Halloween Spooky Swap!

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So I saw a post somewhere about the Halloween Spooky Swap, which is kind of like Secret Santa but for Halloween. It's hosted by A Tale of Many Reviews and Julie did a fab job of getting everyone paired up (I think, anyway!).

My Swap-ee was Shauna from California, and I literally spent ages debating on just the right gift for her. I tend to over think things like this, as I want so badly for the giftee to enjoy everything!

Shauna said she loves Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman (but only owned eBooks mostly), so a Coraline graphic novel was a no-brainer. I hesitated over the DVD, because I was afraid that she would already own it, but in the end I tossed it in.

And, of course, candy was a requirement. I sent Shauna a spider-filled lollipop, Bertie Bott's Flavour Beans (Shauna loves Harry Potter), an X-ray gummy bear, and a Ghiradelli chocolate bar. I found a cute Halloween candleholder and packed the goodies in a pumpkin luminary, with a cushy pair of socks to keep everything safe.

I neglected to take a picture of the package before I mailed it, but apparently Shauna loved everything, and blogged about it--with pics!--here.

As for my package, well, it arrived in the mail today and I could not have been more pleased. Shauna totally picked up on my love of all things Disney (which I had played down as a "slight obsession") and apparently lives close enough to Disneyland (jealous!) to get me some authentic Disney Parks merch. Shauna got me an adorable Halloween Minnie Mouse and...wait for it...a Minnie apple! I am so excited for this, I can't even tell you. We're leaving for Disney World in just under two weeks, and this was the perfect thing to get me even more excited for our trip! Um, and oh, yeah, chocolate-covered caramel apples are one of my favorite foods! :)

Minnie and her marshmallow ears

But wait, it gets better! Shauna did her homework--she went on my Goodreads page to see what books I had already read and/or owned, and then picked one off my to-read list that she figured would be a scary read: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin. Woot! I borrowed this from the library last week but haven't read it yet, so the library copy goes back. Shauna also sent some bat stickers, as I'd said that bats were my favorite Halloween decoration.

Here's a picture of all my loot:

Isn't this the coolest package ever? Thanks again to Julie over at A Tale of Many Reviews for hosting this totally fun event, but most of all thanks to Shauna for the awesome Halloween gift! 

Enjoy your reading!

Christi