Confession: you’ll never catch me saying that Halloween is my favorite holiday. That honor belongs to Christmas -- I’m completely enamored with Santa Claus, Jack Frost, and the smell of Christmas trees. I hate all things pumpkin flavored, and fall weather annoys the hell out of me. However, I live with the self-proclaimed queen of Halloween. My roommate’s obsessed with all things fall. Halloween is her favorite holiday -- she’s been decorating since the middle of September! So, with my dorm room covered in pumpkins and bats, here’s why I appreciate Halloween as more than a placeholder between summer and Christmas.

1. It’s the only time of year where it’s completely acceptable to dress up.
   Dressing up as whatever your heart desires is pretty fantastic.
2. Not only is it acceptable for YOU to dress up, your PET can dress up too!
   
   It’s the only time in the year where you can put your dog in a costume without people thinking that you’re torturing the poor thing. Sure, he’ll eat it in about 30 minutes, but it’s so stinking cute until he does!
3. CANDY.
   
   I have an undeniable sweet tooth, and Halloween candy is my kryptonite.
4. FREE candy.
   
   With three younger siblings, trick-or-treating is still an acceptable activity back home. The only thing better than Halloween candy is FREE Halloween candy.
5. Halloween movies.
   "Halloweentown," "Hocus Pocus," the "Halloween" series… Some of my favorite movies seem to only be on TV during the lead-up to Halloween.
6. Halloween STORIES.
   
   As an English major, I read a LOT. Scary stories are the only things I’ll willingly pick up during the week before Halloween.
7. The warehouses that become Halloween stores for three months.
   
   From August until a couple of days after Halloween, empty stores become Halloween paradises for three months of the year, to cater to your every Halloween need.
8. Cool decorations.
   
   My dad’s personal goal when I was a kid was to turn our front yard into a haunted house to scare the neighborhood kids. He may never have fully succeeded (he DID succeed in making a couple of toddlers cry when he opened the door in a monster mask), but I’ll always appreciate the jack o’ lanterns, witch's cauldrons, and flying ghosts that epitomize the holiday.
9. Haunted houses.
   
   I love scary movies and scary stories, so why wouldn’t I like scary places too? My roommate brought me to a haunted house in Passaic this past weekend, and I loved it. The decorations, the actors, and the interactive elements (head to Brighton Asylum if you want to frolic in a ball pit with a scary clown!) all served to scare the pants off of me in the best way possible.
10. Halloween parties are the best.
    
    Dressing up in costumes and hanging out with your friends is absolutely unbeatable.
11. Halloween happens during a really pretty time of year.
    
    As long as there are no freak snowstorms or hurricanes canceling Halloween, the fall leaves are make for some of the prettiest backgrounds for a holiday.

Halloween may not measure up to Christmas, but it’s pretty cool in its own way. I hope everyone has fun celebrating with costumes, candy, and a couple of scares!