As I get older, Halloween, like all holidays, seems to be losing its magic. That feels like an oxymoron, considering Halloween is all about magic and the supernatural. I’m past the acceptable age to go trick-or-treating, and I live in an apartment. I can decorate it, but I don’t have a yard, and I don’t get hordes of candy-seeking-children knocking on my door. Â
Most years, I have a list of things I want to do: visiting pumpkin patches and carving them with my friends, going to haunted houses, having horror movie marathons—but inevitably, life gets in the way every year, and October passes before I realize it. Â
I’m an October baby, so it tends to be my favorite time of year, and that contributes to the busyness I feel every year. I have all of these activities I want to enjoy, but there never seems to be time. It wasn’t until this year that I realized I’m utilizing my birthday get-together incorrectly. Â
Getting my friends together is no easy feat. It takes lots of time and communication to find a day we’re all free. But birthdays tend to be one of the easiest times to get everyone together, because all my friends prioritize the day, and we plan way in advance. This year, I chose to celebrate my birthday at Linvilla Orchards. Spending hours in the farm store, eating carnivalesque food, and picking pumpkins with my friends made me so happy, and reignited my love for fall. Â
It sounds counter-intuitive, but one of the ways to keep that October magic alive as we get older is time management and scheduling. We may not have realized this when we were younger, but part of the magic of the season was because we attended all of these festivities. Often times, those festivities were scheduled for us by a parent or guardian, so when they happened in a spontaneous way, they felt that much more special. Â
Planning things in advance ensures that you can make time for the things that contribute to the season’s spirit and excitement. These events don’t just happen, they have to be scheduled. And yes, that takes away some of the magic. But one way to get around that is for each friend to pick a day and plan an activity; keep it a surprise from the rest of the group. The excitement and the unknown are going to give the activity that much more magic. Â
The childlike wonder about Halloween may change as we get older, but not because it’s faded. We just have to readjust our relationship to the day. The days fly by as we get older, and it’s easy for things to fall by the wayside. Slowing down, committing to one festive thing a week, and taking the time to enjoy the changes in the air is crucial to redefining our relationship to the holidays.