The other day I was talking about my love for Halloween. Not much has changed in the past few days, it’s still my favorite holiday. It’s really a toss-up as to what I enjoy more: the costumes or the decorating. I mean, there’s no doubt that choosing a Halloween costume is almost as important as the construction of the costume itself. But while I love getting dressed up for Halloween, I think decorating the house takes the cake. I mean, there’s only so much you can do with a costume before it becomes overkill. The house decorations are fair game. In fact, I think the more you decorate, the better it looks. Last year I finally went out and picked up a fog machine (which I highly recommend), so now I’m looking for the next item to add to my Halloween collection.
As soon as I saw it, I knew that I had to have the Light Up Body Parts (Things You Never Knew Existed, $16.98) for this October. Seriously, nothing screams Fright Night like glowing limbs rising up out of the dirt. I think you could rock these on your front lawn all by themselves because flashing and red glowing body parts are pretty creepy. On the other hand, if you rigged up a nice graveyard scene and then stuck one of these nearby (the hand, perhaps), that could be eerie on a whole other level. The possibilities are certainly there, as the set includes one arm, one leg, one hand, and one foot to work into your Halloween scenery. And because the limbs run on batteries, you can place them virtually anywhere inside or outside without having to worry about outlet and extension cord issues.
As you’re crafting the perfect Halloween decor, try to stick to a theme. Maybe you want to scare the living daylights out of your neighbors? Then I wouldn’t put those cute illuminated blow-up figures on your lawn. Stick to screeching skulls or cackling witches. Along the same lines, it’s probably best not to make your house child/trick-or-treater friendly and then fashion a realistic looking corpse on your front porch. Just a few things to consider.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Includes 4 plastic body parts: 1 arm, 1 leg, 1 hand, and 1 foot
-Flash and glow an unearthly red
-On/off switch
-Indoor/outdoor
-Uses 2 AA batteries (not included)
-Made of plastic
For some reason, even though it seems like we don’t need to, we’re always trying to find new ways to enjoy our adult beverages. We can’t just sit around the house and have a beer, we have to have a wild house party or head out to the bar until the wee hours of the morning. Let’s say you are just sitting at home. Do you just watch TV and sip on your brew? Nope, you get some friends to come over so you can play Asshole or Fuck The Dealer. Or maybe you get really crazy and you set up a game of Beer Pong, Flip Cup, or Quarters. Do any of these things make the drinks taste any better? Maybe not, but it sure is a whole lot of fun!
Along those same lines, the Beer Blaster Liquid Shooter (ThinkGeek, $22.99) could really spruce up your next adult beverage tasting. See, this contraption not only adds a level of excitement to any get together, but there also aren’t any steadfast rules involved so you don’t have to worry about remembering whose turn it is or which card to put down. You’re pretty much just squirting each other with a healthy blast of carbonated hops. It’s up to you whether your goal is to inject a steady stream of beer into your friend’s open mouth (or your own, for that matter) or if you just want to have a friendly water fight, where water equals beer. This thing shoots up to 10 feet, so I’d say you’re pretty much covered during a beer fight. Also, it works with any standard 12oz beer can (or soda, if that’s your bag). All you have to do is shake up the can, slide it into the reservoir holder, and then lock the reservoir holder down. The final step will cause a small needle to puncture your can, and the carbonation will render it ready to the trigger activated blast stream.
Now, I know it’s silly that I have to mention this, but beverages are not included. I know, I know, you were hoping to score a nice six pack with purchase, but that’s just not the case. You’re gonna have to actually go to the grocery store. Crazy, I know.
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 9″ x 8″ x 3″
-For use with any standard 12oz beer/soda can
-Shoots up to 10 feet
-Trigger activated blast stream
-Integrated bottle opener
-Not dishwasher safe
-Beverages not included
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Easter was always kinda lame unless you were had a big sweet tooth, St.Patrick’s Day is just an excuse to get loaded (I’m sure you could find another one without it), and Christmas loses its luster once you become an adult. So what does that leave, but Halloween! Sure, some might say that the beginning of September is a bit too early to be thinking about October 31st, but I beg to differ. Any Halloween enthusiast knows that both a good costume and a rocking party take time to plan. I mean, paper-thin store bought costumes and a couple of bowls of stale candy corn do not a Halloween party make.
The key to a successful party is in the details. For example, the Illuminated Pumpkin Ice Cubes (Sur La Table, $12.95) are crazy awesome, especially because they are something your guests wouldn’t normally expect. I mean, ice cubes that light up? That’s like some sort of futuristic party item, isn’t it? Nope, it is very real. Complete with an on/off switch, this set of three ice cubes can be set to solid or strobe illumination action. They’re made of food safe acrylic, so it’s not like they’re one of these great ideas that isn’t exactly practical. You know, like “light up ice cubes that are made of toxic materials so you can’t put them anywhere near a beverage” aren’t as cool as you might think. Oh, and they’re even dishwasher safe so you can just throw them in there with the rest of the party ware at the end of the night, because I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I hate to do dishes.
I think my favorite part about these ice cubes (besides the obvious fact that they light up) is that they look like little replicas of those leaf bags people put on their front lawns. Like I said, the details make the party. Now if only they came in little light up skulls, then we’d really be in business.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Set of 3
-Comes with on/off and solid/strobe button
-Place in freezer to chill cubes
-Ideal for holiday entertaining
-Dishwasher safe
-Made of food safe acrylic
