Kids love it for the candy, adults love it as an excuse to party, and we college folk are located in the dead center of the spectrum, buying mini snickers (in bulk) and a fun costume for blacklight clubbing. Halloween is almost upon us, and though I may be too old to go trick-or-treating, I still celebrate the holiday with vigor because of the value it holds in my life.
This time of year is a smorgasbord of traditions, beliefs, and meanings enveloped in an apple cider-scented package. Some people hate being scared, and rather prefer the holiday for the aesthetics: pumpkin spice, tractor rides, and sweater weather. Others see Halloween as another hurdle in their race to Christmas. My family loves Halloween because we get to pull three giant storage bins out of the attic and decorate our entire house with pumpkins and skeletons galore. I always loved autumn, especially since it gave me an excuse to show off almost every Disney princess costume at school (I only took one year off to be Spongebob Squarepants). However, It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I realized what Halloween truly meant to me.
My grandma loved to decorate, and though my dad won’t admit it, he inherited a piece of her passion when it comes to Halloween. Nearly every year, my mom, brother, and I helped my dad make a haunted house in our garage, complete with fake blood, animatronics, and a fog machine. The whole process was incredible; I honestly think that he could have done special effects for horror movies or made the freaky masks that Saw and Freddy Krueger wear. In fact, any younger kids who came over for apple bobbing or pumpkin carving parties were too terrified to go into what often looked like a mad science lab or zombie-infested hospital!
When my dad and I weren’t jumping out at people from behind corners, we were either watching scary movies or going to fall carnivals to pick out the juiciest pumpkins we could later hollow and harvest for seeds. He always helped me do my makeup for my costumes because once I grew out of my princess phase, I immediately turned to zombies, vampires, and ghosts. A big leap, but my dad was all for it.
One of my favorite Halloween memories was a trip to Arizona, where the Cardinals were playing the Buccaneers for Thursday night football, and since the next day was Halloween, my entire family wore our pirate crew costumes to the game. The Buccaneers actually won, 21-20, and though I didn’t even know what a down was at the time, my dad’s excitement was contagious. I was just happy to be in the spirit of it all!
Once my first year of college arrived, I was so caught up in school work that I hardly noticed the leaves beginning to fall. But, then, October came, and like an innate timer, I knew that Halloween was right around the corner.
To my disappointment, my dorm hall was supposed to work together to create a Trolls-themed atmosphere for trick-or-treaters later in the month, but no one seemed to want to help or care, for that matter. It was then that I was struck with devastating homesickness.
I couldn’t believe that there were no fake spiders hanging from the walls, pumpkins lining the pathways to res halls, or even gel window clings of ghosts and bats adorning the windows. I missed the excitement I had always felt at home, and I really, really missed my dad, who would have been offended by the lack of spooky cheer.
I decorated my side of the room as best as I could on a first-year budget and helped my RA hang glittering streamers and flowers all over the hall. It wasn’t quite like home, but I tried my darndest to get others in on the spirit. I actually met my best friend by knocking on her door and asking if she wanted to help me draw whatever troll Justin Timberlake voiced. She said no, only because she couldn’t draw, but agreed to blow up how many ever balloons it took to make an arch in the dorm hall entrance.
Halloween means many things for many people, but for me, it means family. I haven’t been able to spend this holiday with my parents for several years now, but if there is anything I’ve learned from my dad, it’s that the most important part of the season, no matter what season it may be, is sharing the spirit of it with those around you, especially with those you love. Yes, I like the candy aspect too, but this time of year has actually been an important learning experience. Halloween has taught me how to make a home away from home all throughout the year by sharing my excitement and passion with everyone around me…with a little help from Dad’s three containers of haunted house decorations, of course!
So even if you hate being scared or simply see October 31st as a segue into holiday shopping, take this next week to appreciate the spirit of the season. This is the time of year to spend with loved ones, and despite being away from home, you can still create a family of friends in which to share your spirit. Even if you don’t have crazy decorations, blacklights, or (too many) mini Snickers, I hope you are able to find a part of this season that is just as special and meaningful as Halloween is to me.
All photos are courtesy of the author.