As the end of October approaches, it’s time for the spooky season: Spooktober, as Instagram has dubbed it this year, is in full swing. Pumpkin sales are booming, skull masks and copious amounts of candy line the shelves of every store, and you’re four times less likely to have as much fun any other time of the year. Halloween is the best holiday.
Everyone can celebrate Halloween
Halloween has no religion; everyone can celebrate spoopy season regardless of which god or gods you choose to worship. Although it does have Pagan origins, the commercialization of the holiday has stripped it back to become a holiday where everyone, no matter their age, can let loose.
Halloween legitimizes all of the innocent fun we all had dressing up as children. Whether that costume is sexy, funny, or a black jumpsuit and cat ears, life is always more fun when you’re trying out a new persona. Give a grown person an excuse to act like a child and they will cherish it all year.
Oscar Wilde once said that the tragedy of age is not that one is old, but that one is young. Of course, he was not talking about twenty-somethings reminiscing about being nine, but the point he makes is still true. Everyone feels a yearning, a nostalgia for days gone by, even more so when those days are childhood memories.
A much-needed break
In college, stress, massive workloads, and the first taste of independent living can send someone back to remembering the days of yesteryear, when things were “easier.” Halloween is the perfect opportunity to escape to those childhood days of trick-or-treating and costume parties.
For the non-nostalgic ones among us, Halloween offers amazing excuses to party; and guilt-free consumption of candy never hurt anyone’s pride. Many people might view Halloween as a calendar mandated cheat day!
The timing of Halloween is another reason why it is truly the best holiday of the year.
It’s the end of October; there is a lovely chill in the air. It’s not warm enough to warrant shorts and periods of excessive sweat and yet, it’s not cold enough to swath yourself in coats twice the size of a small child. With the relaxed weather it is truly the perfect time of year.
It comes roughly two months before Christmas season, which means the end of Halloween marks the beginning of a festive mood for the remainder of the year. The first snow starts to blanket the ground a few days after the Halloween week, sometimes even the next day, marking the beginning of a new season. It truly is a magical time of year.
This is also a time in school when most students are done with their midterms. The weather is definitely not the only thing that is relaxed around that time of the semester.
Another reason why Halloween is so amazing is society’s unrelenting obsession with the supernatural. Many people believe in poltergeists and ghosts, even outside of Tinder, but many more do not. However, that does not stop them from having fun at the expense of supernatural entities.
This is the time of year when people view being scared as “fun.” That in itself breaks down so many inhibitions, leaving the average individual open to having a brilliant time and new experiences! Not to mention, the mandatory release of at least one epic horror movie every late September and October.
Self-expression
Halloween also gives people the perfect opportunity to express themselves with little to no judgement.
Felt like dying your hair purple? That is a seasonal, intended look.
Felt like getting a tattoo? That is also a perfectly intentional look.
That one ridiculous coat that makes you look like a certain Bram Stoker character? That was the look you were going for anyway.
Self-expression, again, helps tear down inhibitions and help everyone have a good time. When we feel ourselves, we can make new friends and acquaintances more easily. During spooky season, there are countless chances to meet so many interesting people, a lot more interestingly dressed people; and they’re often the same people. You never know who you might run into at a Halloween party that you might never have given a second glance.
Halloween is truly the best holiday there is. In college, you may no longer get to go trick or treating, but it is definitely still a unique experience. There is going to be a strong nostalgic element to the celebration, fused with new experiences as independent college students. This unique marriage is what makes this holiday the absolute best one in the whole year.
Have a happy Halloween!
Recent Comments