👻🎃 Halloween Gala Thread 🎃👻 October 31, 2024 8:53 AM Subscribe
I know some of you already dressed up and went to your parties last weekend. And some of you have parties this weekend. And tonight (in the US) it trick-or-treat free-for-all. How have you decorated? What are you wearing?
We'll showcase the costumes during the podcast (scheduled to be recorded November 11) and pick three winners who will all get a free copy of the Pet Tax wall and the digital cookbook.
Loose categories.
* Spookiest costume
* Simple but effective
* Best Overall Costume
Show us what you've got!
We'll showcase the costumes during the podcast (scheduled to be recorded November 11) and pick three winners who will all get a free copy of the Pet Tax wall and the digital cookbook.
Loose categories.
* Spookiest costume
* Simple but effective
* Best Overall Costume
Show us what you've got!
I don't have any parties to go to but I am signed up for the neighborhood tricky treaters, so I will wear my default witch outfit (its not a costume if you are really a witch, right?) and answer the door with a cackle to hand out the candy. I love Halloween and I love making it fun for the neighborhood kids. if I can manage a photo later I will add. its a very generic witch outfit, unlikely to be a contender in any contest.
posted by supermedusa at 11:17 AM on October 31 [2 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 11:17 AM on October 31 [2 favorites]
No dress-up this year, but as penance I bring good tidings of Japan’s Jimi ‘Mundane’ Halloween Costumes of 2024:
Happy Jimi Halloween to everyone who celebrates. It’s that wonderful time of year when our favorite Japanese festival, Jimi Halloween, is on full display. Mundane Halloween, as we coined it back in 2018, is when people dress up in costumes so mundane they have to be explained.posted by Rhaomi at 11:39 AM on October 31 [6 favorites]
The tradition was started in 2014 by a group of adults at Daily Portal Z who kind of wanted to participate in the festivities of Halloween, but were too embarrassed to go all out in witch or zombie costumes. So instead of the flashy and flamboyant costumes they had been seeing gain popularity in Japan, they decided to dress up in mundane, everyday costumes.
Can someone explain the fundraiser aspect of this gala? It’s not really clear from where I’m standing, but I’m starting to suspect that maybe I’m just too stupid to understand the current fundraising strategy.
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 1:01 PM on October 31 [3 favorites]
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 1:01 PM on October 31 [3 favorites]
This is my super bowl. I don't care how old you are, I don't care if you're wearing a costume, I don't care if you say trick or treat or please and thank you; if you come to my house today, you get goodies. I love giving out trick or treat so much, it's my favorite holiday activity.
I will not be wearing a costume, I hate dressing up. 2nd year running on my official Halloween sweatshirt feat. a little orange handed ghost that says trick or takis.
context on the dino
posted by phunniemee at 1:55 PM on October 31 [12 favorites]
I will not be wearing a costume, I hate dressing up. 2nd year running on my official Halloween sweatshirt feat. a little orange handed ghost that says trick or takis.
context on the dino
posted by phunniemee at 1:55 PM on October 31 [12 favorites]
Krazor: Me as Harry from Disco Elysium
YESSS! You even got the tie! If your tie starts talking to you it's because it's very wise and full of sage advice :D
posted by capricorn at 2:15 PM on October 31
YESSS! You even got the tie! If your tie starts talking to you it's because it's very wise and full of sage advice :D
posted by capricorn at 2:15 PM on October 31
My first two customers took flamin hot Cheetos and a pack of colored pencils 🥹🥹🥹
posted by phunniemee at 2:31 PM on October 31 [3 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 2:31 PM on October 31 [3 favorites]
I am dressing up as a researcher and participating in data collection for my friends' long-running costume data collection process. Come for the candy, stay for the pie charts.
posted by gingerbeer at 2:42 PM on October 31 [3 favorites]
posted by gingerbeer at 2:42 PM on October 31 [3 favorites]
I'm not going out on Halloween (among other reasons I had a crack of dawn "let's give you a drug and see if you stop breathing" metacholine challenge which confirmed I do have untreated asthma), but earlier this month I attended a murder mystery dinner in the role of 1920s playboy failson Daniel Dapperton.
posted by brook horse at 3:23 PM on October 31 [1 favorite]
posted by brook horse at 3:23 PM on October 31 [1 favorite]
I'm a cathedral. I got this dress, though in a larger size that no longer looks available. I have no good angles in this place to take a decent photo right now. Things are feeling cramped in my space at the moment.
