You'd better watch out, the first part.

I believe there should always be a bit of Scary in the Merry.

Of course, I am not the only one who thinks so. Dickens, Clarke, Burton, King, Bradbury... happily, the Yuletide is often the Ghoultide.

I thought I'd post a few examples.

Now, some don't consider Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) a Christmas movie, but don't tell me that. Premiering in St. Louis the day before Thanksgiving 1944 and nationally released the following week, it features Judy Garland's introduction of the now-classic Christmas song Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, it runs on cable all the time during December, and was packaged with Bing Crosby's White Christmas on DVD just this year... it's a Christmas movie.

But when Tootie (Margaret O'Brien) decides to 'kill' Mr. Brockoff by flinging flour in his face on Hallowe'en night in 1903, it briefly becomes one hell of a Hallowe'en film.

"I AM the most horrible! I AM!"

This scene makes me yearn for Hallowe'en something terrible.

Now, I know I declared the Skull & Pumpkin a Post-Hallowe'en Blues Free Zone. It's still true; besides, I think 'Post-Hallowe'en' probably ends before Thanksgiving. At this point, it's more like Pre-Hallowe'en Blues (a less egregious, more correct use of 'pre', Mandy and Jules!)... and as such, it's not blues, but something different.

Longing. That's it.

And I never declared this pub a PRE-Hallowe'en Longing Free Zone. If anything, the whole place is one big Hallowe'en Longing Zone.

Long away, long away, long away all!