Jennifer Susannah Devore's Blog, page 14
November 27, 2012
Don't Forget the Pfeffernusse & Gewurtraminer! Merry Christmas, All
Mr. Snowman has been patient, all the autumn through.
Now he’s ready to vogue and pose and preen,
To oversee your snow angels, powder fights and frolics.
Pine boughs and incense, cinnamon and peppermint.
Sugar cookies and gingerbread, snickerdoodles and milk.
Pfeffernusse and Gewurtraminer, spice cookies and mulled wine,
Of all the holiday making, the baking and cooking call us home best.
Fairy lights glitter and dance in the fireplace glow,
As they hug the tree and adulate the dearest décor,
That box of precious, priceless family adornments,
Waiting patiently through the year, much as Mr. Snowman.
Presents tied with velvet bows and wreaths wrapped with grapevines,
Garden gnomes with Santa hats and carriage lights ringed with pine,
Welcome all whom enter, those we hold dear and those we wish to know.
‘Tis Christmastime and no season’s more special with cheer,
Than that which brings us all home at once,
Than that which brings us all love at home.
November 25, 2012
An Interesting Story of Manhattans, Majordomos and Manny
An interesting story ... he began, 'tis oft how he began.
Should you hear these words, lean forward, listen closely.
A ripping good yarn was sure to come, a tale and a full glass.
Always a full glass, for he loathed an empty glass.
An interesting story ... he grew up well and was disallowed dungarees.
He never heard of Del Taco, yet found his true love at Delmonico's.
Early were the lessons of a well-polished wingtip and bespoke tennies,
A hearty steak, a smooth scotch, a strong handshake and a stirring conversation.
A formidable and gracious host and interviewer was he.
"Sorry I went all 'Charlie Rose' on you there," he apologized after your first, long chat.
Life was "all about getting a good story out of it". That he did.
An interesting story ... Teddy Roosevelt was a standard bearer.
George Washington and Winston Churchill, too.
Rise of Rough Riders, Studies in Greatness and the Craft of Intelligence.
"I hope you enjoy this biography of T.R. as much as I did.
I'll be happy to forward the next volume to you at your request."
I should very much like to make that request.
"Sometimes, I like being the dork in the corner, reading a book."
"Why don't you go an' learn something, Brain?"
Books, books and more books. Text me, anytime.
Bios, history, politics, golf and Roberts Rules of Order.
How to dress like a gentleman and the etiquette of the green.
An interesting story ... his cache of Disney trivia was greater than even mine, maybe.
Tears of laughter sloshed from Mad Tea Party cups,
Chicken dinner at Main Street's Plaza Inn, comforting as could be.
An evening at the Park with friends, a nightcap at the Hotel, not to be refused.
Grand Californian's Hearthstone Lounge, Trader Sam's, the classic Hotel.
Manhattans, Shrunken Zombie Heads or a rare reserve.
Closing down Disney, done well indeed.
An interesting story ... he was going to bring back spats.
"Thank you, ladies. I've spent half the day shopping,
for pocket watches and spats at GentlemansEmporium.com."
You are welcome; though we never got to see your spats.
Perchance Brooks Brothers will make you a special pair.
Hercule Poirot, Caesar Rodriguez, Frasier Crane and Picky Ricardo,
Would all approve of the spats revival; so would Manny.
C'est difficile to watch Modern Family of late.
Manny makes us laugh, and weep. Manny hits too close to heart.
An interesting story ... everybody should have a majordomo.
He was absolutely right. A majordomo knows, knows all.
A majordomo knows which drink to serve, when.
"Never iced tea at night. Manhattans? Well, those are for the Big City."
We raise our collective Manhattans to you, Good Sir.
In San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Wine Country,
You are absolutely correct ... everybody should have a majordomo.
Rest in Peace, our dearly departed friend.
You are missed.
November 20, 2012
Happy Tofurkey Day! A Thanksgiving Poem
Someth
ing is different, something hearty in the air.
‘Tis crisper, cooler, brisker, sharper,
Like a bite from a chilled, candied apple.
The wind and weather now zip through the trees.
Shaking loose leaves of orange, red and gold,
Leaving mere bones and fingers of bark and birch.
