As the holiday season quickly creeps upon us, many of us may begin to feel overwhelmed by a strange and bittersweet feeling, which is nostalgia. For some this emotional wave begins around Halloween. Reminiscing on childhood memories that once were, you may have found yourself excited to dress up as your favorite character, attend school halloween parades, or even trick or treat with your friends. But as we’ve grown older, we realize that we took advantage of those simple pleasures as children and now find ourselves missing out on the magic of the Halloween season.
There’s a quiet kind of sadness that comes with growing up. Holidays seasons that once filled us with excitement and wonder are now filled with anxiety and anticipation of the new year to come. We see children dressed as superheros or their favorite characters, and suddenly we are hit by memories of plastic pumpkins buckets and walking door to door.
For many, Halloween may not be about missing costumes or candy, but the community and sense of belonging that was built around it. It was one of the few nights of the year where the neighborhood and families came together and as adults communal magic can feel harder to find.
To better understand this shared feeling of nostalgia, I asked fellow Her Campus members to share their childhood halloween memories. Their stories are filled with happiness and community, to remind us that this holiday holds a special place in our hearts.
“I have a huge family and we do a Halloween party every year and something we do is a big costume contest which gets pretty competitive and people show up in some crazy costumes. It’s basically everyone just trying to beat my brother because he wins almost every year”, said Sarah Ismali, Her Campus member.
“All the New Jersey girls know that governor Chris Christie canceled Halloween in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy so, my neighbors decided to do Halloween a week later. It was so fun to still dress up and have a traditional Halloween even if it wasn’t the correct date”, said Lizzy Morcom, Her Campus member.
Even though we have outgrown certain Halloween traditions, this doesn’t mean we can’t tap into that same childlike joy. Host a movie night with friends with your favorite halloween themed snacks and drinks. Hand out candy to trick or treaters to deliver the same joy you once felt. You can even have a night in by yourself, cuddle up in some comfy pjs and relax by painting a pumpkin and listening to music.
Growing up doesn’t mean you need to disconnect from who we were as children. During the tough adulting struggles, it is important to hold onto that magical feeling in order to inspire you to keep pushing forward. So this year, as you see the children running around and the jack o’ lanterns glow, take a moment to yourself to feel that magic once more.