The crunching of crispy orange leaves, the scent of pumpkin spice wafting out of Starbucks, and carved jack o’ lanterns sitting outside your neighbors door. It’s October 31; Halloween is here. As a young girl, Halloween meant dressing up in a princess costume and walking from house to house with my star-checkered pillowcase in hand with one thing on my mind: candy (preferably Reese's cups). After hours of hard-earned candy collecting, I’d skip home, sort out which candy I would keep and which I would give to my mom and dad (aka anything containing nuts or dark chocolate, a child’s worst nightmare) and devour the rest. Halloween was a holiday with the mindset of me, me, me. The costume was for me. The candy was for me. The holiday was for me.
As a young adult, Halloween no longer means prancing to whichever neighbor has their lights on. Today, I’m the one inside the house handing out the candy to all the Elsa’s, Power Rangers, and Brett Favre’s coming to my door. It’s no longer all about me; it’s about them!
Although I’m sure I’ll have a grand old time handing out ridiculously large handfuls of Reeses (yes, still my favorite), there’s something about the jolly smiles on the children’s faces I don’t want to miss out on. This got me to thinking, how can I enjoy Halloween without the actual trick or treating? How can I hold on to that splendor and giddy feeling I had as a youngster? Sure, I can stuff my face full of the chocolate I bought for the kids and feel a quick sugar high. But what about something more lasting? More meaningful?
Then, it came to me. Why shouldn’t I dress up, too? Sure, I won’t be trick or treating as a twenty-two year old, but why not dress up along with the kids in my own home? Thinking back to my Halloween golden days, I was far more impressed and surprised when Darth Vader handed me candy instead of old Mister Jenkins. Bless his heart.
So, there you have it. Tonight, I will not be Paige Weslaski. Oh no, my friends, instead, I will be the Easter bunny. Yes, you heard right: Paige the Easter bunny.
Halloween is a holiday for kids. The only question is, is the cutoff age of kid-dom 12 or 112?
On your way home from work tonight, stop by the Halloween store, grab that Buzz Lightyear costume you’ve always regretted not wearing as a kiddo, and enjoy your Halloween. Give your trick-or-treaters an extra treat, a lasting memory, and dress up for them!
Published on October 31, 2014