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<channel>
<title>Holidays</title>
<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</link>
<description>Tricks and Treats is a festive look at seasonal and holiday decorating, shopping and more. We will fill you in on fun and new decorations, holiday shopping, delightful foods, planning great parties and more.
</description>
<dc:language>en-us</dc:language>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
<dc:date>2009-11-06T17:08:35-05:00</dc:date>
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<item>
<title>Ready to mail holiday cards? &apos;09 stamp designs can brighten up a white envelope</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/11/06/ready_to_mail_holiday_cards_09.html</link>
<description>2009 Holiday stamps USPS.com It may only be November but the United States Postal Service is at the ready with this year&amp;#8217;s holiday stamp designs. Featuring a reindeer, a snowman, a gingerbread man and a toy soldier (similar to the...</description>
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2009 Holiday stamps USPS.com

It may only be November but the United States Postal Service is at the ready with this year&amp;#8217;s holiday stamp designs.

Featuring a reindeer, a snowman, a gingerbread man and a toy soldier (similar to the nutcrackers of last year), the stamps, which were designed by  Joseph Cudd of Greensboro, NC, come in booklets of 20 stamps for $8.80 (or a 5 pack of booklets with 100 stamps for $44).

You can buy the stamps online or at your friendly neighborhood Post Office.

You can also check out the USPS Holiday site to find shipping deadlines, packages and info.

</content>
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<dc:subject></dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-11-06T17:08:35-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
</item>
<item>
<title>All night Horror Marathon a frighteningly good deal</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/10/20/all_night_horror_marathon_a_fr.html</link>
<description>For $20 you could be scared (or amused depending on your personality and tolerance for scares) for a whole night this weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 24 at 9 p.m. the 3rd annual Horror Marathon (&amp;#8220;Horrorfest III&amp;#8221;) kicks off at the...</description>
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For $20 you could be scared (or amused depending on your personality and tolerance for scares) for a whole night this weekend.

On Saturday, Oct. 24 at 9 p.m. the 3rd annual Horror Marathon (&amp;#8220;Horrorfest III&amp;#8221;) kicks off at the Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs.

This year&amp;#8217;s lineup includes: Alfred Hitchcock&amp;#8217;s The Birds, Roman Polanski&amp;#8217;s Repulsion, Re-Animator, Shaun of the Dead, the original Friday the 13th, Night of the Living Dead and the area premiere of The House of the Devil [click for trailer - if you aren&amp;#8217;t too scared!].

Yes, you read that correctly. There are 7 horror movies in that lineup. That means you&amp;#8217;re seeing each movie for less than $3 each if you break it down. 

In addition to the movies, there will be a costume contest with prizes and numerous horror movie trailers (new and old).

Tickets can be purchased now using PayPal or you can get them at the door. The first movie starts at 9:30 p.m. Don&amp;#8217;t forget your pillows!

Also happening this weekend (Friday, Oct. 23) is the 13th Annual Horrorama at Englewood Cinema. Horrorama 2009 features Pumpkinhead, The Unseen, Tourist Trap and Nightmare and is hosted by Dr. Creep. The event will also have prizes and contests.

Tickets are $11 in advance and $13 the day of the show. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Coming up next week on Thursday, Oct. 29 at the Cinema De Lux 14: The Greene and Springdale 18: Cinema De Lux is the &amp;#8220;Quadruple By-Pass&amp;#8221; featuring: Werewolf in a Girls Dormitory, The Bat, A Bucket of Blood and Night of the Living Dead. The event will feature a costume contest and prizes.

You can see all 4 movies for $12 or see them individually for $5 each. The first film starts at 6 p.m.

So, what scary movies are you going to take in this weekend?

