You've been warned! Valentines Day is just around the corner on Tuesday, February 14th. The tradition of sending cards or "Valentines" began in the 1400's shortly after the 1382 poem, Parlement of Foules by Geoffrey Chaucer. Esther Howland, the daughter of a stationary store owner in Massachusetts, began the tradition in the United States around 1848. What we have now is a holiday some look forward to and others dread. It is estimated that around 190 million Valentines are given annually, about half of those being from husband and wife. What to do to continue a tradition over five centuries old? I suggest dressing up for the occasion and having fun with your favorite partner in your valentine costume! But you may be looking for a fun party with your friends as well. You can always find something for the occasion, with little effort. You just have to know where to look! At an online Halloween costume store. Enjoy your holiday and Happy Valentines Day.

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! Mardi Gras began as a Roman festival called Lupercalia, similar to what you see around the world today. The Christian church embraced this holiday and soon this became the celebration that preceded Lent. It became a very popular occasion in France and other parts of Europe, everyone dressing in Mardi Gras costumes. In 1699, a French explorer set up camp on the shore of the Mississippi River, bringing the celebration with  him to the new world. After it's ups and downs through the years, Mardi Gras really began to pick up steam in the 1940's. By the end of the decade, it appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine with a photograph of Louis Armstrong. Well, I don't know about you all, but I will have a thick head tomorrow morning, after tonight and all the festivities that lie ahead for me. If you're looking for beads and costumes, check out our costume site at  www.halloweenadventures.com. I wish you all the best, have fun and be safe!

Our Favorite Holiday is Here!

You can bet things are pretty exciting over here at Halloween Adventure headquarters - our favorite holiday is here! Halloween is, of course, our favorite day of the year - as much as we love our Santa costumes, and our Fourth of July preparation, there's really nothing like picking up a dozen bags of candy and carving pumpkins with the family on a chilly autumn evening. We'd love to know what you're doing to get ready for Halloween! Have you gotten your decorations yet? Are you decking the halls with spooky decals? Perhaps you're throwing a Halloween party? What about your costume - have you bought it yet? A vampire, a gothic princess, or maybe even Superman...the choices are endless!

Want to know our favorite ways to prep for Halloween? For starters, we carve numerous pumpkins and stick them on the front porch with candles inside. This year, we've discovered a great spooky trick! We're inserting fake vampire teeth into the mouth of our pumpkins, to give that extra Halloween scare. We're also adding faux spiderweb to our front porch, and throwing some teeny tiny spiders in there as well. Then, we're whipping up some delicious Halloween punch, and printing out some of our favorite Martha Stewart Halloween drink labels to bottle them up.

What are YOU doing? Let us know in the comments below!

Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas?

Call us crazy, but autumn has arrived here in New York, and we can't help thinking about the cold weather that's to come, and all the wonderful holiday cheer that's set to come with it. We feel like a happier version of ourselves once the cool weather arrives, and we can celebrate all that's headed our way: Halloween, Thanksgiving, even Christmas is coming! Which brings us to our topic of discussion today. How early is too early to start thinking about Christmas? We know plenty of people who throw "Christmas in July" parties, and others who snag their Santa costumes many months ahead of time. We, for one, are innate planners, calendar freaks, if you will. So it's not surprising that we're among the folks who snag our favorite Santa costume way before we need to. Of course, there's always the risk that our Santa costumes will sell out, and we wouldn't want to be the one left without an outfit during Santacon! Ladies, don't assume that we've got nothing to offer for you - there are tons of sassy and sexy Santa costumes out there for girls! So, do you have Christmas on the brain too? Get shopping! Our Santa costumes are going fast, and it's only September! Shop Santa costumes here. 

