Holidays have a way of taking you back to you're best childhood memories, bringing about a bittersweet sense of nostalgia as you reminisce on the blissful memories of the carefree childhood we all miss as we enter into adulthood as young twenty-somethings. Halloween, in particular, seems to be a most memory filled day as we remember the pressure and time spent planning the perfect costume that all your friends from school would be jealous of, fasting the day of so you can binge your way into a sugar induced candy coma as you appraise your bounty at the end of the night.
As we grew up, Halloween changed with each stage of our life. After the initial childhood sense of wonder of the spooky night, we pass on to middle school were everyone is way to cool to dress up and you're only going to because your mom made you take you're little brother and it's, like, so lame. In high school, we re-recognized the wonder of the haunted holiday, finding the fun in dressing up as "sexy (insert cute animal name here)" and hosting scary movie nights, or Halloween parties.
Then college comes along, and everything you thought you knew about Halloween is out the window, you have never seen Halloween parties until you go to college, and you have never seen costumes until you spend Oct. 31 with crafty sorority girls who have a separate closet just for costumes, or guys who will do anything to show off their newly formed gains by coming up with some very creative costumes. But by the time senior year roles around, you're kind of over the sloppy Halloween bar crawl, and you just miss the innocent, spooky pumpkin-filled wonder of Halloween. Something about being 22 -ears-old ushers in an almost constant feeling of nostalgia. So let's just let it out, embrace the memories and let Halloween bring you back -- way back.
1. Grocery stores roll out the Halloween candy on Oct. 1.
This suddenly makes you miss the satisfaction of dumping the giant pile of candy in front of you after a night of trick-or-treating. Try and hold out till Nov. 1 when it all goes on sale before stocking up.
2. You see all the freshman girls in their playboy bunny, and "Tom Cruise in Risky Business" costumes.
You're thankful you've moved past that time in your life (but still acknowledging you did look really good.
3. "Hocus Pocus" pretty much plays on a constant loop for all of October.
No one has to know that you watch it every time it comes, either.
4. You remember that the fun and creativity of carving pumpkins doesn't have to end with childhood.
It just grows up a little, like you.
5. You feel a twinge of sadness when you finally accept that you are actually too old to trick or treat (after the false alarm of thinking you were too old in middle school).
Just think -- eventually you'll have kids and you can live vicariously through them.
6. You use Halloween as an excuse to still drink too much pumpkin beer, and eat too much candy.
You pass out of the couch while watching "Hocus Pocus" (duh) just like old times.
7. When "Monster Mash" comes on the Halloween Pandora station, and you still can't resist the urge to dance along, as usual.
8. You get invited to a Halloween party and realize you made it another year finding a reason to dress up.
Because you did have a really good idea and it would be a shame to waste it.
9. Family goals.
10. As a kid, you spent the entire month of October, and let's be honest, most of September, being excited for Halloween and that hasn't changed much.
11. You're thankful when you realize your friends love it just as much as you do.
You'll be stuffing your faces with fun size candy bars and watching "Halloweentown" marathons for many years to come.
