JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

A ghost costume seems odd for Snoopy - were his World War I flying ace goggles being repaired? Also don't recall "gooey stuff in our hair" being a part of Halloween ritual, unless (a) it refers to coloured hairspray being applied too liberally, (b) liquid latex or face putty application went wrong, or (c) it was habit for kids to stick their chewed-up Chiclets or Double Bubble in a friend's hair. A little Peanuts happy dance is a fine way to welcome Halloween. Fingers crossed rain stays away for trick-o-treaters or anyone planning to hit Toronto's Halloween hotspots tonight. One piece of advice: Church Street is fantastic for observing the creativity people put into their costumes (like last year's Lego people and Barbie in a box ) in a party-like atmosphere, but is not recommended for the claustrophobic once half the city descends upon the closed-off stretch.

Have you sent the Great Pumpkin a card (or ecard) yet? Time's a-wastin'! Get to it! Now! No delay! Judging from the glint in his eyes, it looks like Snoopy knows what Linus is getting from the Great Pumpkin this year, doesn't it? It probably won't be Bing Crosby warbling this ode to the monarch of the pumpkin patch.

While out in the pumpkin patch, you can play fun games involving a dash of romance with other vegetables growing nearby. Take this suggestion from the "Hallow-e'en" chapter of Mary E. Blain's 1909 guide to merriment, Games For All Occasions : PULLED KALE All are blindfolded and go out singly or hand-in-hand to garden. Groping about they pull up first stalk of kale or head of cabbage. If stalk comes up easily the sweetheart will be easy to win; if the reverse, hard to win. The shape of the stump will hint at figure of prospective wife or husband. Its length will suggest age. If much soil clings to it, life-partner will be rich; if not, poor. Finally, the stump is carried home and hung over door, first person outside of family who passed under it will bear a name whose initial is same as that of sweetheart. Even with the change of season, it's not the same without the chestnuts roasting on an open fire. I'd suggest roasting pumpkin seeds, but the wrath o...

Several days before Halloween, Snoopy and Woodstock tested the lone tree in the pumpkin patch to see if it would support them in case they dressed up like bats or vampires. The odds of those costumes being their final choice was low: every year, the World War I flying ace was on the prowl for root beer and the dastardly Red Baron. The Great Pumpkin that Linus carved wasn't as comfy as Snoopy's doghouse, but it was good enough for a quick nap. As he drifted off, the beagle wondered who would warble this carol better: Fred Astaire or Frank Sinatra ? To be continued...

While recently cleaning around my desk, I found a booklet that fits the season: a collection of Halloween carols courtesy of the Peanuts gang. Published by Hallmark, possibly in the late 1960s, it provides a perfect accompaniment to your annual viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown . While the booklet may not make you sing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" like the special does... ...it offers a pumpkin-laced spin on a variety of Christmas carols and songs. The fear of diehard believers in the Great Pumpkin like Linus that Halloween was becoming a "forgotten holiday" proved groundless, though the universe still doesn't resound with pumpkin carols. Based on the picture, it's day 12 of Sally showering her "sweet babboo" with holiday gifts. It's possible that these aren't really bats, but members of Woodstock's Beagle Scout troop costumed by Ms. Brown. Out of all of the carols in the booklet, this one is the most ...

Take one purveyor of tasty hipster pickles . Combine with a venerable Detroit snack food manufacturer . Use one of Motown's finest food destinations as a backdrop for testing the new concoction. Result: splitting a bag of McClure's Spicy Pickle chips with your partner-in-crime on a warm Canadian Thanksgiving weekend morning while walking by rows of beautiful potted plants. Photo taken October 8, 2011 UPDATE OCT 15/11 : You can purchase both flavours at Scheffler's Deli at St. Lawrence Market ($1.59/bag). We tried the Garlic Pickle flavour and while tasty, they lacked the zestyness of the Spicy Pickle chips. Worth a try once you've finished going through all the cheese and meat samples.