# Lost my Halloween drive



## Sblanck (Sep 13, 2007)

I was going strong a couple months back but now due to other stress I just dont even care if I do anything for Halloween. How do I get my mojo back?


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

Local haunted house around you can go to? You see what they did, and think, I could do that way better. Then you have motivation again. Worth a shot in my mind.


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## fwghost (Sep 30, 2013)

I was in the same place until this weekend. I started putting decorations out and instantly got excited when the kids in the neighborhood started coming over to see what we were doing. Don't feel like you have to go 100% all out if you aren't feeling it. This is supposed to be fun.


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## hfed (Oct 13, 2015)

Yeah, I was, and still am, a big Christmas decorator as well.

2 years ago I was in the same boat, did almost nothing. Last year same thing, I just wasn't "feeling it."

My wife forced me to put at least 'some' lights up. Well, as soon as I started, I got right into it and mojo came back. I think just forcing myself to do it, brought everything back.


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## autumnghost (Sep 12, 2009)

I was feeling the same way until a couple of nights ago. As it happened, I was out in the driveway painting tombstones. There was a mother walking past our house with a little girl and little boy - maybe 3 and 5. They stopped at the end of the driveway and the little guy puts his little fists on his hips and shouts "Where's your stuff?"

So I had to walk down and find out what was up. When I asked him what stuff he rolled his eyes and said "Well, your Halloween stuff of course!" It was all I could do not to bust out laughing.

The mother said they walk by every night just waiting for us to start putting stuff out. It was pretty cool and now I HAVE to get stuff out - and quickly.


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## Sblanck (Sep 13, 2007)

Thanks everyone. I got out my mask collection and did some minor work and that seems to have restarted my engine.


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## Lord Homicide (May 11, 2012)

Move back to NTX? lol


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I feel the same way sometimes when I'm involved with a theater project. There are times I just don't want to go out the door to a rehearsal. However, when I make myself get up off my butt and go, I always enjoy myself once I'm there. That's what keeps me going.


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## Sblanck (Sep 13, 2007)

Lord Homicide said:


> Move back to NTX? lol


No way will I move back to NTX. City of Wylie code enforcement rode me every year for my haunt and it wasn't even a walk through. letter form the city for this and that and this other thing.

This sent them over the top and they sent out two officers:
I built this to hide my pop up camper on my driveway. They said I had to take it down because I didn't get a permit to build a storage shed. It didn't have a roof or a door anywhere that would allow me to get my camper out of course I am going to take it down. I also boarded up a portion of my porch and they didn't like that either. All of this with the cemetery crosses and webbing everywhere didn't tip them off. 









Another angle of the yard:


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

I think this happens to everyone. I have a suggestion. Next year don't do the haunt. Instead plan a Halloween trip to Salem Mass. They take Halloween VERY seriously up there. It is really cool. A major whole town event for the whole month. This would serve two purposes. 

1. Let you off the whole work effort for a year. It can be tough to do all this work every year.
2. Revitalize the desire by experiencing our holiday where you don't do the work. If that doesn't get you than nothing will.


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

autumnghost said:


> I was feeling the same way until a couple of nights ago. As it happened, I was out in the driveway painting tombstones. There was a mother walking past our house with a little girl and little boy - maybe 3 and 5. They stopped at the end of the driveway and the little guy puts his little fists on his hips and shouts "Where's your stuff?"
> 
> So I had to walk down and find out what was up. When I asked him what stuff he rolled his eyes and said "Well, your Halloween stuff of course!" It was all I could do not to bust out laughing.
> 
> The mother said they walk by every night just waiting for us to start putting stuff out. It was pretty cool and now I HAVE to get stuff out - and quickly.


AG that is so cute and I'm sure you realised just how much your efforts are appreciated. I think it would be great if each and every one of us had that opportunity to realise who appreciates what we do.


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

That is so true Headless. I hear more people say how they still remember a certain house, and how it has a big part in their Halloween memories. I wonder if they ever told the haunter that. It would go a long way if we all heard how we are making a lasting impression on someone out there. 

And my husband must be listening to you jaege. He's trying to bride me with a trip, not to do Halloween next year. Right now a New Orleans's cemetery on Halloween night is looking pretty good.


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

jaege said:


> I think this happens to everyone. I have a suggestion. Next year don't do the haunt. Instead plan a Halloween trip to Salem Mass. They take Halloween VERY seriously up there. It is really cool. A major whole town event for the whole month. This would serve two purposes.
> 
> 1. Let you off the whole work effort for a year. It can be tough to do all this work every year.
> 2. Revitalize the desire by experiencing our holiday where you don't do the work. If that doesn't get you than nothing will.


I went to Salem, MA back in 2005 and was the best Halloween I had. I think we need to reguvenate ourselves with fun instead of just "working" and/or stressing over the to-do-list for Halloween. If you can't go there, there is always things to do such as hayrides/ghostwalks, etc. It's chicken soup for the Halloween soul.


