High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. Locals have long believed the place to be haunted. They tell stories about the unmarked graves on the premises, of the cold spots felt throughout the underground tunnels, and of the treasures found inside: patients' personal items like journals, hair combs, and bars of soap, or even their old medical records, left behind by the state for trespassers to view. On the eve of the hospital's demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their adventures. For Derik, it's an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents' diner. For the others, it's a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a playful dare quickly escalates into a frenzy of nightmarish action. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.

I decided I'm tired of losing the holiday decorations game. Everyone in my neighborhood has lights galore, wreaths hung outside and lit with spotlights, garland hung over doors and big red bows. So Sunday we went to town. Bought the bushy green garland for around the front door, seven sets of lights (the untangling of which was enough to have me mumbling bah humbug), two trees for each side of the door, and beautiful velvet bows with gold sparkles. And, the tangled lights not withstanding, I was merry. I love the holidays, love holiday songs, holiday smells, especially holiday eggnog. then it came time to put up the lights and lesson #1 was learned: Always test lights before hanging. Common sense, I know, but I was excited! So when we plugged in the lights and only half of the strand worked, I was ready to strangle the people at Lowe's with them. Out of seven strands of lights (not all new, I admit), not a single strand had all lights lit. At one point the only working strand shone brightly as we stepped back to admire our work, only to watch as they went out right before our eyes. Tried replacing some bulbs with the extras they provided, but no luck. Decided to throw every single one away and start over. Only Lowe's was out of white lights, so we had to go with the rainbow lights, which my kids wanted in the first place. Put the lights up, and there was peace, joy and happiness. Until the two trees kept blowing over. Lesson #2: securing Christmas trees on a windy front step requires the equivalent of gardening in single digit weather. My husband had to fill the planters with dirt and rocks to keep those damn trees from falling over. Problem solved. Lesson #3: you always need more extension cords than anticipated. I am now single handedly responsible for using more than my fair share of the electrical grid after two more trips to Lowe's. Lesson #4: Fun to turn lights on, pain in the butt turning them off when you're in your pajamas and the outlet can't be reached from inside the front door. Still, I'd never be able to sleep if I left them on all night, would imagine those rainbow lights igniting those two trees, and the flames running along my lovely garland.

This weekend's holiday tasks: lighting 12 luminaries along our front walk for our Christmas party. I'll be working with open flames, so anything's possible.