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2025 Halloween reflection

Happy Halloween!

For those of you that don't know, I'm a big fan of Halloween. I'm not sure if I've always been a big fan of Halloween or if it's a love that developed later.

I remember that as a kid I liked dressing up as a black cat, pig, or witch. I think I alternated between those costumes for a few years. One notable year, my dad helped me make a real chicken bone necklace to wear with my witch's costume. I got lots of compliments on how realistic it looked to which I would (probably creepily) reply, "It IS real."

I also remember decorating our front yard area with my brother and having a good time doing that. Even as a teen, I would get dressed up and go trick-or-treating with friends. We also developed strategies for this. Like many neighborhoods, mine has a block that goes HARD for Halloween and has EPIC decorations. No joke, one year I remember there being like part of a pirate ship in the street and there were wrestlers. However, this fantastical street was always mobbed and since the residents had spent their money on decorations, they didn't spend as much on candy. This meant that we would walk down the middle of the street to take in the sights and then go elsewhere for better and larger amounts of candy with relatively short (or even nonexistent) lines. I still remember one guy giving me and my friend each a fistful of Dum Dums (his hand was so big that we each essentially got half of a bag). I also remember once taking a chance to ring the bell of like a three flat and someone rushed down and gave us Halloween-themed plastic cups of gummy worms.

Now, unlike many Halloween fans, I'm not a huge horror fan. I prefer spoopy to spooky fare. So I usually watch The Nightmare Before Christmas (although this year I may watch Hocus Pocus which I also adore). I may even be inspired to dig up Halloweentown (which I probably haven't seen for literal decades).

I also had a Halloween murder mystery party this year. I have had Halloween parties before and murder mystery parties before, but I had never been inspired (until this year) to combine them. I think it was rather fun even if only one person got the murderer right.

Some parts of Halloween I liked as a kid (and still like today) are the gathering of friends (often in silly, thoughtful, political, or spooky costumes), sharing of candy (there was definitely a complex marketplace of trading candy in elementary school which I often dominated because I don't like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate so I, unlike many, was willing to trade some high value candy), being out on a crips night (there have been times when it snowed and that was less fun) when it feels like you should be at home (Halloween is, after all, often on a weeknight), and just the sort of otherworldly feeling of the evening.

Some day, I will have a house where I give out candy (the dream is to be the house that gives out king size candy bars), but for now, I just buy candy for me and my friends who come to my parties (I often buy the gummy body parts because gummy brains are one of my favorites). I have handed out candy before and that can be pretty fun, but some kids think they're just so clever. One kid pretended to be twins and I let him have two pieces cause I thought it was funny to let him believe he'd actually tricked me.

I don't think I ever got into any mischief on Halloween in terms of like egg throwing or toilet papering (there's a slight possibility I would've ding-dong ditched, but I don't actually remember doing this--it more just seems like something I could've been convinced to do). Maybe, long ago, I did a prank phone call, but again, that just more seems like something I could've been convinced to do rather than something I would've done without any influence.

I also love seeing the little kids in my life in their Halloween costumes. I think most little kids I know like dressing up so they're delighted that there is a special time of year where they are allowed to wear a costume for an extended period of time and are, in fact, rewarded for it with candy. Even those too young to understand the transaction I think still get delight out of being in special and different clothes for the evening (or day).

What are some Halloween traditions you've done before? Bobbing for apples? I've done and run that actually in college now that I think of it... Some mischievous pranks? If so, do tell. Sharing ghost stories? Tell me one as long as it's not too scary (I am a bit of a scaredy-cat). Tried your hand at witchcraft? Share what you did and let me know if it worked.

Until next year, happy Halloween, everybody!

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash


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