The other day, as James and I were driving to Sioux Falls for a special Halloween showing of Hocus Pocus at the State Theatre (one of many activities on the docket for this Halloween season), James asked, "Why do you love Halloween so much?"
And you know, I'd never really thought about it.
Yes, there's the obvious: candy, the fun of dressing up... but that wasn't why I loved Halloween so much.
Dressing up is obviously a huge part of it. I pride myself on never having been the same thing twice for Halloween itself. (I have reused a costume for a pre-Halloween theme party, but as it was not my actual Halloween costume, we're all good.) In the past few years, I have been wearing multiple costumes each Halloween season due to the Zombie Walk and Halloween parties and events - this year, I will have gone through four costumes.
I spend much of the year thinking about what I am going to be for Halloween. I actually bought my costume for this Halloween on November 1 of last year - that's when all the super expensive deluxe costumes at the Halloween store go on sale. I have a list of costume ideas that I am constantly updating. There are so many great costumes out there, and Halloween comes but once a year.
While the store-bought costumes I've had have been pretty great, I take the most pride in the costumes I assemble from random pieces. This year's zombie Marty McFly was pulled together using items found in my closet, plus a red puffy vest purchased on eBay.
The year I was a Croc was even more of a feat - that was 2007, which was before I really knew how to buy things online. I went to the nearest Walmart and purchased everything I needed. My favourite homemade costume so far, though, was my jellyfish costume from last year. Hours of glitter and hot glue paid off.
But it's not about whether your costume was homemade or bought from a store. It's about the creativity and thought that goes into it. It's about making someone smile when they see your costume.
Halloween has so many fun events that go with it. While I am NOT into haunted houses (I have TRIED and NO THANK YOU I just scream), I love all the other things. I love midnight showings of Rocky Horror, I love all the fun local things (like the candlelight hike at Good Earth State Park or the Haunted Sioux Falls tour), and I love that everyone is suddenly into ghosts. As a strange child, the very first books I checked out from the Brookings library were books about ghosts. I still love a good ghost story, but don't you DARE tell me one at night.
Between the joy of a good Halloween costume and all the fun spooky events, that's enough to love Halloween forever. But that still wasn't it.
But then I figured it out.
Halloween is the one holiday of the year that is totally free from obligation. You don't have to worry about getting someone the perfect gift for Halloween, you don't have to fret over cooking a big meal, you don't have to sit through a church service, you don't have to panic that you forgot to call or send a card. There is NO PRESSURE. You don't have to do a damn thing you don't want to do.
Don't get me wrong: I love spending holidays with my family. As lovely as it is, there is that bit of undeniable pressure (gifts, winter travel, cleaning) that Halloween just doesn't have.
You can spend Halloween with your friends, and that's fine. You can spend it with your family, and that's fine. You can choose to do absolutely nothing for Halloween, and guess what? That's fine! Halloween gives you the freedom to do what YOU want to do.
(It's worth noting that New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July also have these attributes, and both top the list of my favourite holidays. However, only Halloween encourages dressing in costume, and I will pick the holiday with the costume every time.)
And even if you do end up celebrating Halloween in the societal tradition, all that really means is eating too much candy, dressing in a fun costume, and spending some time with people you enjoy.
To me, that's the perfect holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment