When I look back at my life and remember all the Halloween events I’ve witnessed, I remember why Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. Since I can’t pinpoint just one specific reason, I’ve come up with six reasons why I am so fond of it, especially this year.
1. Scaring people. When I was 12 years old, my good friend and I spent the entire day at school coming up with a plan to get some great treats and still manage to scare as many people as possible. We decided that we’d rush home and construct a dummy. We wanted to take it a step further than the human disguised as a dummy. So we made a dummy, tied him to a rope, and would drop him from the roof when trick-or-treaters showed up to my house. Their screams (and some urine on my parents’ porch) made it all worth it. (But please don’t urinate on my porch.)
2. Kids. Children make Halloween the best. It really is a time when you can see kids’ creativity. I actually enjoy staying at home while trick-or-treaters come to the house, just so I can see the little kids and their excitement when you give them two candy bars instead of one. Kids’ imaginations are so powerful, which is why they are also the easiest to scare. This year is my favorite year for Halloween yet. I get to spend the night with my 18-month-old son, who will be walking around dressed as a monkey this year. I can’t even think of anything cuter than that.
3. Coat season. Halloween means winter is coming, no matter how you look at it. Halloween always proves to be a tough realization that it is bitterly cold outside. The last few years, it seems that Ogden stays at a tolerable temperature until the week of Halloween, and it is proving the same this year. I know I can always look forward to dusting off the winter attire the week of Halloween. Soon we’ll all be gathered at the slopes and hills with skis, snowboards or tubes. Get ready; it’s just around the corner.
4. Pumpkins. It’s that time of year. Pumpkins start appearing in many forms and sizes. From pumpkin-flavored coffee drinks to gigantic jack-o-lanterns to Mrs. Pumpkin Head, everything is pumpkin this time of year. My personal favorite thing about pumpkins is smashing them. If you’ve ever done it, you know what I’m talking about. I also hear blowing them up with a shotgun or M-80s is pretty legit too.
5. Sarcasm and creativity. I think Halloween is probably the most sarcastic time of year. It’s a time of year you can dress up as anything and make any kind of statement you want with your costume. I really love seeing religious costumes like nuns, priests and Mormon missionaries, or even political costumes. Halloween is the probably the only time of year you can hang out with George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden at the same party. It is also quite fun to see people dress their pets up in Halloween costumes. Weiner dogs dressed in hot dog costumes or even a dog dressed as an Ewok from “Star Wars” — how can you not love that?
6. Mustaches and beards. Everyone seems to like November for growing mustaches. It’s called Movember. It’s probably the creepiest tradition ever, but it’s catching on quickly. Since I don’t believe in mustaches (un-American, I know), my mind blocks mustaches and notices a lot more beards after Halloween. I am a fan of a good beard. Although I cannot explain why I love them so much, I can let you know that beards are especially good for hosting large icicles during our time of frozen tundra in Utah. At least they’ll keep your face warmer than the clean-cut look would for a few months. Halloween is the beginning of facial hair season, and for that, I’m grateful.
Why do you love or hate Halloween? Tell me what your favorite thing is about this erratic holiday in the comments section below. In the meantime, enjoy a safe day filled with traditions, humor and cold temperatures, and remember, don’t take candy from strangers! Until next time, stay warm, Wildcats!
