Why Halloween?

It’s dark, it’s cold and quite miserable it’s true
Should we be out on this night me and you
The night when all kind of creatures come out
Knocking on doors with trick or treat shouts

Witches, devils, skeletons to name a few
These are the costumes we are now used to
Carrying pumpkins to light our way
Quite sophisticated play from the olden day

Collecting the treats from every welcoming door
Watching the stash grow more and more
Trying to collect more than your friends
In the time you have before the night ends

But why do we celebrate Halloween Night?
Why do we dress up to give folk a fright?
It was the eve of two Pagan feasts is all that is clear
But from the 19th century witches and such like did appear

So why do you think it changed from a feast to a spooky night?
Why do you think it went from feasting to fright?
In medieval times 1st November was All Saints Day
But the eve of this was All Souls Day when for the dead they did pray

So have fun on Halloween my friends one and all
and now maybe you have an idea why folk come and call
But how it has evolved is a mystery that’s true
Because it has grown and really is rather new

Margmax 2012

For Halloween Poems please visit my website at http://www.getwellversed.com/halloween-poems.html

My Christmas Shopping

Christmas shopping a pleasure or a pain
I just can’t believe we are here again
Is it really 12 months since I last did this chore
and here I am -  doing it once more

Knowing what the recipient wants helps a bit
It saves tramping around the shops you can even google it
You look for the bargains see who has it at a good price
And once you have found it if it’s in stock that’s very nice

You buy all the “things” and look for places they can be hidden
Under beds, in cupboards often forgetting what you bought (I do I’m not kidding)
Then comes the wrapping now isn’t that loads of fun
You panic because you need more gifts for some

Then you have to distribute the gifts before the big day
Arranging getting together with folk who are just as busy by the way
The day gets nearer cards and gifts are all despatched
Is that you relaxed no don’t be so daft

Now you have to shop for the Christmas feast
Fighting with other shoppers to get in all the treats
Terrified you forget something important like sprouts
No I am not kidding no Christmas dinner could be without

Christmas eve and what are you doing -  preparing for “the day”
Which duly arrives and everyone is merry and gay
You are cooking, perspiring and fretting that everything is done
Whilst making sure that your family are having fun

But I know this will be repeated for as long as I can
Even although I am not a big Christmas fan
For many people it is a very sad day
Spent on their own loved one’s gone away

So I have many people around my Christmas table
and I will do so for as long as I am able
So if you have a Christmas that’s a bit like mine
I wish you happy shopping and a wonderful Christmas time

by Margmax 2012

For more Christmas poems and rhymes please visit the Christmas section of my website by clicking here:-
getwellversed.com 

The Tale of Guy Fawkes

 The Tale of Guy Fawkes

Now boys and girls as I am sure you all know
On November the 5th the sky is aglow
Bonfire parties with fireworks for our pleasure
But do you know why this day has became a one to treasure

It marks the foil of the gunpowder plot
When 13 English Catholics chose the spot
To mark their cause with an explosive “pow”
36 barrels of gunpowder would do this and how

Placed under the House of Lords was what they would do
They would kill the King, the Prince of Wales and the whole parliament too
But innocent folk would be there as well
So some of the conspirators began to fret and dwell

It is said a letter was sent by one of the group to his friend
Warning of the plot so that his friend that day would not attend
This letter was said to fall into the hands of the King
So the king’s men rushed to investigate everything

Now we all know what happened next - don’t we?
Beside the barrels of gunpowder Guy Fawkes was plain to see
He was tortured and executed what a terrible fate
But he will always be remembered on that date

But did you know Guy Fawkes was not the leader of the plot
A man named Robert Catesby lead this little lot
So why do we attribute November 5th to Guy alone ?
Because when discovered with the gun powder he was on his own

However within two days the rest were caught or in a siege killed
All for religion, in the honour of the Catholic faith blood was spilled
Bonfires were lit that night to celebrate the King being saved
and as years progressed effigies of Guy and the Pope were made

This British Tradition has travelled around
In old British Colonies it can be found
So do you think we are celebrating Guy Fawkes execution
or are we honouring Guy for his brave attempt at revolution?


by Margmax 2012

This is some of the 13 Conspirators ............

 Always remember fire and fireworks are very dangerous always have a grown up around!

