In my eyes, there is no better holiday than Halloween. Ever since I was little, October would approach every year and there was a growing anticipation to dress up and run through my neighborhood collecting candy. As I've grown, the love for the holiday hasn't changed, but the celebrations and costumes I wear have. I no longer run around collecting candy dressed as Wednesday Addams or a spider or a corpse (just some personal favorites); I have opted for new costumes and chosen more tricks than treats. It's never too early to start thinking about the best holiday of the year, so here are the dos and don'ts I've learned while celebrating Halloween in college:
Do: Have a scary/risky/funny costume that you’re are comfortable in.
Don’t: Be basic. We are passed the point of store bought costumes, and I really have faith that you can come up with something better than all black and kitten ears.
Do: A creative group costume (Some ideas: "Breakfast Club," "Grease," Clue Board Game Characters, "Power Rangers," Princesses, Villains, Addams Family, "Bobs Burgers," "Family Guy," Wedding Party, "Rocky Horror," "Harry Potter," "Game of Thrones," "American Horror Story," Decades, "Scooby Doo" Gang, "Clueless," "Mean Girls," Super Heroes, Drinks, "Ghostbusters," etc.).
Don’t: Be the one person in your group costume that doesn’t go all out. Match your group, play your part.
Do: When dressing with excessive body glitter or fake blood, wash it off before getting into bed.
Don’t: Wear glasses you actually use to see for a school girl costume. While you won’t have to buy a pair at party city, there’s a good chance you’ll lose them on the side of the road (and you might not be as lucky as I was by finding them where I left them).
Do: Make sure you have a ride if you sleep elsewhere. Walking from your crash spot to home while still dressed as a Disney Princess or rock star group member is going to turn some heads.
Don’t: Be totally naked. While being risqué is fun, strutting from house to house in lingerie teeters on the edge of unacceptable. You have to see these people you’re partying with once the holiday is over, and you want to be able to look them in the eye, so I suggest not baring it all. Plus you’re going to be cold and that’s a buzzkill.
Do: Still eat candy! Prices drop after Halloween so buy in bulk. Just because you're not going trick or treating doesn't mean you can't indulge in the treats!
Don’t: Be afraid to be what you want. Don’t let the possible opinions of others hold you back from the costume you want to wear. Want to be a minion? Go for a it. A bunny? Absolutely. Just want to wear a morph suit and call it a night? Do what you’ve gotta do.
Do: Have fun with it. While in college, we have the freedom to dress how we want and break the boundaries we’d like. Halloween when you’re out of college is going to be another story with far more clothes and less risky behavior. Think of this as the last time to really dress up before your kids in X amount of years start forcing you to play the part for trick-or-treating purposes.
