As fall approaches, so does one of my favourite days of the year: Halloween. And as much as I consider Halloween fun and exciting, I can’t deny the wave of sadness that washes over me every single time this holiday approaches. Why, you ask? Nostalgia. Memories of childhood. A painful reminder that as every year goes by, I am getting older and I cannot take part in the same rituals I used to. Instead, the older we get, we move one step closer to occupying the roles our parents play. At a certain age, you get glared at if you go trick or treating and laughed at if you dress up as a scary bride instead of a slutty bunny. And I know that Halloween as a teenager can be really fun too but for some people it just doesn’t quite have the same joy to it; so, here are a couple of things to do to at least try to make ourselves feel as if we’re not too old for Halloween just yet.
Photo by sheri silver
For one, let’s acknowledge that it’s okay to indulge in lots of candy one night a year. I know that as we grow older, we tend to become more and more conscious of what we put into our bodies-not saying that that is a bad thing- but every once in awhile, it’s okay to let loose and break that habit. So, this one night, I think as a way of reverting back to our childhood ways, overdosing on sugar might not be such a bad idea.
Photo by Conner Baker
In addition, as much fun as getting wasted with friends at a club sounds, let’s consider the fact that we always have that option, on regular weekend nights. Personally, I know that I miss dressing up as a silly or genuinely scary childhood character and binge-watching on thrillers. Instead, a lot of us nowadays are more worried about looking good and wearing the perfect outfit rather than embracing the spirit of Halloween.
I’m saying these things because I’m guilty of them and in the last years of my teenage-hood I’ve realized how much I wish I had appreciated the little quirks of this holiday when I was younger. For some reason, we all have this rush to grow up when we’re kids but once we do, we forget what all the fuss was about and begin to feel nostalgic about the good old days.
Photo by Tony J
Now that I have the opportunity, I will do anything I can to savor the last tastes of childhood. This year, since I don’t have a younger sibling nor a family member to bring trick or treating, I want to take a walk around my neighborhood and just take in the decorated houses and the kids all dressed up. I will do that a couple of hours before hitting the club with my friends of course- My point is not that adulthood traditions are bad compared to childhood ones, but rather that sometimes, we tend to be so caught up in our own worlds that we forget that taking part in childhood activities can taste as sweet as October 31st does.