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<guid isPermaLink="false">15326003@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-10-20T16:59:21-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>Gabriel Brothers Halloween items 30%-50% off</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/10/19/gabriel_brothers_halloween_ite.html</link>
<description>Gabriel Brothers stores have marked down their Halloween merchandise 30-50% off already. I checked out the selection at the Beavercreek store over the weekend and found some nice decorations (including signs, airblown inflatables, a standing witch and cauldron and more)....</description>
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Gabriel Brothers stores have marked down their Halloween merchandise 30-50% off already.

I checked out the selection at the Beavercreek store over the weekend and found some nice decorations (including signs, airblown inflatables, a standing witch and cauldron and more). They also had a small selection of costumes and costume accessories.

Over the weekend, the costumes were up to 50% off and the decor was 30% off.

There are 3 area Gabes stores. One in Beavercreek, one in Sharonville and one in Cincinnati.

If you&amp;#8217;ve never been to a Gabriel Brothers store, they can take some getting used to. They have a large selection of clothing (kids-teens-adults-plus), kitchen and housewares, shoes, seasonal items, rugs, and a newly added home decor area.

Sometimes I can go in and find absolutely nothing that I want and be completely unimpressed and other times it&amp;#8217;s possible to spend quite a while combing through the clothing racks and walk out with a number of great finds.

What have you found at Gabriel Brothers?

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<guid isPermaLink="false">15307003@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-10-19T14:13:08-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>What are you going to be for Halloween this year?</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/10/06/what_are_you_going_to_be_for_h_1.html</link>
<description>It&amp;#8217;s a little over 3 weeks until Halloween. Have you decided what you&amp;#8217;re going to dress up as (or what your kids will be)? If you&amp;#8217;re making your own costume the time is now to get started on it. Better...</description>
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It&amp;#8217;s a little over 3 weeks until Halloween. Have you decided what you&amp;#8217;re going to dress up as (or what your kids will be)?

If you&amp;#8217;re making your own costume the time is now to get started on it. Better to have it ready in plenty of time than to be sewing or pinning items on at the last minute.

Given that most pre-made costumes cost anywhere from $15-$100+ it can be significantly cheaper to make your own from materials you already have or items you find at a thrift store.

This black lab costume placed at a past Halloween costume contest

I attend a costume contest and parade in Fairborn almost every year. Year after year, it&amp;#8217;s not the store-bought costumes that win the top prizes. The winners are usually the unique, home-made ones.

If you need some costume inspiration just look around. Pop culture often dictates what the popular costumes are each year. This year it&amp;#8217;s expected that Michael Jackson costumes (from various stages of his life) will be popular. Thriller anyone? Other movies and TV shows that might lead to some popular costumes this year: My Bloody Valentine 3D, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Monsters vs. Aliens, Coraline, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, G-Force, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Hannah Montana: The Movie, True Blood and Glee.

If you need some help figuring out the logistics of making your own costume this Web site offers ideas, instructions and costs by way of user-submitted information. They offer ideas (and photos) for couple and group costumes, celebrities, occupational, baby, popular characters, food costumes and more. 


Will you be making your own Halloween costumes this year?(polls)


So, what are you going to be?

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<guid isPermaLink="false">15120003@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-10-06T12:45:59-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
</item>
<item>
<title>Happy October! Are you ready for Halloween?</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/10/01/happy_october_are_you_ready_fo.html</link>
<description>It&amp;#8217;s the 1st of October and I&amp;#8217;ve barely gotten started putting up my Halloween decorations. I&amp;#8217;ve put up a few things inside, but absolutely nothing outside yet. In the last few days I&amp;#8217;ve spotted a few decorated homes in the...</description>
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It&amp;#8217;s the 1st of October and I&amp;#8217;ve barely gotten started putting up my Halloween decorations. I&amp;#8217;ve put up a few things inside, but absolutely nothing outside yet.

In the last few days I&amp;#8217;ve spotted a few decorated homes in the area, but it&amp;#8217;s been pretty minimal so far.

I usually like to have decorated by Oct. 1 so I can enjoy the decor all month long, but I&amp;#8217;m feeling pretty behind this year. It takes a lot of work to get the decorations out and put up and I don&amp;#8217;t want to go through all that work to enjoy it for only a few weeks.

