Marigolds, or Cempasuchil, are a central part of Day of the Dead celebrations.
The Mexican holiday is observed Nov. 1 – Nov. 2 and it is believed by its celebrants that during the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, souls are released from Heaven to rejoin their loved ones. To celebrate this special time, people leave offerings to their deceased family members at gravesites and on ofrendas, such as the dead’s favorite food.
History.com states that ofrendas typically feature images of loved ones who have passed and are decorated with candles, marigolds and red cock’s comb.
According to npr, marigolds are used in the celebration to help guide ancestors back home. The spirits use the scent of the marigolds to find their way from their burial place to their families ofrendas.
Although Day of the Dead is primarily celebrated in Mexico, it is also observed throughout South America and in the United States by those with Mexican heritage.
Select Royers locations including Reading, Lebanon, Chambersburg, Camp Hill and Carlisle are offering a limited selection of marigolds this year to assist in Day of the Dead celebrations.
It’s spooky season, which also means it’s boo basket season.
If you’re not familiar with the popular trend, a boo basket is when people give loved ones a gift basket filled with goodies and treats that are typically halloween themed. It is most commonly gifted from a boyfriend/husband to a girlfriend/wife.
The name “boo basket” is a double entendre that refers to the “boo” spooky element of halloween and “boo” as in the term sometimes used to refer to a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Boo baskets have also traditionally been given as anonymous presents to neighbors and many close-knit neighborhoods have traditions of “booing” each other with a basket.
These baskets make great gifts for friends, family and coworkers too. It’s a fun and seasonal way to brighten someone’s day and show you care.
To give you some inspiration for your boo basket this year, we put together our own version. Watch the video below for boo basket ideas:
Skeletons make a sacrifice and set out for the second floor.
Motion-sensitive Dracula’s bride animates the tub.
Vintage pumpkin in a frame that Linda inherited from her parents.
Antique lanterns and die-cuts.
Pumpkin patch’s worth of decorations.
Chemistry experiment in the kitchen.
I’ve loved Halloween since I was little, growing up in the Reading area.
I remember going around our small neighborhood with my Dad, who would dress up, too, maybe as a clown or in another costume. My mother would stay home and tend to the kids who came trick-or-treating at our house.
Dad definitely was more into it than my mother, but she was a seamstress and made costumes for me and my two older sisters. The best one was the Tin Man from the “Wizard of Oz,” around the time I was in fifth grade.
In those days, Herr’s potato chips came in a cardboard container. That was the basis for my Tin Man’s head, spray-painted silver with cloth underneath it for my comfort. The body was made of cardboard, too. Mom was very crafty.
Family tradition
As I tell my husband, Tom, I never have too much Halloween. I hate to say it: I was born on Christmas Day, but I like Halloween better. It’s a family tradition: my father’s mother used to throw Halloween parties and passed on her decorations to my parents and, ultimately, me.
My two older sisters aren’t passionate about Halloween like I am. I think I went over the limit! Linda Stokes is a designer and assistant manager at Royer’s in Ephrata.
I’ve been with Royer’s since 1984. I’m a designer and a couple years ago added assistant manager responsibilities at the Ephrata store, where I’ve spent most of my years with the company. Before Royer’s, I worked for seven years at a Reading florist.
I used to dress up for Halloween at work. One year, I was a character from the musical “Cats,” complete with ears and a tail. It was hard to work in, though! Royer’s sells Halloween arrangements and gifts, of course, but I especially love it when customers come in seeking a custom piece. It fires my imagination, and I enjoy the challenge of capturing the customer’s vision.
Besides the arrangements on our website, our store will come up with original pieces, too. I just see what products are in our store at the time and work with them: It might be a pumpkin with a face on it that I incorporate into an arrangement.
We have such a cute line of containers this year, including ceramic mummy heads, that would work great for custom pieces.
But Halloween isn’t just a work thing for me. In fact, it’s an even bigger part of my life at home in Reamstown.
Decorating at home
We don’t get many trick-or-treaters, but we decorate our house inside and out and host a themed costume party every year. There’s a pinata (it’s funny to see adults dive-bombing for candy when the pinata opens) and a pumpkin-pitching contest (launched from our deck to a target below).
As with so many traditions this year, the party is on hiatus because of the pandemic. For that reason, I’m only decorating three rooms instead of the whole house.
My antique pieces were made in the United States and Germany. These lanterns and die-cuts, featuring cats, witches, devil faces, are made of paper and cardboard and are fragile. I display them year-round in a curved glass cabinet.
I keep adding to my collection, too. This year, I bought four die-cut pieces from the 1920s featuring a pirate, scarecrow, skeleton and witch.
My collection also includes four mannequins and 10 animatronic characters that I dress up and display in the house. I must have 20 to 25 plastic totes filled with Halloween items; they take up an entire room in the house and three-quarters of Tom’s workshop.
Tom’s a good sport when it comes to indulging my love of all things Halloween, but even he has limits.
One year, I tried to put handkerchiefs on our two huskies. Tom said, no, we don’t need to dress up our dogs.
You might say that Fox 43 Morning News carved out some time to talk about Halloween and, more so, Royer’s annual children’s book drive.
Barry Spengler, Royer’s vice president of operations, joined host Chris Garrett to discuss “Bouquets for Books,” which returns for its ninth year Nov. 1-8. In its first eight years, the book drive collected more than 12,400 new children’s books for area public libraries.
Customers who donate a new children’s book will receive a free bouquet, up to three per family per visit. Barry explained that the book drive kicks off Saturday with a Royer’s Kids Club event, open to ages 5 to 12 in all stores.
Barry also showcased an assortment of Halloween arrangements.
You can view the entire segment by clicking here.
It was a late-summer evening, but fall was in the air. There were no witches on brooms flying by, but a MetLife blimp passed overhead.
The setting was our Camp Hill store, where the staff engaged in its annual scarecrow contest. This year’s event had a wedding theme.
It’s an outdoor wedding, of course, and you’re invited to attend. And if you visit the store, be sure to let Holly, Aimee and the rest of the team know which of the scarecrows you like best.
