate with the best symbol of the season ...a scarecrow.

It's time to ratchet up your imagination a notch. Let's see if you can add a little light-hearted twist to your Halloween sculpture -- a colorful or comical costume, an unusual pose, or add some amusing accoutrement including crabby crows, gregarious groundhogs, or happy heffalumps if you can find them.

If none of these things intrigue you, then organize a spirited Scavenger Hunt. Ask participants to locate the most bizarre roadside attractions from the biggest eyesores in town to the weirdest public art display you can find on Halloween. Then record your funny finds with your camera phone or provide the coordinates using your handy-dandy GPS device. We'll leave you to decide what the winners of this game receive on Halloween.

Image Credit: Fairy Mushroom photo by Guilane Nachez from Morguefile.com.

So which crazy cartoon character comes to mind? Perhaps it's a puckish sort of personality from a pop song? Maybe it's a fanciful type from a book that you adore?

Here's a great occasion to dress up in drag, put on a crazy costume, and let your hair down for the night.

Well, bless my soul, rock and roll, I spy with my little eye ... the Purple People Eater!

Image Credit: Hamish the gnome - photo by beglib on morguefile.com.

Every home and workplace deserves to have a roaming gnome around on Halloween.

You never know when you'll need to call on these wee folk to chase away the blues, bad bosses, or bewildering circumstances in life.

Who knows, one of them may even suggest a terrific place to go to get away from the hurly-burly hazards of Halloween.

And, if you can't find any roaming gnomes in your neighborhood, then why not hold a howling at the moon at midnight contest just to see how many neighbors or stray cats and dogs you can roust from their beds and invite them to join in your merry melee.

Image Credit: A funny frog - photo by J. Durham morguefile.com

Halloween is full of creepy critters from bats to snakes and frogs.

Speaking of frogs, why not organize a "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" Party and invite your friends over. The only prerequisite is the willingness to dress up in a fantastic frog outfit and turn in a ribbeting pucker-up performance at a game of "Spin the Bottle". 

What do you mean you don't like amorous amphibians or cold-blooded courtesans?

Frankly, you need all the help you can get to land a date on Halloween! Besides, you never know which Kermit the Frog may turn into a Prince with palace and a rather hefty piggy-bank to boot!

Image Credit: Frequent-Flyers photo by beglib found at morguefile.com

Have you ever noticed how Halloween plays havoc with the fair sex?

Instead of pointing fingers at devilish divas of domesticity who couldn't give a sweet tweet about the lastest dishpan detergent or next-generation deodorizers but have a penchant for wearing pointy hats and dark clothing, and own a turbo-charged broomstick, maybe it's time to invite them to out to play at Halloween.

Why not organize a pagan parade where giggling grannies and folks of all ages can dress up in their frequent-flyer outfits or wacky witch costumes. And don't forget to invite them all to get their noses wet by bobbing for apples and singing novelty songs around the campfire like Purple People Eater", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight" or the Witch Doctor ballad.

Image Credit: Carnival Creature - photo by Guilane Nachez at morguefile.com

Every mother knows that monsters comes in all shapes and sizes and some of them even live under the bed.

Instead of letting them eat you out of house and home, create chaos in your life, or scare the dickens out of kids taking out the garbage at night...it's time to give them something special to earn their keep!

Yup, it's time to organize a "Monster Marathon" in your neighborhood! Encourage everyone to decorate themselves by donning the most outrageous odd outfit that a monster would wear on Halloween. Contact a few of your favorite charities who might be willing to join in and support this wickedly worthy cause.

If the monsters still have oodles of energy left after walking or running a 5k route, then by all means invite them to get into the groove with a bit of "Monster Mash" music and an opportunity to exercise their two left feet!

Image Credit: Pumpkintown - photo by earl53 at morguefile.com

For trick-or-treaters who are tired of tromping around the same old neighborhood, maybe it's time to go further afield and visit some Halloween hometowns whose residents probably know how to celebrate the proverbial "Twilight Zone" in a most unusual way!

Let's see, we've got a few interesting places in Canada and the USA from which to choose:

-- Flathead, Hole-in-the-Wall, Sasquatch Park, The Bugaboos,  (British Columbia)

-- Drumheller or Deadman's Flats (Alberta)

-- Odd Fellow Lake, The Elbow, Weirdale, Wicked Point (Manitoba)

-- Creepy Lake, Devil's Glen, Merlin, Limbo Lost Lake, Sleeping Giant, Spooky Hollow (Ontario)

-- Goblin (Newfoundland and Labrador)

-- The Monster (Nova Scotia)

-- Black Cat, Arkansas

-- Devil's Ladder, Idaho

-- Frankenstein, Missouri

-- Merry Hell, Mississipi

-- Holler, Maryland & Hoop and Holler, Texas

-- Pumpkin, Georgia, Texas

-- Pumpkin Bend, Arkansas

-- Pumpkin Center - Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Loisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia

-- Pumpkin Hill and Pumpkin Hollow, New York

-- Pumpkintown, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia

-- Screamer or Skullbone, Tennessee

-- Spook Hill, Maryland

Sources:

1. For a complete list of American Halloween-related place names check out the Accuracy Project.

2. For those who have a hankering for more horror on Halloween, perhaps consider doing a little trick-or-treating down some of these Creepy Street Names in America.

Image Credit - Witches Brew - photo by contrariaN creativE

Goblin guys and gals will really enjoy an opportunity to sample some surprising tidbits this Halloween.

Why not check out what sort of ghoulish goodies are being served in your neck of the woods. See which restaurants in town are serving such dazzling delights as rabbit stew, escargot, ostrich meatballs, alligator patties, kangaroo strip loins, tarantulas, and for dessert "Death by Chocolate"! And grown-ups might even be able to quench their thirst with a pint of Hobgoblin hops, a glass of Vampire or Velvet Devil Merlot and, if they're really hankering for more how about another Halloween hit...Seven Deadly Zin(fandel)s.

Who knows, some of these haunted hideways may even shell out such Halloween handouts as gorey gumballs, hard-candy skulls, and gooey brain gummies.

Image Credit: Film icon - photo by M. Connors on morguefile.com

Halloween has a hilarious side, so why not organize a funny feature film night for family and friends.

Tell each guest to bring along a sleeping bag, their favorite pajamas, oodles of popcorn and snacks plus their funny Halloween movie choice. Here are a few for your consideration:

-- Beetlejuice - a popular fantasy film by Tim Burton  

-- Haunted Honeymoon - a great Gene Wilder film with Dom DeLouise and Gilda Radner

-- Zombieland - a cool horror movie spoof starring Woody Harrelson

-- "Frankenweenie" - a ripsnorting remake of a terrific Tim Burton horror comedy film.

-- "Hocus-Pocus" - a wacky witch film.

-- "Ghost-Busters" - gives new meaning to kooky professors who lose their jobs at university and need a new lease of life.

-- "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" - You'll have more laughs than watching paint dry on Easter Bunny eggs!