How about you? Have you decorated or do you think it&amp;#8217;s too early? Or, are you like me and just running behind schedule this year?


Have you decorated for Halloween yet?(survey)


</content>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">15036703@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-10-01T09:54:05-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
</item>
<item>
<title>Spooky soaps keep things clean and smelling of fall</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/09/30/spooky_soaps_keep_things_clean.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[Bath &amp; Body Works&#8217; has &#8220;opened&#8221; their Halloween Shop, which they&#8217;ve dubbed the &#8220;Halloween Boo-tique.&#8221; They don&#8217;t seem to have as big of a selection this year as they have in the past, but they do have a foaming, jack-o-lantern...]]></description>
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<![CDATA[Bath &amp; Body Works&#8217; has &#8220;opened&#8221; their Halloween Shop, which they&#8217;ve dubbed the &#8220;Halloween Boo-tique.&#8221;

They don&#8217;t seem to have as big of a selection this year as they have in the past, but they do have a foaming, jack-o-lantern shaped soap dispenser this year in addition to the pumpkin &#8220;patch&#8221; shaped dispenser of their regular hand soap. Both are available in the Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin scent.

They&#8217;ve also got a pumpkin shaped bath sponge, soft Halloween socks in orange/black and purple/green and Wallflowers diffusers in pumpkin, haunted house and ghost designs.

Other scents for fall are: Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Leaves, Creamy Caramel, Pumpkin Patch, Spiced Cider and Vanilla Caramel.
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<guid isPermaLink="false">15023803@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-09-30T13:29:24-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
</item>
<item>
<title>Halloween areas finally taking shape</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/09/25/halloween_areas_finally_taking.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[Maybe it&#8217;s the economy &mdash; fewer employees, ordering less seasonal merchandise, trying to get the most out of the previous season &mdash; but it seems that many stores have been taking their sweet time getting out all of their Halloween...]]></description>
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<![CDATA[Maybe it&#8217;s the economy &mdash; fewer employees, ordering less seasonal merchandise, trying to get the most out of the previous season &mdash; but it seems that many stores have been taking their sweet time getting out all of their Halloween merchandise.

Target, Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree and others are among some of the stores that I&#8217;ve seen drag out the set up for at least a few weeks leaving empty shelves just waiting for ghoulish delights.

But, at long last most of these sections are starting to take shape. 

A recent visit to Target revealed a great selection of candy filling the aisles as well as the usual aisle of baking and other unique Halloween food and drink items including: spooky drink mixes, gummy eye balls and brains for your drinks, Halloween themed sodas (cans and glass bottled Jones sodas).

Target&#8217;s focus this year for Halloween seems to be the Skelanimals &mdash; animals with skeleton faces and limbs. They&#8217;ve got them featured in party supplies and decorations as well as clothing.

They&#8217;ve also got a good selection of monster-themed decorations and party supplies as well as their usual assortment of decorations, lights and party supplies.

At last check, Wal-Mart was still putting stuff out but they did have a good selection of Halloween party favors out including: pencil packs ($2 for a package of 24 pencils &mdash; this is a better deal than most dollar stores have on Halloween pencils), wide variety of glow sticks and necklaces in all colors, flashlights and more items that are $1-$2 each.

What cool Halloween items have you found (or purchased) so far?
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<guid isPermaLink="false">14947503@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-09-25T10:10:31-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>Kroger gets ready to scare up Halloween fun</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/09/12/kroger_gets_ready_to_scare_up.html</link>
<description>The Kroger store in Fairborn has started to put out their Halloween merchandise for the season. In the center/seasonal aisle they&amp;#8217;ve got Halloween candy, decorations, a few costume items and party favors as well as general fall items. I also...</description>
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The Kroger store in Fairborn has started to put out their Halloween merchandise for the season.