Dark Italian roasts, mulled spider ciders and spiced pumpkin lattes,
Perfect complements to all the season’s feasts.
Families are amassing, friends are warming near,
Enveloped and embraced by a fete’s baking, cooking and cocktails,[image error]
All warm and sugared comforts, certain to please.
Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, coffee and wine,
The smells of the season lead us home year after year.
Bringing the best of autumn together, the best of family and friends,
The very best of everything, the very best of us on this Thanksgiving Day.
Happy Tofurkey Day to All!
Follow @JennyPopNet
Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
Something is different, something hearty in the air.
‘Tis crisper, cooler, brisker, sharper,
Like a bite from a chilled, candied apple.
The wind and weather now zip through the trees.
Shaking loose leaves of orange, red and gold,
Leaving mere bones and fingers of bark and birch.
Dark Italian roasts, mulled spider ciders and spiced pumpkin lattes,
Perfect complements to all the season’s feasts.
Families are amassing, friends are warming near,
Enveloped and embraced by a fete’s baking, cooking and cocktails,[image error]
All warm and sugared comforts, certain to please.
Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, coffee and wine,
The smells of the season lead us home year after year.
Bringing the best of autumn together, the best of family and friends,
The very best of everything, the very best of us on this Thanksgiving Day.
Happy Tofurkey Day to All!
Follow @JennyPopNet
November 12, 2012
The Great Space Coaster and The Beauty of Absolute Zero: Hannah's Halloween Heyday
[image error]Holy macaroni, cats! If I came out this year's Hallowe'en with only one recollection, it was becoming privy to the last invention mankind will ever need: a roller coaster that can create everything, all the time. "Quod the quod?!", you cry. Trust me, I had that same wonderment all night long.
Naturally, Lucy and I can have fun just about anywhere. After all, we're ghostie girls trapped in our luxurious Hotel del Coronado who have happily made G&Ts out of lemons and amuse ourselves haunting this grand, Victorian dame of seaside resorts. So, what makes a night even more fun for us? Dress us up like Abby Sciuto and her beauteous broken doll, add Dr. Devorkian, Ozzy Osbourne and a baker's dozen of complete nutjobs to a Northern California Halloween gathering and you've got yourself that which comes before Part B. Part A, of course!
As it was a wine country bash, the wine did flow: Bogle, Apothic Red, Cavi, Coppola and, natch, a case of Two Buck Chuck (that's Three Buck Chuck to you East Coasters). To boot, Dr. Lucy's Victorian love, Dr. Devorkian, set about tinkering in his rum lab and proffered victims, I mean guests, selections of lemon, cherry, mango, pineapple and plum eau de vie. Dangerously, there was a special bowl of soused cherries. Zow-ie! Ghosts can't get drunk, but I steered clear nonetheless. Yet, if the 100-proof cherries packed a wallop for mere mortals, they were nothing compared to the dizzying effects of the mortals themselves.
To keep it simple, I note the three most memorable:
1) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre/Republican Redneck: This fellow arrived revving his chainsaw and, after a few annoying minutes of this, stashed it in a shed and just called himself a Republican redneck the rest of the night. When not playing a political hillbilly, he prides himself in living "off the grid" and building his own nation up in the mountains, a NorCal Petoria, if you will. He sustains himself, somewhat, growing medicinal weed and, natch, utilizing the electric company's low-income assistance rates. (Do you have any idea how high his electric bills would be otherwise? Bonkers!) Still, even living this Little Growhouse on the Prairie existence, he's not nearly as serene and peaceful as one might think. He's riled up and irritated because "it sucks more people won't take weed in barter. They still want money."
2) The 2016 Presidential Candidate: Politics are never a good idea for party chit chat. Of course, once someone decides to hold court, one has to listen; it's not that big of a house. The Big Bad Wolf, as was his character this night, declared his candidacy for 2016 in our presence. When questioned about his platforms, he stated the following: 1) Flat tax (fair enough); 2) Legalize weed (Why not?); 3) Mandatory military service for everyone (Exsqueeze me?); 4) "Dump Israel" -his words, not mine- (deplorable). Put your wolf mask back on, son, and get back to the woods.
