Halloween is hands down the best time of year.
Whether you're a summer person who likes to celebrate the Fourth of July or a winter person who loves the spirit of Christmas, Halloween during the fall meets you in the middle. It's not too hot, not too cold, and there's a spooky yet comforting feeling in the air during the transition from hot, summer days to cool breezy nights.
Even though Halloween is rooted from spiritual traditions, what we celebrate in present-day America has evolved into a holiday where you don’t have to worry about giving gifts or being proud of your nation—in a way, it’s about ourselves. What began as a traditional festivity has become the celebration of self and the humanism within life and death.
In a way, you get to be yourself while being someone else for a day.
Here are the seven best things about Halloween.
1. When people know what your costume is
If you’re the type of person who is sick of traditional cat ears and likes to get crafty with your Halloween costume—you will know this feeling all too well. Whether you put together a cute couples costume, or a “punny” idea to make people laugh, not everyone is as intellectual as you to figure it out. So, when you’re at a party, or in a crowd of costumes, dressed up as a girl scout with pot leaves all over your uniform, and someone shouts out—“OMG a pot brownie!”—you can’t help but get a great feeling that your creativity has been noticed. Another successful year of crushing the costume scene.
2. The best kind of party is a Halloween house party
What is better than a Halloween costume party? I mean really? Fun fall decorations mixed with a gothic twist—candy, cider drinks, bobbing for apples, bonfires—all while dressed up in something cool to express your creative style. There is mystery and excitement held in the Halloween spirit and there’s just something about having a gathering of disguised people on a spooky autumn evening.
3. You get to express your inner creative genius
Whether you are an artsy fartsy, stylish, creative person, or just have an average throw-something-together type of style, Halloween allows you to hold nothing back (except for offensive costumes—please hold those back). The expression of your inner creative genius is essential to who you are as a person.
In a 2013 Psychology Today article, Kit Yarrow, Ph.D., discusses the psychology behind crafting together a costume through examining the dark side, ulterior motives, fantasy and creative expression. “Costumes are communication devices. They say something about yourself to others and are meant to elicit a response. Nobody (normal) puts on a costume to sit home alone. Costumes are vehicles of social connection.”
4. When you find the perfect ensemble to complete your costume
If you’re last-minute like I am, and always end up scoring great finds to quickly throw together, then you know how exciting this can be. Sometimes people spend all month looking for the right pieces to put together their costume, and sometimes they spend all day searching—usually, the day of—before they finally find that last minute piece that completes it. When it all finally comes together, it’s a great feeling. YAS!
5. The pictures are hilarious and/or amazing
If you spent a lot of time creating your costume, or a lot of money to buy it, you know how important pictures are. You work hard to put together something awesome—make sure you document it! Whether you’re an amazing group costume like the Spice Girls or just a hilarious solo costume, photos are the most important thing to remember during Halloween. The celebration of life and death is meant to keep memories alive.
6. The festive decorations are the coolest of all holidays
Let’s face it—it’s fun to scare the sh*t out of people. I don't know why people love it, but they do. Not only are fall decorations adorable, but spooky Halloween decorations make the season that much more fun. In my personal opinion, artistic designs of ghosts, bats, vampires, monsters, skeletons and haunted houses are much more fun than a fat man and a bunch of reindeer on a roof.
7. You get to be somebody else while embodying your own self
Once again, Halloween has become so much more than just the traditional celebration we recognize as a holiday. It’s about connecting with others through creativity and personal expression. Celebrate Halloween as a form of human connection by dressing up as someone else through your own personal self-expression.
