My Two-Cents: Halloween — The Best Day of the Year
I’ve always loved Halloween: it’s the peak of fall and all the good things accompanying it. I firmly believe that going all out for costumes keeps you young. I read a study that said people with great Halloween costumes every year have fewer wrinkles when they're older. Don’t ask where I heard that, just trust me. And trust that a well-executed costume can add years to your life, and money off your future Botox bill.
Why is Halloween so great? It’s the embrace of silliness and shenanigans. It’s a reminder that we are never too old or too cool to dress up like idiots and celebrate with our friends for a night. Or three nights, depending on if you’re a Halloweekend enthusiast. It’s a shame Halloween only comes around once a year. Even just thinking about the holiday brings me back to elementary trick-or-treating days. I can feel the miasma of a crisp fall evening, and hear the screams of my neighborhood playmates who spent all of October planning their costumes. I remember sitting out in my front yard with my mom putting electric tape on a cardboard box and then spray painting it to look like a Rubix cube. I remember regretting that costume idea later when I couldn’t move my arms to hold my candy bag. But I also remember that experience as a shaping one – this was the first time I learned that sometimes, you must suffer to commit to the bit. And I was committed to being a fucking Rubix cube. And in the end, it was worth it, because that costume was a neighborhood hit. I remember as soon as fall hit, my friends and I would begin our brainstorming sessions. Nothing was considered over-the-top while planning for the greatest day of the elementary school calendar year: the Halloween party and school-wide parade. Every class got to take a turn walking through the halls, and everyone wanted to have the sickest costume. It was legit. And then after the party, the fun continued with trick-or-treating. And then staying up past our normal bedtimes to trade candy. This was my favorite day of the year. The only thing that sucks about it is it comes to an end.
I think many Halloween normalcies shouldn’t just be exclusive to just October 31st. The world would be a better place if we were always as kind, childish, and committed as we are on Halloween. How kind was my mom to take hours out of her busy schedule to help her somewhat ridiculous and over-the-top 3rd grader make a Rubix cube costume. How kind is it that we give candy to strangers without a second thought. Unless you’re a scrooge who turns your lights off – and to that I say, damn you! Where is your spirit! I hope your house gets egged. How childish and pure it is to dress up like a complete idiot. Plus instead of judging the biggest idiots of the night, we reward them by winning the costume contest. How wonderful to set aside one day a year to be kids again. How cool would it be if we were all non-judgmental as we are on Halloween every other day of the year. How much shit would get done in the world if we're all as committed to real-world things as we are to Halloween costumes? I’d like to think a lot. That would all be really sick. But maybe that’s a discussion we aren’t ready to have yet – so instead I’ll settle for having one day a year to be more kind, more childish, and more committed than any other calendar day.
