For as long as I can remember, fake cobwebs and pumpkin-shaped candles surrounded my house every year on Halloween. The same black cat display that lit up at the slightest detection of movement and the fog machine were absolutely essential in the Saeed household during the long month of October. Now, growing up enveloped in a knock-off Halloweentown (in my own home) didn't exactly leave me with the most positive of opinions on this "holiday." Let me put it another way... I hate Halloween.

There, I said it, and I am prepared for the torches and pitchforks headed my way! Regardless, I'm not here to complain about the 31st of October (I'm not that bitter... yet), but rather am here to share my favorite Halloween memory.

It was a dark and stormy night (no, really). For some reason, my mom hadn't gotten 'round to decorating the house yet and it was already Hallows' Eve. I was definitely not complaining, I was honestly a little bit relieved that our house wouldn't be the designated "haunted house" for once.

Although, I was starting to get a bit worried so I confronted my mom about why there weren't plastic bats taped to our front door yet - trick-or-treaters would be here any minute! To this day, I couldn't believe her reply:

"Let's just pretend we're not here and skip Halloween this year..."

Honestly, as I am typing this narrative for y'all, this should already be labeled a fiction because I was experiencing the impossible. My mother, my adorable, Halloween-obsessed mom, was SKIPPING Halloween??? HALLOWEEN??????? Yeah, I'm still in shock that this happened.

So, we started to try "being absent" for Halloween. We shut off all the lights both inside and outside the door, which is the universal sign for "you better not ring that doorbell unless you're the pizza we ordered." My mom, dad, sister, and I bundled up on the couch fighting over the one blanket that was upstairs because we were all too lazy to go down and get more... And, we just talked, laughed, and watched some Netflix. Together.

It may not seem like the most exciting evening - we didn't go through a haunted house or carve pumpkins nor did we dress up. But, it was the best Halloween I've ever had.