A Few Thoughts on the Wonder of Halloween

Written by Shae Rufe

Guys, it's October which is officially my favorite time of year! Halloween is my Christmas, and with that, there are some utter Halloween must haves for the season. First of all, anyone who doesn't love this holiday as much as I do is no longer my friend. I'm just kidding, I still love you. I'm just sitting here admiring the spoopy decorations around my house. Yes, you read that right, decorate. Not everyone does this, but if you're like me, it's a must have for this holiday. You don't have to go all out. But an excuse to hang some purple and orange lights around the house? Why not! It's always fun to have just some string lights to plug in. Okay, no, we probably shouldn't have them year-round, but hey! We are adults and get to do whatever we want, right?

With that, let's be honest, we are nerds. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a huge part of this season, and possibly even into Christmas. So, with that, Hot Topic is filled with Nightmare Before Christmas stuff, because Halloween is the coolest holiday in the history of ever. Decorations are everywhere and it's the perfect time for us nerds to strut out stuff. We are a creative people, we have stores at our disposal. Between Spirit, Party City, ThinkGeek, and all the department stores out there, there isn't a theme out there we can't create. And Halloween doesn't have to be scary, it's just a bonus if it is! Either way, if you have a house with a yard or an apartment there's a way to make Halloween your own.

Above all, it's about costumes. Normal people look forward to dressing up once a year. But for us geeks, it's literally the holiday of all holidays. It's not just about costumes, no, it's about showing off our mad skills. That's right, Halloween is the holiest cosplay holiday. It's not about competitions or cons, it's about strutting our stuff, and also looking fabulous as our favorite characters. Above all, Halloween is about fun. All work and no play is hard on anyone, so one night a year we all throw caution to the wind and just be our true nerdy selves. But the best part about October is how it has changed to encompass Halloween throughout. No longer is it just one day, but many of us choose to dress up several times! I've got some fun ideas for work, because why not? And it allows people who are otherwise too shy to dress up do so without judgement. The perfect costume is a must have for any Halloween event.

And of course so is candy and food. This geek loves her food. Once for Halloween, I tried making a vibrant blue and bright purple cake just because I could. Don't we adults have gatherings and parties during this season? Yes, we do. And with that comes the need to feed. All food can be made spooky, geeky, or fun! With just a bit of food coloring and some creative desire, any meal can be Halloween ready. Also, pumpkins.....lots of them. Everywhere.

Halloween is about fun, even if you're not into the scary. But if you are, then break out those horror movies and grab the fake blood! I've learned to enjoy the scarier movies as I've gotten older. They do have a certain charm. But more so the scary shows that air on TV. As I write this Haunted is playing in the background. Real life ghost stories are totally my thing, and Halloween offers me plenty of the paranormal. Scary shows, movies, and all thinks spooky are the best part of Halloween. Well, aside from the candy....but that's just a given!
 

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