3) Chief Wackadoo: This chick wins, hands-down for kookiness. Dressed as a tiger, sort of, she prowled the night querying and quizzing other guests, offering up opinions, ideas and criticisms and hitting on our painfully polite Abby. The most memorable conversation of the night goes to the Chief: her description of a recent invention of hers. Always a curious sort, our Ozzy wanted to know more and, rather than describe the exchange, I shall transcribe the discussion as I heard it, watching in wonderment as I sipped on a velvety glass of Apothic Red. Keep in mind, our Ozzy Osbourne is in full character.
Chief Wackadoo: It's my own invention. I created it in my head. It's a roller coaster that creates everything, always, all the time.
Ozzy: No kidding? Everything, all the time?
Chief Wackadoo: Everything, always. Doesn't matter what you need. An arm, a computer, a car. Everything. It's perfect because if a part breaks, it just makes a new one.
Ozzy: Wow. That's amazing. How big does this thing need to be?
Chief Wackadoo: Twenty miles long.
Ozzy: That's going to be difficult to find, a straight stretch of that much land, especially in California.
Chief Wackadoo: It's not a problem because it's going to be built in space. It's all going to happen inside a planet.
Ozzy: Really? So after it builds everything, always, how do we get all those things back down to Earth?
Chief Wackadoo: That's the beauty of absolute zero.
As Dr. Lucy would say, "You can't make this s*%@ up."
October 23, 2012
An Old-Fashioned, Brooks Brothers, Massachusetts Witch Burning
In the spirit of the holiday and being the Hallowe'en freak I am, it occurred to Moi it was time to read one of the essentials of Western literature, one of the earliest titles ever printed, a book, at the height of its popularity, outsold only by The Bible. Whilst I knew well of this tome and do ever so enjoy speaking its mellifluous name, I had not ever read The Malleus Maleficarum. "What, pray tell, is the Malia Whatch-a-ma-callit?, you may ponder. Well, 'tis really more of a Witch-a-ma-callit. Ha!
No laughing matter when it was written by Heinrich Kramer & James Sprenger and first published in 1486, it served as a guidebook and reference source for the Christian community, church leaders, nosy neighbors, municipal courts and the official Inquisitors of the Inquisition. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
The Malleus Maleficarum was written as a guide to seeking, identifying and prosecuting, thus vanquishing and dispatching of, witches. Didn't believe in witches? No worries, disbelief itself was at best heresy, at worst a sign of a witch. Being a redhead (Well, we all know my feelings on those Redheads! Ha!), having moles or birthmarks (Oft sought by town elders, always male, upon the nude bodies, usually female, of suspected witches for hours and hours of probing, poking and pinching.), possessing a quiet nature, possessing a rambunctious nature or cultivating a belief in the burgeoning fields of science were all excellent, possible signs of a witch. I highly suspect Gladys Kravitz, beauteous and spirited Samantha Stevens' crotchety old neighbor on Bewitched, had a copy on her windowsill. Something other than Heaven help you if you were found guilty.
Whilst the final, waning days of the witch trials peaked here in America with our very own Salem Witch Trials in 1692, the two and a half centuries previous ran Amok, amok, amok! across Europe with figures, dazzlingly varied but horrific even on the lightest-end, numbering 600K - 9Million men, women and children burned alive, drowned, stoned, hanged or tortured to death as witches. With too many specifications to sift through, sometimes the Inquisitors could simply rely on the time-tested generalizations of those "who did not fit within the contemporary view of pieous Christians", "old", "Jewish", "gypsy", "outcast" or the old standby, "a woman".
With such a verifiable and terrible history of inhumanity around which to wrap our modern brains, all one can do four-hundred-plus years later is make a joke or two, 
produce quirky films about the period (Hocus Pocus, for one, rocks!) or, like yours truly, travel to Salem, Mass. to celebrate Hallowe'en, dress up like Abby from N.C.I.S., stay in the Hawthorne Hotel and blog about it all in November! (I could also work it into a future Savannah of Williamsburg title: maybe a 1600s prequel to the series?)
As a good friend stated sagely upon learning My Viking and I were headed to Salem with the Parental Units for the holiday: Salem Witch Trials? Oh, yeah? Might as well capitalize on that shit, right? True dat, pal.