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## iowachap (Aug 19, 2015)

I thought last year might be our last, the stress of just me and my brother putting it up and taking it down, nobody wanted to really help after it was done, they want to come enjoy the show and be part of it, but after it was like poof nobody would come help pack it up. So 2 things I did for this year, I planned the maze to have a tarp roof to allow for us not to stress and rush to come out the next day or weekend to take the entire thing down in one or 2 days, also putting it further in our backyard off our big driveway which then put it out of view to some degree (though our neighbors and town is small with no rules or restrictions and i am outside the so called small city limits anyway) but also that we could fully utilize our driveway and no need to take it down. So That plan did allow this, our maze is still up all we did was take the props down and that was a 2 day over 2 weekend process that was not even a speed throw the crap in a box and get it done, we were able to organize and label, and then set things we will hopefully work on this year to improve or fix etc. The maze is empty tarp roof still on, though i will now take that down this weekend probably, but again no rush unless threat of snow as it works great for rain but it would not handle snow i am sure. 

Once the roof is off then we can again take time to take it apart but also test a way to do roof better and also make next year a few smaller room additions.

The next thing that got me really excited was Mike's fourbanger prop controller, being able to have cheap costing controllers to do many things we have wanted to do but never wanted to spend 100 + bucks on one controller etc.. really is what got us fired up again. 

You need to find something that will really get you excited, anything, look for ideas, look for a project, something to learn or play around with in spare time a hobby project, no stress, if it works great if not no biggie, that was where i was at when I ordered the fourbanger parts, for 2 controllers, I thought at best I would be ready for 2016, never did I think it would be so easy I was going to have not 2 but 5 controllers done and all hooked up to things we had never done before... now after really getting all tools and things fully organized i look forward to working on a new prop for 2016 in the next few months.


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Death's Door said:


> I went to Salem, MA back in 2005 and was the best Halloween I had. I think we need to reguvenate ourselves with fun instead of just "working" and/or stressing over the to-do-list for Halloween. If you can't go there, there is always things to do such as hayrides/ghostwalks, etc. It's chicken soup for the Halloween soul.


You and Iowachap are certainly hitting on something here.

This year was definitely a 'downer' for me ...busy schedule with work and other projects ...had 3 soldering irons, 2 computers and a hot glue gun fail in the weeks leading up to Halloween ...all while trying to work / fix props. Our local baseball team (GO Royals!!) was in the world series, so I took 3, 4 or 5 hours out several nights to watch them WIN!  ...but that put me a little further behind. ...several days leading up to Halloween were rainy and cold. Nothing unusual but nothing that was 'fun' to work outside setting things up in.

Then to top it off.. 5 (FIVE) Trick-or-treaters and two of them were so young they hardly knew what was going on, much less 'enjoy' the graveyard.

I've always looked forward to Saturday Halloweens, but this year made me re-think that. Monday Halloweens often strike me as the worst, but maybe next year I will change that.

I think I may plan to hit some haunted houses ...get back to the 'haunted' dinner theater my wife and I enjoy ...possibly take in a ghost tour or two. Take some time for me / us to enjoy the season vs working through it. I totally see your point an agree ...sometimes it is easy to get caught up in our 'work' and helping others enjoy the season, we forget to take time off to ourselves.

I think "I" will plan for fun next year and if the 5 ToT's get an orange porch light and a single carved pumpkin, then they may have to be happy with that.

(I don't mean that to sound bad) ...but I am starting to feel better already!


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## iowachap (Aug 19, 2015)

I can totally relate to that, and if you are the only haunter doing the work, it does make it more difficult, I tell ya right now, yes come halloween time it is so awesome to hear and see everyones reaction, you feed off that energy, and if there are not many coming that sure can take the energy away, but leading up to that building and getting into it, being able to share what you are working on with someone and them helping and getting excited too and share ideas.. man i tell ya that is why I love doing it each year with my brother, it really is time we get to do something together we love and enjoy, nothing like it, and now we have 2 neighbor/friends that really got into it and you can tell got the bug. Sharing with another/s is huge to keeping the fire going.

It can be an expensive hobby though..  I am not sure how folks put their stuff outside way before halloween with the possibility of rain. We got a week of rain it was like a monsoon, but once we got the tarp roof on even as it was tinkling we could get stuff inside the maze, and not have to worry about it getting water damaged, all electrical was ran above on the wood wall frames to keep all off ground, even though the ground was only damp not soaked. We didnt get any rain until the week leading up to halloween and I checked on that roof to assure it was not collecting water pockets, we created a pitch but I did have to do a few pushes to get some water off and then raise the pitch with what i call big top tent wood poles to put more height on one side and pull slack from the middle out so water would run off.. 

lol ok sorry i know i get carried away and start writing books..


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

iowachap said:


> I can totally relate to that, and if you are the only haunter doing the work, it does make it more difficult, I tell ya right now, yes come halloween time it is so awesome to hear and see everyones reaction, you feed off that energy, and if there are not many coming that sure can take the energy away, but leading up to that building and getting into it, being able to share what you are working on with someone and them helping and getting excited too and share ideas...


No, that is good! This is like therapy through the computer! But I think you hit another key point above....

If a person expends energy on Halloween and people pick that up, get excited and give that energy back, then you feed off them, they feed off you and it makes a great big Halloween 'laser' of fun. Conversely, if you expend the energy and it just bleeds out into space and gets lost - you cool off and die down pretty quick.

So it could very well be time to surround myself with other people enjoying the season as opposed to slaving away in the garage, basement, up on the roof, etc.


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## willow39 (May 5, 2015)

agree with Haunted Spider!
cheer up


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## willow39 (May 5, 2015)

amazing.. thats wood house
so nice


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