Happy Halloween
By Stephany Harrington, Columnist
It is strange, every year we celebrate this same holiday or fake holiday, really. Once October begins, we always anticipate Halloween and all that comes with it–costumes, scary movies, hayrides, and jack-o-lanterns. All of these things are just another element of autumn and October. The crispness in the air, the flurry of red and yellow leaves that scatter past us as we walk, it all feels right. After a long summer, this is a welcome transition, for me at least.
Even in my twentieth year of life, I still anticipate Halloween. It reminds me of when I was little, and when I picked out my favorite costumes to wear each year. And honestly, nothing has changed. It seems that college students get just as excited for Halloween as small children. And I am not sure there is anyone who turns down candy.
It is just supposed to be a night of fun and excitement. Dressing up as someone different is the whole point. You get to be crazy, or goofy, or even a bit more revealing than your normal wardrobe allows. However, rather than begging for candy, there might be other vices that people request, but it is still a fun time.
I honestly think one of the most interesting things is seeing all of the costumes, and seeing what your friends picked out. There are the traditional outfits of course, that we see all of the time–police officers, firefighters, superheroes, etc. But then I am always fascinated by the costumes that need an explanation. The designer of the outfit tried to be clever, but may or may not have succeeded. I think everybody knows someone who has worn an outfit like that.
Halloween is a great time to let loose and just have some fun.
In addition to the crazy costumes, there is something about the atmosphere of Halloween that I really like. It is happy-go- lucky. There is just a carefree attitude about it that I don’t see a lot. Everyone is having a good time, and not letting anything get in the way of it. It is just easy and enjoyable. Besides deciding on a costume, it is simple.
No matter what age, Halloween is just a time for people to have fun. And I like that myself and my peers still participate in Halloween celebrations. I suppose we grew out of it in certain ways, but we still maintain some elements of our past Halloweens. I suppose being in college gives the impression that we should shed our childish ways because we are “adults” now. But who actually believes that? No one knows what they are doing. We are all just flailing around, trying to keep or heads above water. And I guess there is a little peace of mind in knowing there is a day, a night, that we can be crazy, and not care who we are in that moment.
And I enjoy just letting go for a little while, ignoring the papers and the tests and the studying. That is not important right now. What matters is what I am going to be for Halloween. There are so many options these days, I just can’t decide.
