Though Christmas claims the title of “best holiday” for many people, I cannot help but wonder if they have ever genuinely enjoyed my favorite day of the year in the way I have for the past 20 years.
Halloween is the single most fantastic celebration ever created, and there are too many reasons why. Christmas always includes some sort of let-down, whether it’s a large box filled with scrapbooking tools you will never use or a pair of pajamas embellished with rainbow-colored leopard spots that you’ll never wear. Halloween, however, never disappoints.
When we were younger, the obsession was centered around one thing: candy. Life revolved around high-fructose corn syrup for the week surrounding the late October date. Preparing for an evening of trick-or-treating, I would search throughout my house for the largest pillowcase in existence, fully aware that I would not be able to carry it an hour into the night.
For days after, I inhaled sweets at every meal and each night I would throw up all sorts of chocolates, lollipops and taffies. It was a glorious addiction that I could not shake until the pillowcase that doubled my measly body weight shrank to nothing, at which point I started my countdown to next Halloween’s arrival.
Sometime around 10th grade, the fixation on candy that engrossed children shifted and turned into some weird obsession with sexualized costumes of characters like Little Red Riding Hood or Pocahontas. As much I despise saying this, I am guilty as charged. Though this phase in my life quickly passed, I cringe when I think about how stupid I must have looked dressed up as an “Eskimo” wearing a tight Forever21 skirt with Ugg boots and an overly stuffed neon-pink puffer vest. For this, I willingly accept a badge of shame.
And with college, Halloween centers around the vital question: to look hot or not?
My answer to this may not directly address the question, but it certainly provides guidance to anyone in need of a Halloween costume guru. When it comes to Halloween, effort often trumps sexiness. So, when you’re trying to decide what to wear tomorrow to ensure a wondrous Halloween experience, instead think about costumes in terms of effort.
Case study: Cat.
Sure, it may be easy to throw on a short black skirt, a dark sweater and some ears — if you’re feeling adventurous, you might paint some whiskers on those cheeks. Meow.
That’s lame.
As I have experienced, people will be far more impressed and inspired by your enthusiasm about crafting the perfect costume than how your curves look in your profile picture. You don’t actually look like a cat, so stop telling people you are one. Throw some creepy eye contacts into the picture and you will have immediately distinguished yourself amongst the crowd in the Halloween hysteria. It’s the little things that make costumes stand out.
Call me manic, and I will agree with you. But Halloween is always more memorable when you can reminisce on the times when your friends didn’t recognize you beneath that Jacobim Mugatu wig.
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