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Don't get me wrong, I like Christmas plenty, especially the time off part. And as you get older, you do find new joys in the holiday, like seeing friends you haven't seen for ages who are back to visit family, and seeing the looks on your loved ones' faces as they open the perfect gifts you agonized over and chose so carefully. But, for me nothing compares to Halloween, and it's truly been that way for as long as I can remember.
I got to thinking about this while putting up my ridiculously big (and forever expanding...) Halloween yard display this year. Why do I expend my energy making zombies and gravestones and putting heads on sticks when most of the rest of the world sees Halloween as the black-and-orange distraction next to the reindeers and Santas and snowmen they'll soon buy to decorate their yards? I really couldn't put my finger on just one concrete thing.
Was it the draw of becoming someone else for a night? That was definitely a really great aspect of it, especially with my mom. She always put a ton of effort into our Halloween costumes, either sewing things for us or scavenging together great stuff to turn into costumes. I honestly never remember wearing one of those plastic get-ups the other kids used to buy at K-Mart. My mom made my sister, brother, and I fabulous costumes; witches, space aliens, monkeys, Princess Leah, ferocious bunnies, Superman, the Joker, and a really killer Cyndi Lauper outfit that looked almost just like the one she wore on the cover of "She's So Unusual". We always had the best costumes in our classes. Thanks, Mom!
Was it having the run of the town for the night? That just might be it! Trick-or-Treating was always tons of fun, but I seem to remember things really swinging into high gear when I was finally old enough to go out on my own with my friends. Mischief, it seemed, was tolerated, and in some cases, even encouraged, for that one night of the year, (which appealed greatly to the little rebellious streak I still have to this day). And in our little town of Minatare, our folks never had to worry about us getting kidnapped, run down by a car, or getting popcorn balls full of razor blades. We knew most everyone, and everyone knew us. We always had big plans to ring doorbells and run off and TP trees and soap windows and terrify little kids under the delicious anonymity afforded us by our costumes...but we never did. Just the thought of being able to do those things for a night was enough for good little kids like us.
Was it all the ghosties, ghoulies, and scary stuff? Yeah, that's a possibility. I've always loved the scary stuff. If I had a friend tell me a movie gave them nightmares, I had to see it right away. As a little kid I remember ordering every book about ghost stories, sea monsters, or UFOs "Weekly Reader" ever sold. I read my first Stephen King book during the summer between my 5th and 6th grade year, and relished every macabre detail. It was almost like if I was tough enough to take on all the spooky things my friends shied away from, I could face anything. And if I could use some of what I'd learned from all those masters of horror to scare said friends? Well, that was a hilarious bonus!
But, as I analyze my love of Halloween, I think most of it stems from that little rebellious streak I mentioned earlier. Growing up, I remember hearing about how Halloween was a bad thing. I couldn't fathom how such a fun and harmless holiday could be bad, but I have to admit that the idea of participating in something that was a little evil was appealing to me. It's fun to be a little bad sometimes, right? There was also something so freeing in staring that cartoon, Halloween version of death in the face and laughing, daring what ever spooks and specters might be about to show themselves. And if it really was the night that the veil between this world and the next was thin enough to catch a glimpse of the beyond, what was wrong with getting a little sneak-peek of what was in store? I never did, of course, but that idea always flickered in the back of my mind like a nearly burned-out jack-o-lantern candle.
Today, that candle's still flickering. I'm like a kid when I get ready to tie those jack-o-lanterns in the tree and stake those Styrofoam gravestones into the ground. And nothing's better than Halloween night itself, hearing the kids' exclamations as they approach our door. "Wow!" "Cool!" "That guy's scary!" and, yes even "Waaaa! Mommy!" They come to the door, in a state of wonder or, admittedly, sometimes in tears. I admire their cute costumes, tell them "Happy Halloween", (and in those teary cases, "Don't worry, they aren't real!") and give them all a wad of candy that by itself could rot most the teeth out of their heads. I hope they love it like I love it. I hope when they're 31 like I am they remember it as a really cool part of their childhoods.
And, I hope I'm lighting a spark for those kids who might just be Halloween freaks like me!
