Online resources for Halloween fun

Site-seeing with Jan Perry

That spooky season is upon us again, and I have already had more than a dozen requests for Halloween-related information. Today's sites will help you plan parties and create costumes while future columns will focus on haunted houses and all sorts of online holiday fun.

http://www.familyplay.com/advice/mccracken/d1012.adv.html. A long address but worth the effort. (A home page Halloween jump would make things so much easier.) This collection of tricks and treats includes easy costuming, some good general party ideas and a scared stiff section full of common sense safety tips.

http://www.goodwillnj.com/hallowe.htm. Great advice from a good source - actually from a Goodwill source. This site offers some of the most creative costuming ideas around. Find hints for how to become a hot air balloonist, a dirty clothes hamper or a bag of jellybeans among dozens of others. Costume items are inexpensive at Goodwill and of course, the ideas on their site are free.

http://family.go.com/?clk=1011234. Another good all-around site. There are some awesome party ideas, spooky stories, plenty of pumpkin faces to carve or color and enough decorating ideas to turn your house into a haunt.

http://members.aol.com/JGreene274/index25.html. Most Halloween sites rely heavily on gruesome graphics and macabre music. This text only site plays a vexing version of the Monster Mash, but is still worth a visit for the wonderful recipes. The food is to die for, so to speak.

http://members.nbci.com/XOOM/hd1999/horror.htm. If Halloween is the biggest holiday on your personal calendar, the Horror Dome may be just what you've been looking for. Amazing gimmicks and outstanding props are available here. Many have step-by-step instructions. Others are one-of-a-kind made-to-order specialties. Those aren't cheap, but how much would you pay for a goblin-faced crystal ball?

http://www.luckyblackcat.com/halloween.htm. There are more Halloween Web sites than there are for any other holiday - and maybe even more than for any other topic. If you want to add a spooktacular page to the list, this site offers dozens of illustrations, animated graphics and type faces all designed to show off your site at its scarefest best.

http://www.ragnarokpress.com/boneyard/boneyard.html. If you're looking for some truly great art for stunning Web pages or imaginative invitations, one visit to Scriptorium's Boneyard is all it takes.

Jan Perry is a freelance writer. Send questions or suggestions to her at SiteSeer2K@aol.com.