Why I Love Halloween

I am one of those people. I'm a card-carrying, candy dealing, costume-planning, Halloween supporter. It may very well be my favorite holiday. And as I stumbled across some serious 'haters' (for lack of a better word) today here and here, I felt the need to defend my holiday, and I chose to blog about it instead of leaving a nasty comment or two on these articles ( I don't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing I actually read them).

So, why do I love Halloween? To borrow from the incomprable John Hughes, "in the simplest terms, in the most conveniant definitions" I love Halloween because it's fun.

As Christmas has become more about spending ridiculous amounts of money on gifts that people don't really want or need, and the stress of dividing time between families and trying to please everyone, it has lost a lot of it's appeal. I still LOVE Christmas, don't get me wrong, and it is probably my favorite holiday overall, but there is no denying it is a stressful time of year. It's the most wonderful, and yet, worst time of year if you will. And therein lies the beauty of Halloween.

No one stresses out about Halloween. You can spend as much or as little as you want on a costume (D.I. anyone?), and no one really cares if they see you on Halloween. You are free to be and do as you please. Whether that's dancing the night away at a party, attending the local ward trunk-or-treat, or just staying home and having a Netflix marathon.

In a broader context, Halloween also doesn't carry the kind of social pressures that other holidays can. Take Valentine's Day for example, it's almost impossible to not feel like a complete social outcast or loser if you are single. And even Thanksgiving and Christmas can be really hard on someone who is lonely. I'm just sayin', you never hear about suicide or depression rates going up around Halloween. And there is no awkward moment when you count down to the New Year, wondering whether the creep next to you is going to try and kiss you, or conversely, feeling left out because you have no one to kiss.

Halloween is the only day of the year where I can dress up like a Goonie and not be judged :) Halloween allows us to wear a real mask, as opposed to the emotional one we may put on for other holidays. To quote Oscar Wilde "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." (anonymous comments on a Youtube thread anyone?) There is a certain freedom that comes from wearing a costume, people tend to say and do things they never would normally (and yes, that can certainly be both good and bad). But from my own experience, I have met amazing people and started life-long friendships from things I've done and places I've gone on Halloween that were outside my 'norm'.

You get to hang out with friends and watch scary movies, or go trick-or-treating with your sweet nieces and nephews. You can unabashedly watch Hocus Pocus over and over. You can wear jeans to work if you plan your costume accordingly. You can get lost in corn mazes and try carving unwittingly hard jack-o-lantern patterns. And it's the only time of the year when little kids can knock on the doors of complete strangers and receive a treat, which when you think about it, in this world--is really quite remarkable.

Sure, I may be biased. After all, the first time Brody and I held hands was when we were watching Arachnophobia with some friends, and our first kiss was after a night that we had gone to a haunted house together. But I think it's fitting :) and for these, and countless other reasons and memories, I'll always love Halloween.