Happy First Day Of October, Everyone!

I love Autumn in general. I love the changing of the weather- the coming of cool, blustery days after months of oppressive sun and after-rain-humidity. I love the changing of the colors as the trees get ready for their winter slumber. But most importantly, I love Autumn, because it is herald to one of my favorite holidays: Halloween. I have loved it ever since I was a kid. It was the one day a year you got to be someone else. Not only someone else, but something otherworldly. My grandmother used to go all out and dress out her yard and house with all sorts of decorations. It was kinda the spectacle of the town. People would drive by all the time, the local news paper would come out and snap some photos.

But the best part of the “Halloween Season” was the actual night, obviously. Not for the Trick or Treat part though. We used to dress up as monsters and frighten the children who would trick or treat at my grandmother’s house. I know it sounds mean spirited, but it was all in good fun, all part of the show. We were kinda the Halloween spectacle in our small town. Everyone came because they knew they could get a sort of mini haunted house experience from us. We provided a cheap thrill, and for me it was especially entertaining, because – for a day at least – we were all on the same level. Everyone believed in their nightmares, if just a little bit.

I was walking through a Halloween store the other day, and it was a sad state of affairs. Most of the costumes were lewd, intended as a joke more than anything else. Of course there was the fair share of slutty costumes too. it seems as though, this is all Halloween is about anymore: bawdy jokes and promiscuous sex. And these things have their place in the season, I know. Don’t get me wrong: I love slutty girls in slutty girl costumes as much as the next guy. But the anticipation and potentiality for fright has been pretty much sucked out of the holiday. What costumes are intended to frighten are just serial killers and axe murderer costumes for the most part. And, frankly, there’s nothing scary about those guys in my opinion.

This is not a new development in the holiday, I know. And it’s not the first time I’ve noticed it. But it IS the first time I have noticed that the supernatural element of the holiday is disappearing. A few years back the ghouls and goblins merely had to share the stage with the slutty nurses and slasher villains. Now, they have to fight to be seen and heard from as these new avatars of Halloween take over the holiday.

So you have a homework assignment, kiddos. Take this Halloween and dig deep. You have plenty of Halloweens left to be harlots and psychos. Let’s try and bring some mystery and magic back to the holiday. Try and get your friends in on it too. Otherwise there’s going to come a day when all of the baby costumes we have for our children are slutty cheerleaders and skimpy cop outfits.

DS Out.