Just as its precedent September did, October is flying by. While all of the commercials seem to think that this means that it’s time for Christmas, they seem to be skipping one of my favorite holidays. (Two actually with Thanksgiving, my all time favorite, but that’s a different story for another article) Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas just as much as the next person. But come on, we have to show the others a little respect, too, right?
When most people think about Halloween, they probably think about one of two things: children and alcohol. Yes, Halloween is greatly centered around being about little kids trick-or-treating. Yes, Halloween parties that may or may not involve a few beverages can be fun. However, there’s so much more to Halloween than those things. If the only way you can have fun on Halloween is alcohol, you’re doing Halloween wrong. There are so many fun things that I love about Halloween. Here are a few.
1. Movies: When most people think of Halloween movies, they automatically think of horror films. My favorite Halloween movies though, aren’t those kind of movies. While a lot of people don’t like horror films because they get creeped out, I have the opposite problem. I never usually find your typical scary movies all that scary. In fact, I usually find them hilarious at how scary they try to be but how cheesy the acting actually is.
My two favorite Halloween movies are "Hocus Pocus" and "Hotel Transylvania," with "Halloweentown" coming in at a close third. "Hocus Pocus" was always an annual family tradition growing up, so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. I’d never seen "Hotel Transylvania" up until about a week before the second one came out, but the two quickly won a spot in my heart. They’re children’s movies but the jokes used in those movies are also geared towards adults and I loved them a lot. As for "Halloweentown," I don’t think that one even needs an explanation. Who doesn’t love Halloweentown?
No matter what type of movies get you into a spooky mood, its fun sitting down with some friends, family, or just a cozy blanket on a cool October evening and delving into haunted worlds.
2. Haunted Attractions: When I was younger, I was always kind of afraid of Haunted Houses because I always thought that someone that wasn’t supposed to could easily just hide in there and actually harm you. However, the other half of me thought they were cool as hell and I went in anyway and learned to get over the fear of them. I also always loved haunted hayrides. When I was too young to go to the big scary ones like Shocktoberfest and Field of Screams I always got jealous when my family members went and settled for family friendly ones. Then when I finally got old enough to, I thought it was the coolest thing. I just really enjoy being able to ride along and look at all the cool ways they decorate their paths with the occasional scare to keep you on your toes every so often. Going with friends and trying to scare each other on top of the actors trying to be scary is also a lot of fun.
3. Ability to be creative and spice up the normal scenery: One of my favorite parts about the holidays between October and December is all of the really cool decorations that offer a break from the normal everyday neighborhood aesthetic. Homes and lawns get covered in a variety of things from colorful lights to giant, inflatable characters like Frankenstein. People always get so creative with the way they decorate, and no two lawns ever look the same. Driving around looking at all the ways people can be creative trying to either be scary or cute with their decorations is always fun before having to eventually return regular, drab lawns.
Pumpkins also offer a great platform to express yourself on. You can either paint them any way you choose, or if you’re feeling extra crafty you can carve into them. I always wished I was artistic, especially artistic enough to carve a pumpkin and not make it look like an infant did it. What’s cool though is even though I can’t carve pumpkins, painted pumpkins look pretty cool no matter what. Even if you don’t paint anything particular and just want to spice up a pumpkin with colors or patterns, they still look pretty cool. Going to the pumpkin patch and finding the perfect pumpkin to decorate has always been a fun time to me. I also find joy not only in decorating them, but also seeing all of the cool things other people do to them.
Costumes are also a great way to express yourself during this holiday. You can choose a variety of different tactics. You can do something gruesome that allows you to go around and have fun scaring your friends and family members. Or, if scaring people isn’t your thing you could dress up as your role model, favorite character or favorite super hero. This is a great way to show off your interests and start discussions with others. Not only do you get to have fun expressing yourself, you could also get into character duels with others and prove who the strongest actually is. No matter what route you take, Halloween is a great opportunity to break free from your normal wardrobe and have fun for the day.
Whether you’re in kindergarten or graduated from college, there’s always a little Halloween fun for everyone to enjoy. Next time you think its just a holiday for children or college partiers, think again. You’re never too old to enjoy the exciting thrills and spooks this holiday has to offer.