In the center/seasonal aisle they&amp;#8217;ve got Halloween candy, decorations, a few costume items and party favors as well as general fall items.

I also noted a fun Halloween display near the beer aisle where they turned a pillar in the store into a spooky black tree and placed a life-size witch underneath it stirring a &amp;#8220;burning&amp;#8221; &amp;#8220;cauldron.&amp;#8221; The cauldron is actually a perfectly shaped and sized beer container and the flames are made from a variety of paper and metallic tissue paper sheets. 

The shelf above the beer aisle has Halloween signs and artwork on display as well.

Has your Kroger store decorated or started to put out Halloween items?

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<guid isPermaLink="false">14734003@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-09-12T12:01:00-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>Lowes Halloween selection surprising, good</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/09/11/lowes_halloween_selection_surp.html</link>
<description>I have to admit, when I walked into the Beavercreek Lowes store on Thursday night, I was a little surprised by the amount of Halloween items they had on display. I expected a few big items (some inflatables, maybe some...</description>
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I have to admit, when I walked into the Beavercreek Lowes store on Thursday night, I was a little surprised by the amount of Halloween items they had on display. 

I expected a few big items (some inflatables, maybe some lights) but I was pleased to find some unique inflatables, life-sized witches, skeletons and other figures, a good selection of lights and other fun items (shaking heads and Giggle Buddies among them).

Among the inflatables: An animated black cat and animated spider (the spider was catching a lot of attention from those walking by!), a &amp;#8220;hot rod&amp;#8221; hearse and others. 

They did have one neat item that I haven&amp;#8217;t seen elsewhere yet: A 5ft tall lighted skeleton. It&amp;#8217;s indoor/outdoor and uses cool white lights making the clear coloring glow brightly.

The Lowes Web site has many of the items featured in the store, but not all.

I also ventured out to the area that houses the garden center in the warmer months and found that they are starting to put out Christmas lights and decorations.

Tip: If you&amp;#8217;re wanting to buy purple or orange lights for Halloween use, I recommend heading to the holiday section at Lowes. They have boxes of 100 mini-lights in purple and golden yellow (closest thing to orange) for less than $3. Everywhere I&amp;#8217;ve seen purple light strings marked as Halloween, they&amp;#8217;ve been at least $3 and up to $6 or $7. They also have a few other color choices as well as the traditional multi-strands.

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<guid isPermaLink="false">14733803@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-09-11T15:25:40-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>QVC&apos;s Halloween Spooktacular</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/09/10/qvcs_halloween_spooktacular.html</link>
<description>QVC recently aired a special on Spirit Halloween items, but if you missed it, don&amp;#8217;t worry. They&amp;#8217;ve got a whole section of their Web site devoted to their Halloween Spooktacular. Available items and collections include: kids and adult costumes, Spirit...</description>
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<![CDATA[QVC recently aired a special on Spirit Halloween items, but if you missed it, don&#8217;t worry. They&#8217;ve got a whole section of their Web site devoted to their Halloween Spooktacular.

Available items and collections include: kids and adult costumes, Spirit Halloween decorations and props, Jim Shore and Quacker Factory Home decor items and &#8220;boo-tiful décor&#8221; ranging from full-size figures and &#8220;greeters&#8221; to lanterns, windchimes and light sets.

If you enjoy the laughter more than the scares when it comes to Halloween, I recommend checking out their &#8220;Giggle Buddies.&#8221; I&#8217;ve seen these animated &#8220;people&#8221; in action and they are hilarious and inspire contagious laughter as they giggle and say funny things as you walk by. They are currently priced at $21.23 + S&amp;H.
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<guid isPermaLink="false">14698403@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-09-10T08:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>2nd Beavercreek Halloween store open</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/09/09/2nd_beavercreek_halloween_stor.html</link>
<description>*UPDATE: As of Wednesday night, Halloween USA was open for business. The Halloween Express store in Beavercreek has opened for the season. As I noted recently, the Beavercreek store is once again located behind the Chili&amp;#8217;s and next to Rex...</description>
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*UPDATE: As of Wednesday night, Halloween USA was open for business. 

