Halloween is my favorite day of the year. It's more than just a holiday. The Halloween spirit is alive in me all-year round. All Hallow's Eve has much to celebrate, from trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lantern's , to watching scary movies while eating Halloween candy and freebies . This is the one day of the year every October 31st that you can be totally weird and ghoulish, but so will everyone else. Here are my favorite reasons to love Halloween as much as I do:
1) Trick or Treat
This isn't just for little kids. Adults can trick or treat as well (usually our candy is in the form of jello shots). The fun is dressing up as whoever you want to be, whether that's a witch, vampire, a bloodied corpse, devil, ghost, ghoul, IT , or any of your favorite supernatural characters. Get creative with your costume rather than buying it from Party City. You never know what scary ideas will pop up! You'll be a goner in no time. If you are in NYC, strut your costume at the Halloween Parade and enjoy all things creepy crawly.
2) Dare to Scare
Haunted houses and scary movies like the Halloweenseries may add some thrill to your memories of All Hallows' Day. Corn mazes, hayrides, pumpkin and apple picking, and scarecrow mongering are more ways to amp up the ante. So at your next Halloween party, share more than just candy such as scary stories from Creepy Pasta around the bonfire. Halloween doesn't have to be all guts and gore, watch one of my favorite filmsThe Nightmare Before Christmas. Although, my childhood favorite was Goosebumps and Scooby Doo#90skid
3) Ghost Hunting
If you are searching for a ghostly haunting, then make sure your flashlights and ghost meters have fresh batteries because the spirits of the dead are popularly believed to roam freely amongst the living on this beloved day. Don't be afraid if the hairs on your neck stand up from a night in the cemetery, if you have the guts to see a ghost glow-in-the-dark. Just beware of the werewolves! Skulls serve as a reminder of death and the transitory quality of life. So act now before it is too late.
4) Serial Killers
Slasher films are a classic on this day, glorifying and glamorizing horrific serial killers like Michael Myers (Halloween), Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Hannibal Lecter, and even the Boogeyman. Bet you never in your wildest nightmares imagined this day to inspire real murder if you are that en trend.
5) Pagan Ritual
I am proud of Halloween's Pagan Celtic origins that some may refer to as Samhain, a Gaelic festival that marks the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. Many pagans have believed that Samhain was a precious time when the boundary between this world and the otherworld could be more easily crossed. Special bonfires, divination rituals, and festivals involving nuts, apples, and pumpkins were all ways in which the souls of the dead were honored. This ancient pagan holiday is now a ritualistically celebrated by most of us as Halloween.
There are many reasons to love Halloween, as this day always holds a special place in my heart and in my yearly home decor. To make this Halloween the best one yet, read up on its history, carve a pumpkin, buy some candy, dress up and recite "Trick or Treat." There are more goblins and ghouls, spooky creepy howls in the wind, devilish treats, and haunted hallways to crawl through than ever before. So enjoy this All Hallows' Eve and stay safe my freaky goth friends! (Read at your own risk)