YouAlberta
There's a special place in my heart for the childhood experience of Halloween.
Thinking about and deciding on costumes before October even comes around, carving pumpkins to put on your front step and of course, trick-or-treating. If you grew up celebrating Halloween, odds are you have a level of nostalgia for those days — I know I do.
Yet, despite nostalgia and the small urge I get (almost every year) to pretend to be a teenager and gallivant around the neighbourhood in search of candy, I’ve found ways to continue loving Halloween as an adult. It's a wonderful opportunity to be silly, playful, imaginative and channel that childlike energy that we often lose when we’re caught up in the chaos of life.
Here are the best parts of Halloween as an adult that help me make the most of my favourite time of year.
Receiving trick-or-treaters
Giving out candy to kids is a new passion of mine — it’s so fun to see their costumes and their excitement when they get treats. Since I live in a condo, I usually head to my parents' place for part of the evening on Halloween. While different from being directly involved as a trick-or-treater, witnessing the joy and celebration is the next best thing!
Costume autonomy
No more being forced to wear a snowsuit under your costume. Whether you decide to thrift, craft, design or buy, there’s a world of options to have fun with your costume and many ways to adjust to your budget and energy levels.
Some years, I find myself more in the mood to be crafty, and other years, I just pick a silly pun costume. For example, I’m a ginger, and one year I carried around a loaf of bread — ginger bread … get it? Of course, this was met with many groans, but I embraced the silliness.
Eating the candy
I’ll admit, candy is definitely one of my favourite study snacks. And, I (thankfully) no longer have to hear the voice of a parent saying, “You can only have two pieces after dinner.” Now, my general advice is to be responsible, but ultimately, if you want to get ill from eating candy, you’ll only have yourself to blame, which is kind of magical.
The charm of Halloween movies
A few weeks ago, I rewatched the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo: Spooky Island (yup, millennial girlie here) with some of my friends, and it was just delightful. I noticed new things in the movie and laughed so hard at the terrible CGI effects. I realized that the things I used to be scared of as a kid are now comical, and that provides a new level of charm.
Halloween gatherings
The end of trick-or-treating at 7 or 8 p.m. used to be a devastating moment as a kid. Now, after I give out candy to trick-or-treaters, I usually move on to part two of Halloween — whether that’s heading to a party, going out for beers (in costume of course) or having a cozy movie night. The night isn’t over and I get to keep channelling that spooky energy surrounded by my friends — which I love!
Post-Halloween sales
Almost every store that sells Halloween-related items will have awesome sales (50% off or higher) on November 1. Take advantage of cheap candy or even buy your decor or costume for next year.
Choices, choices, choices
Last but not least, this story likely doesn’t resonate with everyone. Many students grew up in contexts without Halloween. The great part is, now you have the choice to try it out, or not, but that part is up to you! Either way, keep finding ways to bring playful and fun energy into your student life.