The Halloween Express store in Beavercreek has opened for the season. As I noted recently, the Beavercreek store is once again located behind the Chili&amp;#8217;s and next to Rex on the corner of N. Fairfield Rd. and New Germany Trebein.

Halloween USA is coming soon.

But HE is not the only Halloween store opening in Beavercreek this year. While driving down N. Fairfield over the weekend I spotted that familiar neon orange on a shopping center sign and discovered that Halloween USA is opening a store in the former Circuit City building. It&amp;#8217;s next to the Barnes and Noble store and behind the LongHorn Steakhouse. Last year, Halloween USA in Beavercreek was in the Walmart shopping center. *A sign in the window indicates that it&amp;#8217;s &amp;#8220;coming soon.&amp;#8221;

Where have you spotted Halloween stores preparing to open?

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<guid isPermaLink="false">14693603@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-09-09T10:44:41-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>Ready to get scared out of your mind?</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/09/04/ready_to_get_scared_out_of_you.html</link>
<description>It may seem a little early for haunted houses, but if you&amp;#8217;re ready to scream, you can start getting scared tonight if you head to Middletown. Middletown&amp;#8217;s Land of Illusion opens tonight at dark and features The Middletown Haunted Trail,...</description>
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<![CDATA[It may seem a little early for haunted houses, but if you&#8217;re ready to scream, you can start getting scared tonight if you head to Middletown. 

Middletown&#8217;s Land of Illusion opens tonight at dark and features The Middletown Haunted Trail, Dr. Psycho&#8217;s Haunted Estate, 3-D Killer Klowns and the Temple of Terror.

Dr. Psycho&#8217;s Haunted Estate. Photo by Pat Auckerman

It&#8217;ll cost you anywhere from $15-$40 a person depending on which &#8220;terrors&#8221; you wish to partake in, but the atmosphere, setup and scares are pretty good here. I haven&#8217;t been for a few years but the last time I was there I left sufficiently scared out of my wits.

.com/galleries/2009landofillusion/">&gt;&gt; Get a sneak peek at the Land of Illusion

If scares aren&#8217;t your thing, there are at least 5 area corn mazes open (or opening) this weekend as well. The beauty of a corn maze is that it usually takes place in broad daylight, free from ghouls, goblins and other creatures that go bump in the night &mdash; making it perfect for scaredy-cats (like me!), children and families alike.

If you&#8217;re looking for a particular haunt, you can check out our list of 2009 area haunted houses to find out when it will open.
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<guid isPermaLink="false">14634503@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/</guid>
<dc:subject>Halloween</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-09-04T15:24:23-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
</item>
<item>
<title>Halloween arrives at Target</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/09/01/halloween_arrives_at_target.html</link>
<description>This crisp air seems to be putting everyone in the mindset of fall and with that comes my favorite holiday of the year: Halloween. The past few years I&amp;#8217;ve heard lots of people remarking that it was &amp;#8220;too early&amp;#8221; when...</description>
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This crisp air seems to be putting everyone in the mindset of fall and with that comes my favorite holiday of the year: Halloween. 

The past few years I&amp;#8217;ve heard lots of people remarking that it was &amp;#8220;too early&amp;#8221; when Halloween stuff started appearing in stores in August. It seems like stores might have taken note though for this year. September has arrived and with it the first batches of Halloween stuff in some discount stores. Specialty shops have put out things slowly over the last several months but aside from that, most stores seem to be waiting until at least September (that&amp;#8217;s today!) to put stuff out. Another possibility? Stores are trying to get as much out of their back-to-school merchandise as possible. And that means keeping it out longer.

