# WHY do we wait 'til last minute?



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

All of us....running around like crazy people...uber stressed...realizing at 4 pm that a floodlight is broken...
WHY do we wait 'til last minute?? Are we maschists??


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## Offwhiteknight (Sep 17, 2008)

Nah, it's just human nature. Especially since a lot of us are more creative types, and we tend to do more dreaming than doing...

It takes self-discipline or a near-unhealthy obsession to work on Halloween year-round...or sometimes someone else riding your hind end...


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## Stratusfear02 (Oct 1, 2006)

Could be worse I had 2 foggers and a strobe crap out last minute....good thing NOV. 1 is 50% OFF DAY...LOL


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## mroct31 (Nov 10, 2007)

Stratusfear02 said:


> Could be worse I had 2 foggers and a strobe crap out last minute....good thing NOV. 1 is 50% OFF DAY...LOL


Yeah I went out during lunch today and there wasn't jack sheot out there. Now understand I didn't think there was much of a selection to begin with in my part of the world, Wal-Mart pathetic, Target...eh, Kmart, of the big 3 here in So Cal, probably had the best selection before Halloween but nothing today. My go to store for "stuff" was Do it Center but they closed last year and that sucks since they had the little things, foam skulls, body parts ect at very good prices. I think for me this was the worst shopping year ever and yet all I read are stories about how every year Halloween is growing in terms of sales?


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

I do not know, but I have learned my lesson. Next year I am taking a couple vacation days around the 4th of July and a couple more around Columbus day. The 4th, to finish up/repair/create new props, and Columbus day to jump start my set-up indoor and out. I am tired of being " a crazy person...uber stressed...realizing a spot is broken". I might even take the day after off to tear it all down.


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## Death's Door (Mar 22, 2006)

There are always last minute things to do on Halloween - that's a given. That's why I try to stay with my schedule. Taking a few days off from work before Halloween helps a lot - got to use up those vacation days.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

We always say we want to finish work on new props by the end of September, so October is for touch ups on old stuff. So what were we doing in October? Finishing the wolf on October 30th.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: I am as guilty as everyone else. I didn't get some stuff out in time...and no one to blame but myself. I have to stage the props, stand off, look at them for 15 minutes, go change something, stand off, look at them again, and so on and so on....Creative genius takes time....(ha, ha) And then it rained all night on top of that....but those that came out were so nice and had so many nice compliments....I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Now if all my props will just dry out and I can see what got ruined in the rain....


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

If I had a nickel for every time I thought 'all I gotta do is..." I'd probably be putting on a million dollar display!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

corey872 said:


> If I had a nickel for every time I thought 'all I gotta do is..." I'd probably be putting on a million dollar display!


:jol: Now that would be COOL!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

debbie5 said:


> All of us....running around like crazy people...uber stressed...realizing at 4 pm that a floodlight is broken...
> WHY do we wait 'til last minute?? Are we maschists??


Yes


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## highbury (Nov 5, 2009)

My stress is an extension of me being a perfectionist. Although for 2012 I'm getting a jumpstart by buying outdoor extension cords, flood lamps and a new radio in the Spring. It's the little things that drive me crazy, like having to string together 4 or 5 6-foot extension cords to power the one light at the edge of the cemetery. Honestly I can't believe I didn't burn the neighborhood down last night!


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

highbury said:


> ... Although for 2012 I'm getting a jumpstart by ...


Right, I say that every year, and I was still hot glueing flower petals on netting at 3:30 on Monday afternoon. It seems no matter how early I start, I'm still busting my a$$ on the 31st.


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## gypsichic (Jun 6, 2006)

Alloting plenty of time to finish & tweak new stuff
will be a focus next year. We made it in time for the most part -but
hubby was trying to figure out electronic details at 2pm Oct 31st......not groovy


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

less dreaming...more doing!! Right after I watch "Today":....


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## Offwhiteknight (Sep 17, 2008)

highbury said:


> My stress is an extension of me being a perfectionist. Although for 2012 I'm getting a jumpstart by buying outdoor extension cords, flood lamps and a new radio in the Spring. It's the little things that drive me crazy, like having to string together 4 or 5 6-foot extension cords to power the one light at the edge of the cemetery. Honestly I can't believe I didn't burn the neighborhood down last night!


Don't forget that Christmas is an awesome time of year for lighting and extensions cords...everything from red and green flood lamps (and the set up for them), electronic candles, timers, and every type of househould extension cord. All available for Christmas on sale at some point during the season. That's when I try to buy for the next year! For both Halloween and Christmas!


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## Abby Normal (Jan 4, 2011)

This was my first year doing an actual haunt, and I have to say I think I did well, the only thing was my fog machine didnt work! I had a party on sat and it was working ok then,..oh well I wanted a new one anyways it was only a 400 w walmart one and I have had it 3 years. I think halloween should be a two day holiday ..Oct 31 and nov 1 ...I had booked both those days off and my house is still crazy!


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I was running on a tight but reasonable schedule, until I slung a couple of OSB panels wrong on Saturday and screwed up my back. Consequently I got next to nothing done on Sunday and ran at about half capacity on Monday the 31st. I literally hadn't figured out how to deliver candy to the TOTs at 5pm. Talk about down to the wire. Thank God for friends and relatives pulling together in the crisis.

Luckily people are generally impressed by effort and creativity first and polish second. While I only saw the half-ass bits I threw together at the last minute, the TOTs were sufficiently dazzled by the concept and the performance and the big props and flats.

(I was desperately trying to burn the music CD when people started showing up at 6:00. My wife came in with a shocked look on her face and told me to hurry. Outside on my front yard, it looked like every TOT in the neighborhood had decided to visit us first. I guess setting up the big creepy face two weeks earlier piqued their interest. That was the plan; the result was a wakeup call!)


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

debbie5 said:


> All of us....running around like crazy people...uber stressed...realizing at 4 pm that a floodlight is broken...
> WHY do we wait 'til last minute?? Are we maschists??


That is the question now isn't it Debbie. For me, I'm just sssstupid. I didn't start anything until 2 weeks ago. Everything came together nicely except for one thing. One of the audio tracks failed at the beginning of the night. I had to scramble to sync up my wifes ipod to keep the lightning/lighting effect going. Whew! That was close.


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## Holcomb Haunter (Jul 15, 2010)

I think alot of our family's procrastination, stems from unpredictable Kansas weather, fear of all of our hard work being blown away like Dorothy and Toto---- alot of our display had to be reset at the last minute due to 50 mph gusts, and a few things turned into plan B.

we've also had some "gangsta" punks who think it's cool to "tag" in our "hood" (Southwest Kansas-population 2,094 2010 US census)

we pretty much feared _for_ our reaper this year--- we didn't set much of anything out until the day before.

That horrible wind DID die down abit when the sun went down, We ended up having a beautiful night


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