I have a confession.
When I was a kid, we didn’t celebrate Halloween.
GASP! HORROR!
Trust me, I know. I won’t go into the whys of this; suffice it to say there were no costumes, no candy, no decorations, no creeptastic music. This dearth of spooky spirit lasted until I was old enough to take my younger brother trick-or-treating. Even then, it was something done more out of rebellion than delight, a way to mutiny against our parents and score some sweet treats.
It wasn’t until I became an adult that I finally started to do Halloween right, and it wasn’t until I had a kid of my own that it became truly special. There’s something about seeing things through my son’s eyes that takes me back to the best parts of my childhood…and inspires me to create new magic where it didn’t exist before.
Now, we don’t even wait for October to start decorating for the season. The last week in September, various ghoulish accessories start popping up around our home. By the time October rolls around, we’re in full Haunted-House Mode:
The orange lights go up outside.
Our front porch starts to resemble the set from A Nightmare Before Christmas.
Our fireplace mantel becomes a repository for every creepy, witchy thing I can lay my paws on.
Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus cycle ad infinitum on our TV.
And the Halloween music comes out.
I have a soundtrack for basically everything in my life, and Halloween is no different. This year, I’ve put together a playlist that includes some favorite tunes from my Shades Below series. Witches, werewolves, vampires, ghosts- this playlist has it all. It’s spooky, it’s sexy- in short, it’s everything you need to celebrate Halloween like a grown-up.
Whatever mischief you’re making this year, this playlist is guaranteed to help set the scene. Blessed Samhain, witches!
L.J.K. OLIVA 