Last night  (Monday) I went to the Beavercreek Target and discovered that the Halloween section (back corner of the store in the seasonal area) is starting to fill up with spooky Halloween items. Shelf tags were in place and some items were already out &amp;#8212; including a set of color-changing skull lights that blink and change colors to the tune of the &amp;#8220;Halloween&amp;#8221; movie theme song, a &amp;#8220;bleeding&amp;#8221; skull candle, many talking skeletons and ghouls, trick-or-treat bags/buckets and more.

I was told at the Beavercreek Wal-Mart that their Halloween items should be out in early September and hopefully this week.

A fellow shopper said she saw Halloween candy being put out at Discount Drug Mart the other day.

Where have you spotted Halloween items being put on display?

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<dc:subject></dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-09-01T10:50:37-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<title>Halloween seasonal shops opening soon</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/08/24/halloween_seasonal_shops_openi.html</link>
<description>Every fall some of the empty store-fronts in area shopping centers find themselves with some new seasonal tenants: Halloween specialty stores. These stores carry a wide variety of costumes and most carry a large selection of Halloween decor - and...</description>
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Every fall some of the empty store-fronts in area shopping centers find themselves with some new seasonal tenants: Halloween specialty stores. These stores carry a wide variety of costumes and most carry a large selection of Halloween decor - and in some cases, the more gore, the better. Watch out for random faux snakes and spiders and demonic body-less heads while you&amp;#8217;re walking around them though.

In Beavercreek, the Halloween Express store is preparing to open for the season. Once again it&amp;#8217;s located behind Chili&amp;#8217;s in the Rex shopping center as it was in 2008. 

A sign on the door indicates that it will be opening soon and the Halloween Express Web site says stores will be opening in August through early September.

The store locator on their site lists stores in Miamisburg, West Chester and Cincinnati as well.

Another seasonal store, Halloween USA does not have a store locator, but does have a listing of stores where they have temporary job openings. 

Those locations include, among others in Ohio: Bellefontaine, Dayton, Springfield, Cincinnati and Columbus.

Have you spotted any Halloween shops opening in your community? Share the stores and locations below!

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<dc:date>2009-08-24T13:55:28-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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<title>Halloween, Christmas in full swing at Flower Factory</title>

    

    


<link>http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/holiday/entries/2009/08/12/halloween_christmas_in_full_sw.html</link>
<description>If you&amp;#8217;re looking for Halloween decorations, novelties and more, Flower Factory could be your new favorite store. I went to the Miamisburg-Centerville Road (725) location on Tuesday and found the store already abuzz with the Halloween spirit. Everything from signs...</description>
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If you&amp;#8217;re looking for Halloween decorations, novelties and more, Flower Factory could be your new favorite store. I went to the Miamisburg-Centerville Road (725) location on Tuesday and found the store already abuzz with the Halloween spirit. Everything from signs and pumpkins to inflatable haunted houses and spooky moving &amp;#8220;trees&amp;#8221; can be found within the first 2 -3 aisles of the store. I also found a few endcaps throughout the store with more Halloween decorations and party supplies. 

If Halloween&amp;#8217;s not your thing and you&amp;#8217;re just waiting for it to be over and winter to begin, you&amp;#8217;ll be a happy shopper as well. Just beyond the aisles of Halloween items you&amp;#8217;ll find that they&amp;#8217;ve already put out a lot of Christmas and winter decorations and gift items. They&amp;#8217;ve got everything from snowmen to Santa in the form of figurines, signs, ornaments and more. In the back of the store (past the color coordinated party supplies) they&amp;#8217;ve started putting out outdoor Christmas decorations (lights, lighted figures, etc.) and ornaments. 

One word of caution though: Watch what you&amp;#8217;re buying. I&amp;#8217;ve found a lot of great deals at the Flower Factory but I&amp;#8217;ve also spotted some items where I could get the same thing or something similar elsewhere at a better price. 

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<dc:subject>Shopping &amp; Gift Giving</dc:subject>
<dc:date>2009-08-12T12:05:24-05:00</dc:date>
<dc:creator>hmcnabb@coxohio.com</dc:creator>
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