For more poems please visit my website at getwellversed.com


 

Halloween Fun

I have been blogging about Christmas, however, Halloween is first and now very near.   In the U.K. we have never made as much of Halloween as our American friends indeed when I have visited America in the month of September they already have their homes and stores fully decorated with Halloween images on the inside and the outside and very festive they look.   Whilst in Rapid City I remarked to a lady that in the UK we would not be decorating as early or as much as they did and she informed me it was not just for Halloween but for welcoming in "the fall" (Autumn to us).  By the way did you know that we used to call Autumn "the fall" we changed it to Autumn but the Americans kept it as it was brought to them by our Pilgrim Fathers.
We have not really embraced this and the most we seem to do in the UK is to dress up our children to visit our neighbours to collect treats.   We do not have Halloween parties or welcome in "the fall" - why not?  Wouldn't it make a nice lead up to Christmas to decorate our homes with Autumn images of pumpkins, witches and such?
So if you worry about your children touring the neighbourhood on a dark, wet and windy night why not tempt them home by having a Halloween party?
Invitations can be found on my website getwellversed/halloween-poems
but here is an example:-
Halloween is party time a chance to have some spooky fun
So dress up in your costumes at the setting of the sun
Join me in a night of trick or treat
Ending with some weird but good things to eat

by Margmax 2011
 
A party does not have to be elaborate -  prize for the best fancy dress, dish of water with apples for dunking apple game and the food could be inexpensive and simple here are some great ideas from Sainsburys:-

Carrot batons 

Witches' fingers: Wash and peel four long carrots for the fingers and one baby carrot for the thumb. Use a drop of honey to attach a flaked almond fingernail to the top of each carrot. Place carrots in a tub of houmous and serve. Hungry little monsters will love them!

Frankfurters 

Mummies: Cut a sheet of ready-made puff pastry into thin strips, about 1 cm wide. Wrap a strip around a frankfurter sausage, leaving a little of the sausage showing. Brush with milk and bake for 20 mins at 200ºC, 180ºC fan, gas 6, until golden brown and cooked like a crispy mummy sausage.

Digestive biscuits 

Trick-or-treat surprise: Spread Marmite over one side of a plain digestive biscuit and sandwich it together with another digestive. With your next digestive biscuit, spread chocolate spread over it instead of Marmite. Your guests can take their pick for a real trick or treat!

Did you know...

• 1
  Boiled beetroot is a classic spooky ingredient. It turns lighter coloured food pink, so mix it with potatoes, pasta or rice for a colourful treat!
• 2
  You can offer trick or treaters fruity treats including raisin 'ants', 'squashed bug' dried apricots, or 'cockroach' Brazil nuts and almonds.
• 3
  Natural food colouring is a great way to add a spooky touch. Add a little green food colouring to mashed potatoes, a dab of red to spaghetti or pink colouring to lemonade for a fun feast.

Potatoes

Monster mash: Use Purple Majesty potatoes to create a spooky-looking mash or cut the potatoes into wedges and roast them to make delicious purple chips. Or why not try making our recipe for creepy eyeball potatoes by cooking up a bag of baby new potatoes?

> Creepy eyeball potatoes

So .... Who's having a Halloween Party this year?

Santa's Reindeers

This post is something for the children.  It is not always easy to keep children amused as Christmas gets nearer and nearer.  Here I have written a story about Santa's Reindeers and if your children would like to read similar animal stories I am quite proud of this section in my website which you can see here:-
http://www.getwellversed.com/animal-poems-for-children.html

Santa’s Reindeers

Santa has nine reindeers who pull his sleigh through the sky
But boys and girls have you ever wondered - why?
Why he had nine because one does not have a mate
However many years ago it was known Santa had only eight

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen
Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen
Yes these are the names of Santa’s original eight
So how about Rudolph indeed what was his fate?

Because of his glowing nose Rudolph was an outcast
All of the other reindeers shunned him and just walked past
But then one very foggy Christmas eve Santa did not know what to do
How could he get around all the boys and girls the fog was just like glue

As he delivered presents to Rudolph’s bedroom
In the dark he noticed Rudolph’s nose shone through the gloom
Santa said “dear Rudolph will you light my way?
Your nose will help the other reindeers to drive my sleigh”.

Rudolph became a hero no longer shunned and ignored
His glowing nose was famous and he was given loud applause
So that was how Santa’s eight reindeers became nine
and why it is that Rudolph with his glowing nose is the leader of the line.

by Margmax 2012

Christmas Poems

Christmas is a very hectic time especially for us girls.  We have to think about buying gifts, food, decorating the house and Christmas cards.   As a card maker I make my own Christmas cards and every year I write a verse to make my cards that bit personal.  If this is something you would like to do why not get some help by visiting my website www.getwellversed.com.      Here you will find poems for all occasions.   Here is a Christmas Poem I may choose for this year:-

My wish for this Christmas to all I hold dear
Is a time of enjoyment without any fear
and for the New Year that is soon to be
I wish health and happiness in abundance to thee

by Margmax 2012

Keep looking in ladies for more Christmas hints.