Why should humans have all the fun? Holiday pet costumes

Every Halloween and every holiday, us humans get decked to the nines. And most of the time, we leave our pets out of the fun. Now, there's certainly an argument for leaving pets out - many say they hate wearing the hats and costumes that we impose on them for our own amusement. But did you ever think that maybe your pets like to have fun during the holidays, just like you do? Of course, an unhappy, yelping cat or dog might mean costumes aren't in the cards - but it's certainly worth a try! Your pet is a member of your family, so why not treat him/her like one?

If you're looking for holiday pet costumes, we've got tons. Small dogs will look positively adorable in our Elf Dog Costume. Just be careful your favorite pooch doesn't accidentally get spirited up to the North Pole. In this costume, he'll be so irresistible that Santa might just want him for himself! Speaking of Santa, another cute choice is our Santa dog costume. Woof woof woof! Or should we say, ho ho ho!

When it comes to Halloween, there's nothing cuter than our Pumpkin Dog costume. This one is best for petite dogs, and includes a little shirt and matching hat. Want more pet costumes? Click here. 

Our Best Teen Santa Costumes

It might be 92 degrees outside, but we're dreaming of a winter wonderland. The kind that comes in December, just a few days before Christmas. We're thinking of the cookies we'll leave out for Santa, our imaginary trip to the North Pole, and a well-decorated tree that provides shelter to the large pile of Christmas presents beneath it. We don't know about you, but we're ready to trade the scorching heat for a nice warm cup of apple cider and some seriously good Christmas presents. Which got us thinking - what will we wear to this year's Christmas party? You guys know that in our mind, you're never too old to dress up, but today, we're going to target a group that's definitely in the age range for dress-up duty: the teens. Here are some of our favorite teen Santa costumes.

A simple Santa costume for girls is what we'd call our Santa's Inspiration outfit. A bright red minidress that's short and sassy, this velvet outfit features a halter dress and matching hat, both of which are rimmed with a white boa-like material. Ho, ho, ho, this is one cute costume! Want to take it up a notch? You'll need our matching Long Velvet Gloves, which match your dress and add some serious allure. All the boys are about to come calling! If regular old Santa doesn't do it for you, consider another holiday-themed costume: a Radio City Rockettes outfit! This fun and funky short dress is almost identical to the ones that the famous Rockette dancers wear onstage during the Radio City Christmas Spectacular each year. Just be careful no one asks you to can-can! Teenage boys will love our Legacy Santa suit, which doubles as a Halloween costume and can also be used to earn you some extra bucks working the Christmas circuit at the mall. This costume is full on Santa, all the way. Want more Santa costumes? Click here to see all of our Santa costumes. 

Fourth of July Plans

I don't know about you, but Fourth of July has really snuck up on me. Last I checked, it was Mid-May - but all of a sudden, it's june, and Independence Day is less than a month away! Since most people (myself included), get July 4th off from work, the long weekend offers a great excuse to get away. I'm stationed in bright and sunny New York City, which, while quite lovely the rest of the year, turns into a bonafide sweatbox come summer. Hence, most New Yorkers use July 4th to get away from it all - the smog, the honking, the air so thick you could cut it with a knife - myself included.

Which leads me to my next question - where to go? I'm a big fan of beach getaways, and while I often hop the Long Island Railroad to Long Beach (New York, not California), I'd like my July 4th celebration to be a bit more exciting. You can't blame a girl for wanting something different! It seems I'm going to be headed home to Massachusetts for a quick jaunt, and from there, to spend a day or two on the beautiful beaches of Rhode Island.

What about you? Where are you headed for Fourth of July? Got any big plans? I've been investigating what I'll wear on the big day (you know I've got a soft spot for costumes, running this blog and all). While I don't have the guts to go all out (if I did, I'd be sporting this Firecracker costume all day long), I am looking to spice things up just a little bit. I could definitely stomach these Fourth of July beaded necklaces - and I do love having things to dole out to my less patriotic friends! Of course, I'm also considering throwing a 4th of July party, in which case I can't go without this patriotic confetti and this fabulous centerpiece.

So tell me, folks - what are YOUR July 4th plans?