From the moment I learned how to walk, I celebrated every Halloween by trick-or-treating through the night. It was the one and only day of the year when I wasn’t afraid of going up to random people’s houses and ringing on doorbells.
Receiving free candy surprisingly wasn’t my favorite part about trick-or-treating. As someone with peanut allergies, I wasn’t able to eat many of them anyway. Instead, I looked forward to prancing around in my costume and getting creeped out by the decorations. These two things balanced each other out perfectly: one made me feel carefree, while the other kept me constantly on edge.
This coming Halloween will be the second year in a row I won’t be trick-or-treating. This is mainly due to the ongoing pandemic, but also because trick-or-treating as an adult just isn’t the same. Some people would be taken aback to see even a teenager come up to their doorstep. I usually got away with it when I trick-or-treated with my younger sisters, but I would still receive more raised eyebrows and significantly less candy year after year.
With 2020 being the year that it is, I know I speak for many when I say we’re all nostalgic for simpler, more wholesome memories. It’s easy to feel as though there’s currently nothing worth celebrating, but I encourage everyone to remember what makes Halloween so special. The one day we get to dress up and pretend to be someone we’re not– someone perhaps we hope to be– and get rewarded for it, could be the best temporary escape. This time, we should reward ourselves with sweets for pushing through an otherwise bitterly sour year. Dress up as a Marvel superhero or an Amazon warrior. No matter who you decide to become, know that you’re already both those things.
Sharing candy and visiting every house in the neighborhood may not be viable options this Halloween, but there are still a number of ways to celebrate the spooky season. Decorate your home, watch scary movies, and most importantly, give yourself a break…and also a Kit Kat. (Or two or four or six—treat yourself!)