I actually inadvertently bought two of that dress, so if anyone else would like to be a cathedral in the future and is looking for a size larger than what's listed there, I might be able to help realize your cathedral dreams. It pairs really well with a gothy harness and/or belt, like what's shown there.
I haven't decided whether I'm going out yet (it's NYC, so still early). There are at least two parties I could go to where I'd know people. But I realized as I was trying to decide what to do tonight that I would rather be sitting in a house with a big decorated front porch, watching a spooky movie and/or listening to some darkwave or psychobilly, maybe doing a tarot reading or similar, and giving out candy. I'm currently feeling wistful for that alternate reality and/or future.
posted by limeonaire at 6:40 PM on October 31 [4 favorites]
I actually inadvertently bought two of that dress, so if anyone else would like to be a cathedral in the future and is looking for a size larger than what's listed there, I might be able to help realize your cathedral dreams. It pairs really well with a gothy harness and/or belt, like what's shown there.
I haven't decided whether I'm going out yet (it's NYC, so still early). There are at least two parties I could go to where I'd know people. But I realized as I was trying to decide what to do tonight that I would rather be sitting in a house with a big decorated front porch, watching a spooky movie and/or listening to some darkwave or psychobilly, maybe doing a tarot reading or similar, and giving out candy. I'm currently feeling wistful for that alternate reality and/or future.
posted by limeonaire at 6:40 PM on October 31 [4 favorites]
I guess this can be seen in my Instagram story for just the rest of today, so this is my costume contest entry, heh.
posted by limeonaire at 6:11 AM on November 1
posted by limeonaire at 6:11 AM on November 1
I don't have a solo photo to post, but I was at a Halloween dinner / 101st birthday party where I was the youngest guest by several decades. I was an apple. Excellent costumes seen there included "a Black Widow from an Agatha Christie novel" (wearing her MIL's formal hat that I'd guess was from the 1920s), and a man in a wheelchair who was both an alien and an alien abductee.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:40 AM on November 1
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:40 AM on November 1
The most polite visitor we had last night was dressed up as a serial killer in a fancy, store-bought costume (with much fake blood).
He had a scary voice-altering device, too, which made the guttural, grinding, "Thank you very much!" quite charming.
Warm, dry weather with little wind here in New England, so the fire-pit was unnecessary; most trick-or-treaters since we moved here in 2010, about 90 (plus more who wouldn't come up the driveway).
posted by wenestvedt at 6:51 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]
He had a scary voice-altering device, too, which made the guttural, grinding, "Thank you very much!" quite charming.
Warm, dry weather with little wind here in New England, so the fire-pit was unnecessary; most trick-or-treaters since we moved here in 2010, about 90 (plus more who wouldn't come up the driveway).
posted by wenestvedt at 6:51 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]
The most polite visitor we had
Unless there was a parent nearby instructing to take only one thing, I told every kid they could choose two items from my table of stuff.
A 12ish year old boy stood and quietly deliberated for nearly two full minutes before selecting a single pencil and a granola bar, looking up at me with a huge grin, and waving goodbye.
posted by phunniemee at 7:00 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]
Unless there was a parent nearby instructing to take only one thing, I told every kid they could choose two items from my table of stuff.
A 12ish year old boy stood and quietly deliberated for nearly two full minutes before selecting a single pencil and a granola bar, looking up at me with a huge grin, and waving goodbye.
posted by phunniemee at 7:00 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]
(Instagram makes stories impossible to link to in an easy persistent way, so for anyone who actually takes a look, that link above is apparently to the highlight I put it in, and my dress photo is the last story in the highlight.)
posted by limeonaire at 7:17 AM on November 1
posted by limeonaire at 7:17 AM on November 1
We went trick or treating! (instagram link.) It was cold but we had about an hour before it started really raining, which was a perfect amount of time for Three. This was her first time and she took to it like a natural. She was Sally - she was adamant - and her Mom was Jack and I basically wimped out on a costume: just wore some stuff with skeletons on it, said I was a fortune teller, and pulled the wagon.
