A Gilded Age Thankgsiving
For a brief time in our history, during the Victorian and Gilded Ages, Thanksgiving was a more formal and elaborate event that often didn’t even include turkey.
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To Light the Bonfire
It’s November 5, also known as Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night. While it’s a night of fun and festivities, it used to be the night of treasonous plots and burning bones. And, there’s a cake!
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Three Days of Spooks, Saints, & Souls
It’s November First, also known as All Saints Day, the second in a three-day celebration that celebrates the living and the dead.
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A’Souling on Halloween
A brief history behind the tradition of A’Souling and the reasons why I updated the traditional soul cakes recipe to a delicious shortbread PB&J version.
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Young Goodman Brown
I hope you enjoy this public domain reprint of one of the scariest short stories ever written that takes place during the Salem Witch Trials.
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Thank goodness for the public domain, especially when it comes to my favorite fall stories. So grab a cup of tea and reread The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, just in time for Halloween.
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Sarah Munro’s Black Pepper & Elderberry Vinegar
Elderberries aren’t just great sources of Vitamin C. They are tied to Halloween through the legend of Holle, the guardian of the dead and considered the first witch of Europe.
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Abhartach: The Celtic Vampire
Yes, there were vampires in Ireland and they inspired Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula.
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Elizabeth Marie Pope’s Perilous Gard
A brief introduction to the acclaimed YA author Elizabeth Marie Pope and her Newberry Honor novel The Perilous Gard.
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Movie Review: The VVitch
The Halloween horror movie The Witch is a tense, psychological family drama. But the writing element I loved the most was the subtle-yet-powerful Inciting Incident that sets of a tragic chain of events that kept me watching until the bitter (and violent) end.
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Legend of the Jack O’Lantern
It’s that time of year again to start carving pumpkins. But did you know that we make Jack 0’Lanterns because Stingy Jack once outwitted the devil?
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Michaelmas and Blackberry Hand Pies
Today is Michaelmas and it’s also the last day to pick blackberries. I’m celebrating by making homemade blackberry hand pies.
