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The tradition of carving Jack-o-lanterns was brought to America  in the 1800s by Irish immigrants, who had originally borrowed the tradition centuries prior from the Celts -- only the Celts used turnips instead of pumpkins. The legend of the Jack-o-lantern starts with a man named Jack, who was a notorious drunk and practical joker. Jack was said to have tricked the devil into climbing into a tree. He then carved an image of a cross into the tree’s trunk, trapping the devil in the highest branches of the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that said if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down. Legend says that after Jack died he was denied entrance into heaven because of his evil ways. Jack was then denied entrance into hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the cold, dark winter. Jack placed the light into a hallowed-out turnip to keep it lit longer. When Irish immigrants came to America, they found pumpkins to be a lot more plentiful than turnips, so they used pumkins to carve Jack-o-lantern. Carving is a fun Halloween tradition, but many modern families prefer to paint pumpkins instead. Painted pumpkins last months longer than carved ones, and whimsical faces can take some of the "boo" out Halloween for little ones too young to use a carving knife. Learn how to get good results painting pumpkins by clicking here. Still need a great Halloween costume? Click here for ideas!
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It's less than 30 days 'til Halloween!  Do you have your costume yet? No? Well, you're in luck because the Costumes tab on this website is filled with Halloween costume stores that will provide lots of ideas. Michael Jackson seems to be the most popular Halloween costume this year for men. Star Trek and Renaissance themes are common for group costumes— for an office or sports team or your family. Are you kinda traditional and want a scary costume such as a witch or vampire? You can look drop dead gorgeous or too wicked for words with a few mouse clicks. Or perhaps you are the life of the party and want a humorous costume? Plenty of political masks are available, too, for making your own unique political statement. Maybe you look good and you know it so a sexy costume is what you have in mind. Sexy pirates, especially for women, are really popular this year. No matter what you want to be this Halloween, there are great costume choices for adults, kids, and dogs, too. But don't wait— shop now for the best selection of costumes and accessories before they're gone! Happy Haunting!
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It's finally September! Halloween decorations are appearing in the stores, which means my favorite holiday-- Halloween-- is less than 60 days away! What will you dress up as this year? I've already been browsing for ideas and have discovered sexy costumes are really popular for women-- sexy pirates, sexy witches, sexy fairytale characters, even sexy vampires. For men, it seems Michael Jackson and Star Trek costumes are all the rage. If you need Halloween costume ideas, check out the big selection at http://www.best-costume-shop.com as well as the many costume stores on this site. Don't forget accessories, make-up, wigs and more to complete your Halloween costume! All this blogging about Halloween costumes has put me in the spirit of the season, so I'm off to pull the boxes of Halloween costumes and decorations out of the closet and figure out what I need this year. It's always best to shop early for the best prices and selection on 2009 Halloween costume ideas. Happy Haunting!
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