Jackaroo-O-Lantern

Over the last few years, I have actively buffered myself against becoming too nostalgic about Halloween.  I have not allowed myself to indulge in the wistful desire for the familiar pleasures of the season.  I have not put up decorations nor made costumes nor purchased kilogram quantities of disgusting candy.  By ignoring my favorite holiday, I have shielded my heart from homesickness.

But this year, despite the fact that I am enormously distracted with my new career, I have been unable to avoid it.  Halloween displays have sprouted up in store fronts.  The local pub is spruiking their costume party.   There are piles of fat orange pumpkins in the produce section of every grocery store.  i even saw some zombies and a witch smoking cigarettes on North Terrace, but that might have more to do wit it being Saturday morning than being Halloween...

It seems that in spite of this country's disdain for commercialized American holidays, the infinite appeal of Halloween is catching hold of the Australian imagination.  More and more I hear of Halloween parties and costume parades.  There have been rumors that some neighborhoods even promote trick-or-treating! 

Does this mean that Australian culture is crumbling under the pressure of American boorishness, or or can they simply learn to take the best and leave the rest?  (I'd like to believe the latter, but the popularity of Two and a Half Men seems to undermine my hopes.)

Because I am just too busy to be homesick this ear, I have allowed myself a bit of Halloween fun.  I bought a candle shaped like a blood shot eyeball (although in my case, this is appropriate for all times of year).  I also made a jack-o-lantern...albeit with a bit of Aussie flair: