Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
I am on my seven-year-old Macbook since my newer laptop is a bitch to lug around, typing out an introspection at my future in-laws' residence. They are having their annual Halloween party tomorrow, which I attended last year, dressed as Fix-It Felix. Let's just say that I am willing to take days off from my bookstore job, it's that worth it.
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas and Thanksgiving. However, Halloween has a very special place in my heart. For one thing, there's all the candy. You all should know by now how much of a choco-holic I am. Trick-or-treating was always a blast for me as a child, and I've never stopped enjoying handing out candy (and of course sneaking mini-bites into my own mouth while doing so) to the little trick-or-treaters around my neighborhood. For another thing, Halloween is spooky enough to be fun without being too scary for me to handle. I actually participated as an actor in the same local haunted house for two years in a row, when I was sixteen and later seventeen. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I definitely prefer acting in a haunted house and knowing all its trick than walking through it unawares.
Of course, finally, there's the idea that I get to dress up. Being able to make a costume, show it off, and have a good time at parties while admiring other people's outfits and handiwork is really fun for me. I can't necessarily explain it in poetic or even logical terms, but I can understand why dressing up is so popular to begin with. You can take on a different persona, act a little bit, come out of your shell, and just be a little, well, different for a night. That's what I really love about Halloween - it allows us to deviate from the norms of our society. Taboo things become commonplace, the supernatural is embraced rather than scoffed at, and spooky imagery becomes exciting and fun. We can throw parties, ham it up, and have at least one night to give the finger to societal benchmarks and "tolerated" manners. We can be princesses or wizards or monsters or superheroes without people looking at us funny. And of course, we get to eat all the candy!
I know, sorry, I keep bringing that up. Rest assured, I will love going to this party for the second time. I will love being part of a costumed couple with my fiancée. I will love being able to dress up again for actual Halloween, maybe even visiting my mother at the school library where she works and seeing what all the students have dressed up as. I say, prematurely, a very Happy Halloween to all of you - which I will of course repeat next Friday, when it actually is Halloween.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas and Thanksgiving. However, Halloween has a very special place in my heart. For one thing, there's all the candy. You all should know by now how much of a choco-holic I am. Trick-or-treating was always a blast for me as a child, and I've never stopped enjoying handing out candy (and of course sneaking mini-bites into my own mouth while doing so) to the little trick-or-treaters around my neighborhood. For another thing, Halloween is spooky enough to be fun without being too scary for me to handle. I actually participated as an actor in the same local haunted house for two years in a row, when I was sixteen and later seventeen. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I definitely prefer acting in a haunted house and knowing all its trick than walking through it unawares.
Of course, finally, there's the idea that I get to dress up. Being able to make a costume, show it off, and have a good time at parties while admiring other people's outfits and handiwork is really fun for me. I can't necessarily explain it in poetic or even logical terms, but I can understand why dressing up is so popular to begin with. You can take on a different persona, act a little bit, come out of your shell, and just be a little, well, different for a night. That's what I really love about Halloween - it allows us to deviate from the norms of our society. Taboo things become commonplace, the supernatural is embraced rather than scoffed at, and spooky imagery becomes exciting and fun. We can throw parties, ham it up, and have at least one night to give the finger to societal benchmarks and "tolerated" manners. We can be princesses or wizards or monsters or superheroes without people looking at us funny. And of course, we get to eat all the candy!
I know, sorry, I keep bringing that up. Rest assured, I will love going to this party for the second time. I will love being part of a costumed couple with my fiancée. I will love being able to dress up again for actual Halloween, maybe even visiting my mother at the school library where she works and seeing what all the students have dressed up as. I say, prematurely, a very Happy Halloween to all of you - which I will of course repeat next Friday, when it actually is Halloween.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
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