We saw: a family of inflatable dinosaurs, who actually made Three a little nervous. A stroller converted into a fire engine complete with flashing lights and sirens. So many great costumes I can’t even remember. And fantastic decorations as well. I love Halloween and it’s something Astoria does well. I even approve of letting teens keep on trick or treating - there were lots of groups of rowdy teens, all in costume, all having a blast, and it was great. I love how multi generational Halloween has become.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:29 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]
We saw: a family of inflatable dinosaurs, who actually made Three a little nervous. A stroller converted into a fire engine complete with flashing lights and sirens. So many great costumes I can’t even remember. And fantastic decorations as well. I love Halloween and it’s something Astoria does well. I even approve of letting teens keep on trick or treating - there were lots of groups of rowdy teens, all in costume, all having a blast, and it was great. I love how multi generational Halloween has become.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:29 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]
Best group costume I saw last night was Kiss - the band. Four family members of varying ages, with perfect makeup, guitars, shoes, and a speaker blaring Kiss songs. Best individual was the kid in a homemade costume as a vending machine, complete with actual snacks. Honorable mention goes to the Duolingo owl, wearing a sign that said "Beg for your life in Chinese and I'll give you candy," which one of our household took him up on and won the candy.
As the owner of an inflatable T-rex costume myself, I take close note of the inflatable category, which has grown exponentially in the last couple of years. This year, in addition to multiple dinosaurs, I saw a hedgehog, capybara, flamingo, chicken, spider, unicorn skeleton, Pickachu, Godzilla, banana, many aliens abducting children, and a dragon, plus several characters from games I don't play or IPs I don't know (Fall Guy?).
posted by gingerbeer at 10:53 AM on November 1 [4 favorites]
As the owner of an inflatable T-rex costume myself, I take close note of the inflatable category, which has grown exponentially in the last couple of years. This year, in addition to multiple dinosaurs, I saw a hedgehog, capybara, flamingo, chicken, spider, unicorn skeleton, Pickachu, Godzilla, banana, many aliens abducting children, and a dragon, plus several characters from games I don't play or IPs I don't know (Fall Guy?).
posted by gingerbeer at 10:53 AM on November 1 [4 favorites]
I showed up on the company Teams call in my Michael Myers mask and jumpsuit and sat perfectly still and silent. After they'd decided it was a still image, I began to slowly tilt my head and raise my (rubber) knife. It was fun.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:21 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:21 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]
Can someone explain the fundraiser aspect of this gala?
I've read the post 5 times and I see no mention of a fundraiser aspect.
posted by axiom at 11:36 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]
I've read the post 5 times and I see no mention of a fundraiser aspect.
posted by axiom at 11:36 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]
I suspect that since galas are often associated with fundraisers, an accidental bridge was made between the two for this post.
posted by Atreides at 11:39 AM on November 1
posted by Atreides at 11:39 AM on November 1
The Halloween Gala was listed as a fundraiser in this thread.
posted by soelo at 11:44 AM on November 1 [6 favorites]
posted by soelo at 11:44 AM on November 1 [6 favorites]
Having a gala was listed in the fundraiser threads as being part of the fundraiser.
posted by lapis at 11:45 AM on November 1 [3 favorites]
**Timeline:** The fundraising campaign will run for the remainder of August and the entire month of September. So you have plenty of time to make your contribution.and then
**What to expect:**
Ask the Mods Anything 2.0: This time we’ll be making a podcast where I’m interviewed by Jessamyn and members can vote on which questions get to be asked via one time contributions.
Early Access to the new MetaFilter: Get access to the new site’s test environment for any member with an active subscription.
Pet Tax Wall: Submit your pet pictures to share with the community and help us build a full virtual wall of MetaFilter Pets. We’ll then print a copy of the MeFi wall for auction.
The Joy of MeFi Cooking: A recipe book with recipes from other Mefites.
MeFi Virtual Gala: Try your best attire and share it with the community.
FundraisingSo it was presented as being part of the fundraiser, though I guess it never said that its purpose was to raise funds. That's generally what "gala" implies, though.
– We have raised $11,959.00 in one time contributions and $340.00 in new Subscriptions. These contributions are a huge lift and we’ll work with the Community Foundation to put that extra revenue to good use.
We’ll wrap the fundraising by the end of this month with the release of the new site’s MVP, the MeFi Cookbook, the Pet Tax wall, the AMA Podcast and a special Halloween Virtual Gala.
posted by lapis at 11:45 AM on November 1 [3 favorites]
That's generally what "gala" implies, though.
I think it was decided to just have this be a costume contest. If you'd like to discuss other aspects of fundraising please feel free to post in the Site Update thread. I was just helping out by posting this one.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:32 PM on November 1 [3 favorites]
I think it was decided to just have this be a costume contest. If you'd like to discuss other aspects of fundraising please feel free to post in the Site Update thread. I was just helping out by posting this one.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:32 PM on November 1 [3 favorites]
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posted by Krazor at 9:16 AM on October 31 [8 favorites]