The whole spirit of Hallowe’en is, of course, one of “spooky”
gayety and light-hearted ghastliness. Witches and ghosts run
riot; corpses dance and black cats howl. “More work for the
undertaker” should be the leitmotif of the evening’s fun.
The moribund spirit can be delightfully observed, first of all,
in the preparation of the invitations. I know of one hostess, for
instance, who gained a great reputation for originality by
enclosing a dead fish with each bidding to the evening’s
gayeties. It is, of course, not at all necessary to follow her
example to the letter; the enclosure of anything dead will
suffice, providing, of course, that it is not TOO dead. There is
such a thing as carrying a joke beyond the limits of propriety,
and the canons of good taste should always be respectfully
observed.
Another amusing way of preparing invitations is to cut out
colored paper in the shape of cats, witches, etc., upon which
appropriate verses are inscribed. Such as:
“Next Monday night is Hallowe’en,
You big stiff.”
or
“On Monday next comes All-Hallows-Even,
My grandmother’s maiden name was Stephens.”
or
“On Hallowe’en you may see a witch
If you don’t look out, you funny fellow.”
or
“Harry and I are giving a Hallowe’en party;
Harry says you owe him four dollars; please be prompt.
or
“Monday night the ghosts do dance;
Why didn’t you enlist and go to France,
You slacker?”
Another novel invitation is made by cutting a piece of yellow
paper thirteen inches long and four inches wide, and writing on
each inch one of the lines given below. Then begin at the bottom
and fold the paper up, inch by inch. Fasten the last turn down
with a “spooky” gummed sticker, and slip into a small envelope.
When the recipient unfolds the invitation, he will be surprised
to read the following:
Now what on earth
do you suppose
is in this
little folder
keep turning
ha ha ha
further
ha ha ha
further
ha ha ha,
further
ha ha ha
further
It would perhaps be best to telephone the next day to those
guests whom you really want, and give them further details as to
the date and time of the party. Additional fun can be gotten out
of this invitation by failing to put postage stamps on the
envelopes when you mail them; the two cents which each guest will
have to pay for postage due can be returned in a novel manner on
the night of the party by inserting them in sandwiches or stuffed
tomatoes.
For those who may wish to send out more elaborate invitations,
the following distinctly original plan is suggested: Procure a
number of small alarm clocks and a quantity of nitroglycerine or
other high explosive. Insert in each clock a small amount of the
nitroglycerine, being careful not to put too much; a quantity
sufficient to wreck a room 20 X 30 Will generally suffice. Then
arrange the alarm mechanism so that the explosion will occur at
12 midnight. Attach to the clock a card, neatly decorated with
witches, goblins, etc., on which is written
“Midnight is the mystic hour
Of yawning graves and coffins dour.
Beneath your bed this clock please hide
And when it strikes—you’ll be surprised.”
These clocks should then be delivered in the afternoon to those
of the guests whom you are merely inviting because they are your
husband’s business associates, or because they were nice to your
mother when she did her own work. Later on, in order to avoid
hard feelings on the part of relatives and friends of the
deceased, it might be well to explain to them that you sent the
clocks only in the spirit of Hallowe’en fun; it might even help
to invite them to one of your next parties.