For a moment, rewind time to the early years of childhood. At this time all those years ago, we would count down the days until we could go out in our costumes and collect pounds of candy. We would dream of what costumes to wear and embrace an exciting night in the neighborhood. Whether you were a witch, princess, or a black cat, your costume was the "best thing ever."
Each day up until halloween, the anticipation would grow stronger. We would watch "scary" movies on Disney Channel every night before bed. We would decorate the classrooms at school and tell stories for days leading up to the thrilling night. On the night of halloween, we would wait by the door so eager to leave. My parents never wanted to be first ones, but nothing terrified me more than being the last kids walking in the neighborhood at night on Halloween.
After about 15 houses when the adrenaline was starting to leave our little bodies, we got tired and the bag was getting too heavy for our little arms. All we wanted was to be carried, but we had to beat our siblings. When we would finally go back, it was time to count the candy and do trades with our older/younger siblings (and hiding it from them). Whoever had the most or the best candy won! Amidst all the chaos, I can still hear my mom telling me, "If the candy wrapper is open, do not eat it!"
Even after the long and exciting night, the holiday would linger. Lunch boxes and garbage cans at school would be filled with the remains. Naturally, after all of that candy, stomach aches and candy highs would follow. As I look back on those early childhood years, I have a great deal of sympathy for our teachers. The week after Halloween must have been an interesting one.
Rewind to the time of mid-teenage years. At this time, we were getting our costumes ready for our friends Halloween party; finding any older sibling of a friend that could supply you some "fun drinks" for the party.
In those days, we were transitioning from the desire to go trick-or-treating to the parties and late nights out. We would prepare for them with friends, excited about what we needed to get for the party. Instead of watching Disney Channel movies and telling stories, we would give off subtle hints to our parents, mentioning fun nights and sleepovers with friends, even when Halloween was on a school night. In the early teenage years, we would still trick-or-treat, but the fun continued on after that. We would bounce around multiple neighborhoods, usually bringing more than one bag. We would take so many pictures and share so many laughs before returning to a friend’s house. Instead of trading with our siblings, we were trading with our best friends. Of course, we kept a careful eye on our bags, skeptical and concerned someone would take some of ours.
Weeks after, lockers would still be full of candy for in between class and little pick-me-ups during the day.
Stay in the present and think about this year's halloween. Right now, we are all thinking about what we want to be and what we already have so we can save money.
The big question on campus is "What are you being for Halloween this year?" The big thing to think about is whether or not to do a group costume with all your friends here. When you finally decide what or who you are being, that is when all the planning comes into place. With consistent trips to Spirit Halloween, trying on different outfits to see which ones will look the best (or most revealing) on us, and Googling ideas; we basically have a full time job with no pay. Halloween is not just a one night event when you are in college, it is a whole week of going out and dressing up, meaning we have to get more than two costumes. Every night is a show of who is who, who looks the best, and who is the most drunk. The night is a whole lot funnier when the girl getting low on the dance floor is dressed up as a scarecrow.
As we get older, we realize Halloween is not really about the candy anymore. It is and always will be a great day filled with anticipations and excitement. Whether you dress up as something basic like a nerd or a frat boy, or something more unique like a movie character, Halloween is still fun to celebrate and always a good excuse to get drunk with your friends.
