Halloween has always been one of my favorite times of year. Fall is my favorite season, and activities like pumpkin picking and scary move marathons are always a lot of fun, but there's one reason why I really love Halloween. That reason is the chance to dress up in a costume, often with a lot of fun makeup or cool costume pieces.

I remember my very first Halloween costume: Kiki from "Kiki's Delivery Service". Kiki was my favorite character and I watched that movie most days, wanting to fly around with my very own black cat. I was so excited to become Kiki for a night, and eventually learned the movie well enough to pretend to be her as I watched it. I fell in love with pretending to be someone else, stepping into their world for a few hours. Growing up, I always had a bunch of costume ideas floating around in my head, ranging from princesses to cartoon characters to scary creatures. By September, though, I'd settle on one that I absolutely had to go through with, and I'd do everything to make it happen.

My fascination with costumes followed me into theatre, where one of my favorite parts of a production was getting ready just before showtime and transforming into the characters that I'd been learning to bring to life for weeks. It was a fun way to leave the real world behind and enjoy wearing a different persona, even bringing some of my personal flair into the character, whether it was for a show or just to go out for Halloween.

It's also another way to show my interests, talents, and creativity. Creating an elaborate makeup look is both fun shows off my artistry and skill with makeup. Putting together a costume shows my resourcefulness and passion. Wearing a costume at all gives people an insight into my interests and the kinds of things I enjoy. For example, one year, I put together a costume of Magenta from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and created my own costume pieces and makeup look. The final product won me second place in a Rocky Horror costume contest, which I remember as one of my proudest moments, especially considering that I crafted the makeup look that won my friend first place with his Riff Raff costume.

Wearing costumes is an expression of my creativity and my love for various characters and personas. It's fun to step into someone else's shoes for a bit, to transform into someone other than my boring self. The excitement leading up to the night of putting it all together is just as great as finally putting it together.

Dressing up has always been something I've enjoyed, regardless of my age or how people around me view Halloween. It's something fun that I do for me and my own enjoyment, as well as something I hope I can continue for as long as I can.