UPDATE: Now you can relive X-E's 2009 Halloween Countdown more easily than ever -- and in it's original design! On the top of the right-side column of every page herein, you'll see a master guide linking to all of 2009's Countdown articles! After you're done sifting through those, you can navigate to other X-E Halloween Countdowns. Enjoy!

No, this post isn't meant to signal the start of this year's Halloween Countdown -- in whatever form it may take. Rather, I just have a primal need to write about new editions of Chips Ahoy! cookies the moment they hit the shelves.

For the first time in history, Nabisco has graced the Chips Ahoy! brand with its very own special Halloween edition. Though pessimists have already marked this as the absolute zenith of humanity and lamented that we have nowhere to go but down, we must remind ourselves to live in the moment and enjoy this.

I'll get to the actual edibles in a second, because as we all know, Halloween editions of anything are really judged by their packages. Aside from the various bits of spooky decorations all over the bag, the key element is the official Chips Ahoy! mascot (that anthropomorphic cookie from the commercials), dressed as Dracula, complete with what appears to be a cape made entirely out of chocolate.

In this guise, the Chips Ahoy! mascot is a sight that I can fixate upon for 15-20 minutes without the slightest distraction. It's way too early in the season for me to soapbox your ass with eight paragraphs about what makes Halloween great, but if I can summarize in six syllables: DRACULA THE COOKIE.

While a lesser brand would've seen fit to modify its packaging and call it a dark and scary night, there's actually more to these Halloween Chips Ahoy! cookies than that. In tribute to Satan, these special exclusive limited edition snacks arrive not just with the everyday chocolate chips, but also with a smattering of crushed up orange M&M's. (Well, they're not M&M's...but they're M&M's.)

I can't say that the addition of mock M&M's is an improvement to the flavor of original Chips Ahoy! cookies, but it isn't the ruination of it either. Truth be told, you're really only buying these because DRACULA THE COOKIE is on the package. Is that not enough?

Happy SNT. For those curious, yes, I will be doing the Halloween Countdown. I will not miss the opportunity to reclaim my rightful virtual throne by way of easy scribblings about things with werewolf heads. But I wouldn't dare promise that I'll be writing everyday, because I doubt I will, and it's not like you'd believe it, anyway. Nevertheless, expect the official start date to be around the time suggested by my six-year-old Shrunken Apple Head. And there will probably be a few other mini-posts like this on our way there.

I never lie when I tag out with a smiley face, btw.

Oh, and the Halloween Jukebox is up. I'd link you to it, but it isn't hard to find. I think you'll enjoy it more if you go through the rewarding experience of locating it yourself. Good luck hunting!