Summer…ween Already?
Can you believe summer is already over? Well maybe not for everyone, but for the majority, school starts in a week or two. As I do my doomscrolling preventative activities and daily TJMAXX runs, I find myself face to face with Halloween decorations.
This wasn’t as long ago as I’d like to admit. This began when the 4th of July Weekend Concluded. “Seriously, could we not wait a week?” I scold myself even though I’m ecstatic for the return of the crispy Fall air. Was I being hypocritical? Okay, maybe a little bit. But hear me out.
I know this muggy weather makes you want to stay inside and be a couch potato—Pumpkin Spice lattes anyone? My hands are raised for that one! Just know my Spotify will be blasting The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown soundtrack and Nightmare Before Christmas will be making its annual return on my TV.
Modern Summerween’s Missing Magic
To be completely honest, I love the fall weather and all the festivities that come with it. However, at times it’s not the same as it used to be. When I was around seven years old, I would look forward to the Disney Channel movies that would resurface every year like Twitches, Halloweentown, Halloweentown II Kalabar’s Revenge , and Hocus Pocus.
I hope someone remembers what I’m talking about! McDonalds knew what they were doing when they featured those Halloween themed pails for trick or treating—especially if you got a happy meal. I brought this up at a coffee shop near my house the other day to some younger girls. Safe to say they had NO idea what I was talking about.
“Wait, that’s so vintage!” One girl exlcaimed—half-finished matcha in-hand. I’m considered vintage at 22 (2004 babies rise-up—were considered vintage now.) My heart hurt a little bit, not at the comment, but at the fact that they didn’t recognize my nostalgic references.
Sorry—I got slightly sidetracked. But seriously, I haven’t seen a house covered in pre-Halloween decorations in a long time. Some things are less colorful, or, to put it another way, lacking in brighter pigments. Target and Walmart have completely lost their Summerween charm. When Halloween really arrives, there’s no trick or treating in sight.
Just because my neighborhood or the younger generation can’t get with the program, doesn’t mean that I’m following their missteps. Here’s my little guide to Summerween (like it’s 2012.)
The To-Do’s: Simple but Effective
Never underestimate the power of a pumpkin and vanilla scented candle. You’d be surprised when a delicious scent overpowers your room in the middle of August. I usually stock about one to two large ones that can last me a while. Since I light those glass jars often, they tend to fade quickly. The results vary for each person, but I prefer to let the Fall aesthetic consume me.
You don’t need a record player, your phone will do the trick just fine. Vintage Autumn tunes or a carefully curated playlist with a few monster mashes revive my nostalgia all over again. I don’t decorate my room, although I faithfully attempt to set the atmosphere and tone similarly to how it was when I was a kid.
(Thriller by Michael Jackson immediately works wonders by the way.)
The VERY Best Movies to Watch
I wish I could list them all or at least every single film I remember watching. Though this mini list is not ranked in any way shape or form, I think 10 memorable, nostalgic, and homey movies is fair. If I had enough energy, willpower, and more than 24 hours in a single day, I would watch them all. A genius idea would be one movie for every day until Halloween arrives—but to each their own!
- Twitches & Twitches Too
- It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
- Halloweentown
- Hocus Pocus
- The Little Vampire
- Corpse Bride
- Casper
- James and the Giant Peach
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Ghost Busters
Before Mariah Carey Defrosts
As much as stores love to rush from one holiday to the next, Summerween is the one celebration I’m okay with rushing towards. Maybe Summerween isn’t really about Halloween arriving early. Maybe it’ s about holding onto those little traditions that made the season feel magical in the first place.
Whether that’s lighting your favorite pumpkin candle in the middle of August, rewatching Halloweentown for the hundredth time, or humming to “Thriller” while folding laundry—there’s something comforting about slowing down and embracing a little nostalgia before life speeds back up again. If the stores can stock skeletons in July and Christmas decorations before Halloween even begins and right up until it ends, then we deserve a few weeks of Summerween.
Happy Summerween—lets enjoy it before Rudolph unloads his sleigh in the next aisle over, and we hear Mariah Carey’s warm up vocals.