It's That Time of The Year Again: Halloween

When I think of October, three things come to mind: pumpkins, autumn, and Halloween, of course.

Halloween: the one day of the year where people are encouraged to be someone they’re not. Being yourself all the time gets tiring, so for one day, you can be a superhero or a pirate or a vampire. Put on a mask, a wig, maybe even go overboard on the special effects make-up. Feel free to weigh all your options.

Halloween: the reason why you spend fifty bucks on an outfit you’ll only wear once. Afterwards, it’ll sit in the back of your closet for who knows how long. That is, unless you’re more efficient and build a costume with clothes and accessories that you already own. Or perhaps you take the easy route and simply purchase one of those shirts that say something along the lines of “This is my ____ costume.” (Urban Outfitters has a nice selection of those.)

Halloween: a holiday whose form of celebration changes with age. Stage one: infancy. Since you can’t walk, your parents dress you up in one of those sack-like costumes specially made for infants. (The costume industry is getting more and more creative with those; I’ve seen babies dressed as peas in a pod, a football, and an ice cream cone with the baby’s head being the cherry on top.) Stage two: childhood. These are your prime trick-or-treating years. Your parents walk you door to door, you push the doorbells with your candy bag in hand, and await the moment when that door opens and a stranger hands you a piece of candy. You watch that candy travel from their bowl to your bag with glittering eyes, ignoring how they told you that your costume “is just so adorable.” Stage three: adolescence. For some, the trick-or-treating continues because “You’re never too old to trick-or-treat!” For others, it transitions to haunted houses or staying in and watching scary movies with friends. Stage four: young adulthood. You’re bound to have outgrown the candy hunt by now. Costume parties are the go-to events.

And always remember: be unique. You don’t want to be one of the seven people dressed up as a witch at the same Halloween party. Be a little more creative than that. But if anything, if you’re gonna be something that generic, be the best damn witch there.