On the jokey side of this vile and embarrassing era of Western civilization, I came across this "review" of The Malleus Maleficarum on Goodreads. It was such an out-of-the-box review, I couldn't believe Moi didn't write it first. Damn. Oh well, credit where credit is due, I had to share!
A Review by R:
"Why is your son dressed like a pilgrim?"
"Oh, it's a phase he's going through."
"Why is he piling up all that wood?"
"Oh, it's a...a phase. We're pretty certain it's a phase. You know kids, ha-ha."
"Ha-ha. Why is he tying your youngest, his brother, to a pole? And...a gasoline can? Matches??! Is that a phase, too?"
"No. Witches. You can't suffer them to live."
"I suppose you're right. You can't."
"No. You really can't."
"For a second there..."
"Yeah, I know. But, no. Witch. Well, warlock, to get technical about it."
"Your youngest, though..."
"Yes, I...I know. Don't think it didn't surprise me."
"Thank God your oldest is going through that phase."
"Tell me about it. Saves me the job, you know."
"Ha-ha!"
"Ha-ha! Ha!"
Review by R, just R. Head on over to Goodreads and give his review, your review!
By the by, as I read R's review, I instantly envisioned the scene with very specific actors: Tina Fey as Talbot's cardigan-donned Mom, those off-putting, strange little Children of the Corn twins on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and Steve Martin as the casually well-dressed, Brooks Brothers-sporting neighbor across the Marblehead, autumn leaf-laden, stone fence. Who did you envision? Tell R!
Happy Hallowe'en, all!
October 22, 2012
Barbie: Haunted Beauty Chain Bound to Her Maudlin Mansion
Because you know j'adore my Barbies, voila! The first in a series of Hallowe'en Barbies! Haunted Beauty Ghost Barbie by designer Bill Greening. Oh, mais oui, SVP!
Now, as the other Holidays are fast-approaching and my long sought-after, annual, Christmas list is currently brewing amidst zee leetle grey zells ... ~ahem~
Dear Sandy Claws,
JavaScript is disabled!
To display this content, you need a JavaScript capable browser.Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
October 21, 2012
X-Files Freak Show Meets Pawn Stars: Science Channel’s Oddities
Happy Hallowe’
en, all you eerie black cats! Every time I think Christmas is my fave time of year, October sallies into town and, bonkers I go! Travel, parties, costumes and ghostly film & TV marathons: my pally JennyPop has a fab viewing list! What’s better than a Hallowe’en viewing party? Watching with spookily stylized treats and drinkies! Sippy, sippy? Salem’s Hawthorne Hotel, where I shall be spending this Samhain soiree, is proffering the perfect pumpkin pie martini. Um, yes, please!
Back here in Cali, up in wine country for the après-Salem festivities, Dr. Lucy and her deathly devoted Dr. Devorkian shall be serving up Dr. Meechele’s Eyeball Martinis: Belvedere vodka with pimento-stuffed, skewered, black olives and bleeding vampire teeth ice cubes. (Need some ghoulishly good entertaining ideas, your own self? Thank Jebus, Sunset magazine knows not all Westerners want BBQ and hiking trail articles all the time!) Last year’s Napa bash? So ominously pleasing, I’m mildly concerned as to what this year could bring. Fret not, though. Should Lucy and I survive, updates will follow. Survive, you query? Yes, so much fun that even two living dead girls might not make it out alive.
To boot, I finally decided on a costume: Abby Sciuto of NCIS. True, I was already Abby one year and I am loathe to repeat a costume. Yet, that was five or more years ago and, in my defense, I had nowhere to go. So, I spent Devil’s
Night in Colonial Williamsburg and roamed the town, frightening the upper-crusty and upper-dusty of the Old Dominion. They make the real dead n’ dusty, like Mum & Dad, Boston’s own Dr. Harvey & Hildy- look like Haunted Mansion party crashers. Holy moly, what a stuffy set of bones, those Virginians. (Hey. How many Virginians does it take to change a light bulb? Seven. One to change it and six to talk about how great the old one was. Ha!) Natch, this ennui does not include the vast array of CW performers, interpreters and artists. Yikes! Those beans can par-tee har-dee!! Stephen Christoff, Sterling Fry and Lance Pedigo … I’m talking directly to you, boys!
