The month of October culminates in a day of enchantment, enveloped in mystery and superstition. It's a day when ghosts and ghouls emerge from their earthen graves and litter streets with sunken moans and ominous whispers. Young children clad in a variety of costumes flock through neighborhoods with pillowcases and jack-o-lantern baskets, hoping to hoard as many sweet treats as possible. There is nothing quite like reminiscing on past ghoulish ventures to get us into the Halloween spirit, so here is a list of what made All Hallows' Eve so great as a child.
1. The month-long discussions prior to Halloween. As soon as October hit, every child knew what they were looking forward to at the end of the month. It was Halloween season, so how could you not be thinking about its most eventful day? What I will be for Halloween was always the top priority in discussion and thought. Whenever I'd approach friends at school, the first thing we'd do was exchange Halloween and costume ideas, nothing else was relevant.
2. Halloween decorations. Early to mid-October was, for my family, the time to pull out that old, dusty cardboard box labeled "Halloween decorations" from off the shelf in the garage. When this happened, it was customary to run over to open it and find out what holiday surprises it contained, which were usually the same as last year. When the giant, light-up jack-o-lantern was plugged in and those obnoxious, fake spiderwebs were stretched over the landscape in our front yard, Halloween season had officially inaugurated.
3. Halloween programs on TV. One of the best parts of October were the Halloween episodes and movies that aired all day on television. I couldn't get enough of "Halloweentown," "Under Wraps" and the "Spongebob Halloween Special."
4. Picking out a costume. I'll admit, it's still an enjoyable experience to scan the aisles of a Halloween store looking for the best costume, but it really doesn't compare to childhood costume perusing. Finding the perfect match was like trying to assimilate another personality. "Whatever I am going to be this year, I am going to become," were my thoughts at the time, and it always had to be something scary.
5. The anticipation on Halloween day. Once October 31st hit, it was the real deal. The entire day was full of anticipation, just waiting until it was finally time to throw on that costume and dash through the streets. In the days when knocking on your neighbor's door to ask if the kids could play was appropriate, my brother and I would rush over to our friends' house at sunset, bang on their front door and begin trick-or-treating.
6. Running from door to door. There really was no time to lose when it came to collecting candy from every house in the area. When the neighborhood kids and I were really young, our parents would have to walk with us, and they always slugged behind, slowing us down. But this didn't stop us from accruing heaps of candy and deceitfully hitting the best houses more than once.
7. The satisfaction of a heavy bag. One of the greatest feelings during the event of trick-or-treating was the sense of triumph that came with wielding a heavy sack of candy. The success of Halloween night became more and more evident upon the realization that you're hauling around a significantly cumbersome load.
8. Handfuls and XL candy bars. You hit the motherload if the residents of a house weren't stingy with how much candy they plopped into your bag. Receiving a handful of candy or an XL chocolate bar was always the best, and those were the houses you wanted to visit twice.
9. Home-built haunted houses. If you really wanted to amass as much candy as possible, you sometimes had to navigate through a modest haunted house. Other times you might have to cautiously walk past a figure sitting idly in a chair, which may or may not be a person ready to scare the living daylights out of you.
10. Piles of Candy. Getting home to pour your basket or pillowcase all over the floor to check your stash was the final stretch to a great night. Sorting the candy into piles according to type brought great joy. If you have a sibling or did this with friends then it was time to start negotiating deals and trading.
Halloween isn't much what it used to be anymore. Parents are paranoid that their kids will consume candy poisoned by sadistic madmen, and most people no longer decorate their home or pass out treats. Don't get me wrong, Halloween is still an exciting holiday. But, at least for me, there was always something more surreal, more gratifying about the whole experience in my spirited youth.