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For years, a mutual friend and I have been sending scare packages to a friend who moved to LA from Boston. We are all horror fans, and we all love Halloween, and autumn, so we try to include a little of all these things in the packages we send her.
What goes in a scare package? Anything spooky, or autumnal, or just plain silly.
Things we have included in previous scare packages:
a small jar (spice jar sized) labeled "Autumn," which included autumn leaves, acorns, tiny pinecones, a tiny pumpkin (these came in an autumn-themed potpourri), cinnamon and cloves
Handmade cards, handmade art, postcard with crows on it, Edward Gorey cards
A small bat finger puppet (this was a big hit)
Halloween socks
Bat earrings, handmade bead necklaces
Halloween balloons
Rubber bats with a suction cup to stick to a window/wall
Edgar Allan Poe temporary tattoos (we bought these in Salem during a one-day trip)
A thumb drive with spooky/Halloween/goth/horror movie soundtrack music on it
A thumb drive with old Halloween movies on it
Halloween chocolate or peeps, depending on the sendees favorites
An orange (it's her favorite color) silk handkerchief, fabric with autumn or Halloween themes, Halloween-themed ribbon
Mysterious-looking boxes into which to pack everything
Real or silk autumn leaves, black feathers, real acorns scattered through the contents to lend the contents a sense of having drifted there and being layered over time.
We, the senders, acquire spooky/Halloween-themed odds and ends all year long, so usually we just plunder our supply for things to include in the scare package, and then we get together and have a fun time constructing it as an art object. The other sender is great at making the handmade items, so the package really does have an overall sense of being thoughtfully and carefully put together.
The first few times we sent the scare package, we didn't tell the sendee, so we got to be something like secret witches, instead of secret Santas.
2020 could really use some secret witches sending scare packages to friends and family who usually celebrate Halloween in a big way, but may not be able to do so this year, so I'm circulating this idea in hopes that scare packages become a thing: you could even include a tag that says "Do not open until October 31."
2020 has been full enough of the bad scares: let's put some good scares in it.
What goes in a scare package? Anything spooky, or autumnal, or just plain silly.
Things we have included in previous scare packages:
a small jar (spice jar sized) labeled "Autumn," which included autumn leaves, acorns, tiny pinecones, a tiny pumpkin (these came in an autumn-themed potpourri), cinnamon and cloves
Handmade cards, handmade art, postcard with crows on it, Edward Gorey cards
A small bat finger puppet (this was a big hit)
Halloween socks
Bat earrings, handmade bead necklaces
Halloween balloons
Rubber bats with a suction cup to stick to a window/wall
Edgar Allan Poe temporary tattoos (we bought these in Salem during a one-day trip)
A thumb drive with spooky/Halloween/goth/horror movie soundtrack music on it
A thumb drive with old Halloween movies on it
Halloween chocolate or peeps, depending on the sendees favorites
An orange (it's her favorite color) silk handkerchief, fabric with autumn or Halloween themes, Halloween-themed ribbon
Mysterious-looking boxes into which to pack everything
Real or silk autumn leaves, black feathers, real acorns scattered through the contents to lend the contents a sense of having drifted there and being layered over time.
We, the senders, acquire spooky/Halloween-themed odds and ends all year long, so usually we just plunder our supply for things to include in the scare package, and then we get together and have a fun time constructing it as an art object. The other sender is great at making the handmade items, so the package really does have an overall sense of being thoughtfully and carefully put together.
The first few times we sent the scare package, we didn't tell the sendee, so we got to be something like secret witches, instead of secret Santas.
2020 could really use some secret witches sending scare packages to friends and family who usually celebrate Halloween in a big way, but may not be able to do so this year, so I'm circulating this idea in hopes that scare packages become a thing: you could even include a tag that says "Do not open until October 31."
2020 has been full enough of the bad scares: let's put some good scares in it.