So, whilst searching for NCIS on Netflix, I happened across an eery series, parfait for this time of year, called Oddities: Science Channel’s own answer to History Channel’s Pawn Stars. Well, I knew in the thump of a tell-tale heart that our Dr. Lucy needed to see this. Funny enough, she recognized some little friends amidst the bottles and glass domes on display at Obscura Antiques and Oddities: the Downtown Manhattan-based curio shop where Oddities is shot. You’ll recall our excursion to Dr. Watson’s Steampunk Odditorium here in sunny San Diego? This place makes Dr. Watson’s cabinets look like glass cases of Betsey Johnson accessories at Macy’s. This stuff is freaky, even for Moi.
Recall the X-Files episode “Humbug” (S2E20), wherein Scully and Mulder travel to Florida to investigate murders in a carnival freak show? Well, move Pawn Stars to this episode and you’ve got Oddities. So much so, I would not be surprised if Leonard, the freak show murderer and underdeveloped, free-range, conjoined twin of Lanny (actor Vincent Schiavelli) was either preserved in one of the shop’s formaldehyde bottles or skittering freely amidst Obscura in the wee hours of the morn, pinning antique butterflies and dung beetles to Chatty Cathy doll faces.
Owners Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson claim Obscura “ain’t your grandmother’s antique shop”. True dat, as they say. My own Beacon Hill Granny would freak at the idea of petrified whale cochlea and fossilized mammoth dung … and she’s dined with both Mussolini and Joan Crawford. Better dressed and far funkier than the desert rats and t-shirted schlubs of Las Vegas’ Gold and Silver Pawn , the patrons and staff of Obscura are reality TV’s antidote for those with a greater interest in rhesus monkey skulls and Thai snake wine, than Rat Pack memorabilia and John Wayne saddles. Beyond the odd customer (I do mean odd), there seems to be an irregular parade of collectors, artists, performers and seasoned antiquers ebbing and flowing into the shop: like a perpetual tide of 1920s carnival workers and sideshow talent. Best of all, for yours truly and her Hallowe’en viewing habits, this is exactly the kind of place Miss Abby Sciuto would haunt; ergo, it’s the perfect, seasonal viewing pour Moi during costume fittings!
Kids, keep your Saturday nights at 9:00 free! Set your DVR if need be or just watch via Netflix. Note though, Netflix has only Season 1 thus far. Although, S1 does contain my, so far, fave episode! You’ll make the Addams Familyesque acquaintance of an unearthly and creepily adorable, oh-so-odd beauty whom, after careers of both a mortician and a model (runway, I presume, by her lovely, lanky looks) has made the natural progression to fashion designer. Now she needs an embalming table for her latest collection. Why? You’ll just have to watch: S1E4 “Model Mortician”. Besides, where else on reality TV, besides The Real Housewives of Orange County, will you hear the following three declarations?
“I don’t think I’ll be spending $400 today on a walrus penis.”
“Finding a perfect monkey skull is not an easy task.”
“I’ve exhausted my resources trying to find a grade-A monkey skull.”
For my two centimes, similar to The X-Files, the show is best watched at night and with a glass of Cabernet. Noontime and a cup of green tea? Not so much. The Hellraiser skull pins, antique dentures and 19thC. straight jackets are a bit unsettling too early in the day.
Right-o then, chickadees. Back to my Hallowe’en preparations. I need the right pair of Demonia-style, Marilyn Manson, platform boots, a new mini-kilt (purple, pink and black if possible) and just the right, final piece of jewelry: maybe a pirate ring. Ah, yesss. Excellent. I require a replica of Captain Jack Sparrow’s emerald ring. Precious. Preciousss! Lucy? Are you paying attention?
September 30, 2012
Halloween Time and The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland! Where My Ghouls At?
Me: What? You're nuts! Everyone knows about Disneyland at Halloween!
My Viking: No, they don't. Not everybody goes to Disneyland once a week.
Me: Okay, still. Everybody knows about The Haunted Mansion at Halloween!
My Viking: No, they don't. Hey, maybe that should be your next blog post.
