Well, Halloween is less than a week away now and for most people they are already in the holiday spirit. For me however, not so much.

I like the fall for its colors and because Thanksgiving is awesome (whoever knows me knows how much I love food), but I really never liked Halloween. Even as a child I found it more of a bother as opposed to a good time. It's always on a cold day and I always found it awkward going up to people's houses asking for candy. I'm also really easily scared so all the people wanting to watch scary movies and go to haunted houses made me want to just run the other way. Candy is good, but I'm not really obsessed with sweets and I always had leftover candy when my dad bought it to give to the trick-or-treaters anyway. And within the last few years I even lost my excitement for dressing up. I feel like a lot of teens and adults like Halloween for the partying, and a lot of kids like it for the candy, but I don't really feel like I fit into either of those categories.

This year however, I regained my interest in dressing up.

Dressing up on Halloween is a way to express yourself and show people what you’re interested in. As a child I always wanted to be a princess, or a dancer, or a pretty witch. And it was fine to pick something out, but I wanted to wear the costume more for myself and for fun than for a holiday I didn't really like. I think I realized that I personally want to dress up this year just because it's fun to transform yourself for a day and become a specific character that has meaning to you.

A costume/character can make you feel special, sexy, empowering, and unique. I feel the majority of people on Halloween just throw something on because they need something for a party they are going to, or they dress up in something revealing, because people look at Halloween as an excuse to be practically naked, or they still go out, but abandon the costume altogether because it takes too much of an effort.

It's shameful that this is what its come to.

I want to dress up this year but I am still deciding because I don't have a real purpose for dressing up. I think my purpose now may just be to do it for myself and get into the spirit of the holiday... I've come to realize that's perfectly okay.

The point is if you want to dress up, don't let people judge you.

This is your opportunity to show the world your creativity and express yourself. You don't need a reason besides yourself to do it.

However, whatever you decide on, don't dress up as a clown-- you will get arrested.