A recent discourse of somewhat heated debate, the suggestion indeed made sense. I've been on a perpetual Disney mission since I could talk, so why not entreat anyone I can to experience the magnificent transformation of The Happiest Place on Earth into The Spookiest Place on Earth: Disneyland's Halloween Time?!
I write specifically of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The entire park gets a bedeviling, magical, spooky, pumpkin-bedecked makeover. Nyquil trip-worthy, giant Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy Jack O'Lanterns greet you at the main gate and welcome you into a fall fantasy. 'Tis best to go at night. It is still a tad warm here in sunny California to achieve a true autumnal glow, not counting that glow which comes from insisting on wearing a newsboy cap, silk breeches and woolen stripey stockings to the Park. October 1st temp this year? 100 degrees in Anaheim! Of course, maybe that's why we SoCal Disney dorks love Halloween Time so much. Disney is fantasy, after all. Weather fantasy is a beautiful thing. You know my thoughts on too much summer!
From Main Street's straw-adorned gas lampposts to Space Mountain's surprisingly heart-stopping Ghost Galaxy (I screamed with such true terror, without the ability to ever catch my breath in between banshee calls, I exited with a monster headache and a shredded, sore throat. Gnarly, awesome fun!), everything is infused with an orange-and-gold, haystacks-and-scarecrows, SpiderCider n' pumpkin muffin kind of elan. Even the popcorn boxes are anew with Gothic imagery. You'll find ghostly and spooky, seasonal offerings from Jack O'Lantern lollipop cakes at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café on Main Street, to Jack Skellington hoodies and studded belts throughout New Orleans Square.
The Haunted Mansion, above all, receives a dressing up one simply must see in person. Whilst divine and inspiring on its most average day, the manse brings new awe to the darkly-humoured and sartorially gothic flutterbys whom tend to use the manor less as an amusement park ride and more as an interior design sketchbook. September through January, the Mansion looks like the aftermath of a Tim Burton Army's coup 
d'etat. Using "The Nightmare Before Christmas" as its seasonal overlay, the neoclassical Victorian estate recounts the tale of pauvre Jack Skellington and his empirical quest to understand himself and his raison d'etre. 'Tis a Samhain switch that would make even Kafka proud: creepy crawlies, existential confusion, brooding philosophes and all.
The chateau has been overtaken and rechristened Haunted Mansion Holiday here in Anna's House (Anaheim) and Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare at Tokyo Disneyland for my Japanese pals, Yoshiko, Akiko and Aii. Konnichiwa, guys!
Jack and Sally, Zero, the mayor of Hallowe'en Town and his loyal citizens, evil Oogie Boogie and his miniature minions Lock, Shock and Barrel and, of course, Sandy Claws have made the palace their own. Doom Buggies carry Nightmare devotees whom will not only spy favourite replications and vignettes from the holiday mainstay film, but whom will search over and over, enduring sadistically long and serpentine lines to get inside, for details and surprises hidden nicely in plain sight for the more obsessive fans. (Moi? I found a creepy Christmas cadeau laid out and tagged For: Jennifer!) Haven't had a chance to get inside, yet? No worries. Allow Moi to offer a wee Holiday Haunted Mansion slideshow!
Apropos to those devilish lines, there are plenty of visual stimuli outside the Neoclassical Italianate dwelling to keep one's creative centers electrified as you shuffle forward at an imperceptible speed: impaled Jack O'Lanterns on an ivy-laden hillside, scores of flickering candles, skull-festooned, black-ribboned Christmas wreaths and a plethora of tombstones, cemetery statuary and goofy epitaph puns. (Crave an archivist's details about the original architectural impetus for the manse: the 1803 Shipley-Lydecker House in Baltimore? Voila ... Disneyland Nomenclature.)
Should you be fortunate enough to live near Disneyland and even more fortunate to be an annual passholder, get thee to The Spookiest Place on Earth forthwith. Plan on long lines, especially at Space mountain's Ghost Galaxy and The Haunted Mansion, buy some popcorn to kill time and take some pictures whilst you wait. I do! Pirates of the Caribbean is usually a pretty mellow wait and though it's not got a Hallowe'en rework, it's still pirates. You have to do pirates for Hallowe'en!
If you're not a passholder, expect a terrifying ticket price into the park. Of course, you can always put that admission toward said-pass and imbue yourself with the heady incense that is Disney all year long. They'll apply the ticket-price to your new pass and for just a minor monthly stipend, Disney will own your ass forev ... I mean, offer you endless entertainment for years to come, plus parking. (Fair warning: If you plan to have a pass for the long term, it is best to renew your pass every year, prior to the expiration date. You can upgrade easily, with a slightly higher, modified, monthly fee; but there are often renewal discounts. Also, you maintain your monthly debits, keeping cost management of the pass pretty regular, minus upgrade costs. If it expires, even by a day, you will be required to buy anew; that means a one-day ticket price/down payment of about $80.00.
If you do have a pass, besides the useful 10% to 20% dining and merchandise discounts you'll receive, depending on the pass, you'll get $18.00 off any ticket to Mickey's Halloween Party. What? You don't know of Mickey's Halloween Party?! It's a special, ticketed event ($54.00-$69.00) throughout the month of October wherein the park closes early and you can enter the Park, dress up if you like (within guidelines) and experience a whole new Hallowe'en overlay throughout: spooky, a blue, ghostly Mark Twain and pirate ship Columbia drift atop a fog-laden Rivers of America, costumed Disney characters pose for pictures, safe and healthy trick-or-treating stations await your little ones. Dates are plentiful, but tickets sell out fast! Learn more here: Mickey's Halloween Party!
Want a chance to win two tickets to the Halloween Party to die for on October 9, 2012? Click on over to the family-fun, family-friendly site of the beautiful and perky Shelby Barone, O.C. blogess extraordinaire of the Orange County Mom Blog and enter to win!
Fun fact? Did you know The Haunted Mansion opened on my birthday when I was just a wee, wailing babe. That might explain an existential thing or two!
Hurry back and don't forget to bring your, death certificate.
All slideshow Disneyland photos courtesy of fellow Disney dork, Loren Javier
Where My Ghouls At? Halloween Time and The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland!
Me: What? You're nuts! Everyone knows about Disneyland at Halloween!
My Viking: No, they don't. Not everybody goes to Disneyland once a week.
Me: Okay, still. Everybody knows about The Haunted Mansion at Halloween!
My Viking: No, they don't. Hey, maybe that should be your next blog post.
A recent discourse of somewhat heated debate, the suggestion indeed made sense. I've been a perpetual Disney mission since I could talk, so why not entreat anyone I can to experience the magnificent transformation of The Happiest Place on Earth into Disneyland's Halloween Time.
I write specifically of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The entire park gets a bedeviling, magical, spooky, pumpkin-bedecked makeover. Nyquil trip-worthy, giant Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy Jack O'Lanterns greet you at the main gate and welcome you into a fall fantasy. 'Tis best to go at night. It is still a tad warm here in sunny California to achieve a true autumnal glow, not counting that glow which comes from insisting on wearing a newsboy cap, silk breeches and woolen stripey stockings to the Park. October 1st temp this year? 100 degrees in Anaheim! Of course, maybe that's why we SoCal Disney dorks love Halloween Time so much. Disney is fantasy, after all. Weather fantasy is a beautiful thing. You know my thoughts on too much summer!
From Main Street's straw-adorned gas lampposts to Space Mountain's surprisingly heart-stopping Ghost Galaxy (I screamed with such true terror, without the ability to ever catch my breath in between banshee calls, I exited with a monster headache and a shredded, sore throat. Gnarly, awesome fun!), everything is infused with an orange-and-gold, haystacks-and-scarecrows, SpiderCider n' pumpkin muffin kind of elan. Even the popcorn boxes are anew with Gothic imagery. You'll find ghostly and spooky, seasonal offerings from Jack O'Lantern lollipop cakes at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café on Main Street, to Jack Skellington hoodies and studded belts throughout New Orleans Square.
The Haunted Mansion, above all, receives a dressing up one simply must see in person. Whilst divine and inspiring on its most average day, the manse brings new awe to the darkly-humoured and sartorially gothic flutterbys whom tend to use the manor less as an amusement park ride and more as an interior design sketchbook. September through January, the Mansion looks like the aftermath of a Tim Burton Army's coup d'etat. Using "The Nightmare Before Christmas" as its seasonal overlay, the neoclassical Victorian estate recounts the tale of pauvre Jack Skellington and his empirical quest to understand himself and his raison d'etre. 'Tis a Samhain switch that would make even Kafka proud: creepy crawlies, existential confusion, brooding philosophes and all.
The chateau has been overtaken and rechristened Haunted Mansion Holiday here in Anna's House (Anaheim) and Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare at Tokyo Disneyland for my Japanese pals, Yoshiko, Akiko and Aii. Konnichiwa, guys!
Jack and Sally, Zero, the mayor of Hallowe'en Town and his loyal citizens, evil Oogie Boogie and his miniature minions Lock, Shock and Barrel and, of course, Sandy Claws have made the palace their own. Doom Buggies carry Nightmare devotees whom will not only spy favourite replications and vignettes from the holiday mainstay film, but whom will search over and over, enduring sadistically long and serpentine lines to get inside, for details and surprises hidden nicely in plain sight for the more obsessive fans. (Moi? I found a creepy Christmas cadeau laid out and tagged For: Jennifer!) Haven't had a chance to get inside, yet? No worries. Allow Moi to offer a wee Holiday Haunted Mansion slideshow!
Apropos to those devilish lines, there are plenty of visual stimuli outside the Neoclassical Italianate dwelling to keep one's creative centers electrified as you shuffle forward at an imperceptible speed: impaled Jack O'Lanterns on an ivy-laden hillside, scores of flickering candles, skull-festooned, black-ribboned Christmas wreaths and a plethora of tombstones, cemetery statuary and goofy epitaph puns. (Crave an archivist's details about the original architectural impetus for the manse: the 1803 Shipley-Lydecker House in Baltimore? Voila ... Disneyland Nomenclature.)
Should you be fortunate enough to live near Disneyland and even more fortunate to be an annual passholder, get thee to The Spookiest Place on Earth forthwith. Plan on long lines, especially at Space mountain's Ghost Galaxy and The Haunted Mansion, buy some popcorn to kill time and take some pictures whilst you wait. I do! Pirates of the Caribbean is usually a pretty mellow wait and though it's not got a Hallowe'en rework, it's still pirates. You have to do pirates for Hallowe'en!
If you're not a passholder, expect a terrifying ticket price into the park. Of course, you can always put that admission toward said-pass and imbue yourself with the heady incense that is Disney all year long. They'll apply the ticket-price to your new pass and for just a minor monthly stipend, Disney will own your ass forev ... I mean, offer you endless entertainment for years to come, plus parking. (Fair warning: If you plan to have a pass for the long term, it is best to renew your pass every year, prior to the expiration date. You can upgrade easily, with a slightly higher, modified, monthly fee; but there are often renewal discounts. Also, you maintain your monthly debits, keeping cost management of the pass pretty regular, minus upgrade costs. If it expires, even by a day, you will be required to buy anew; that means a one-day ticket price/down payment of about $80.00.
If you do have a pass, besides the useful 10% to 20% dining and merchandise discounts you'll receive, depending on the pass, you'll get $18.00 off any ticket to Mickey's Halloween Party. What? You don't know of Mickey's Halloween Party?! It's a special, ticketed event ($54.00-$69.00) throughout the month of October wherein the park closes early and you can enter the Park, dress up if you like (within guidelines) and experience a whole new Hallowe'en overlay throughout: spooky, a blue, ghostly Mark Twain and pirate ship Columbia drift atop a fog-laden Rivers of America, costumed Disney characters pose for pictures, safe and healthy trick-or-treating stations await your little ones. Dates are plentiful, but tickets sell out fast! Learn more here: Mickey's Halloween Party!
Want a chance to win two tickets to the Halloween Party to die for on October 9, 2012? Click on over to the family-fun, family-friendly site of the beautiful and perky Shelby Barone, O.C. blogess extraordinaire of the Orange County Mom Blog and enter to win!
Fun fact? Did you know The Haunted Mansion opened on my birthday when I was just a wee, wailing babe. That might explain an existential thing or two!
Hurry back and don't forget to bring your, death certificate.
All slideshow Disneyland photos courtesy of fellow Disney dork, Loren Javier
