Caramel apples. Bags of candy. Children running around. The essence of Spooky month. Halloween is just around the corner, and one of the most enchanting holidays.

As a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays to celebrate, and gave me some of my fondest memories. Every year, we would decorate our house or visit a Spirit Halloween store, and marvel at the frightful festivities. Around Halloween, it was always a thrill to watch classic movies such as “Coraline”, “Beetlejuice”, “Wait Until Dark”, or other festive films. We have continued to keep these traditions alive, but it isn’t the same.

As kids, it would be a thrill to perfect our costumes and to trick-or-treat until our legs grew tired. In school, there was a good chance that we would have Halloween parties with games and other activities. 

After that, we would wait until the sun had set, and then dash out into the streets in our costumes. 

It was rewarding to watch our buckets fill up with treasures as we ran from house to house. Once, it even rained and we ran through the storm, candy bags soaked but filled to the brim with treats. 

In the late hours of the night, we would sort and bargain our goods, trading tricks for treats. It was always fun to see what we had scored. 

The spirit of Halloween is a blend of old and new traditions, completing the celebration with friends, family, and fun. With origins dating back from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, Halloween has continued for thousands of years. 

In ancient times, people would light bonfires and wear costumes in hopes of warding off ghosts. 

Another well-known Halloween tradition is carving Jack-O’-Lanterns. The practice originated in Ireland when people started carving demonic faces out of turnips to frighten away a wandering soul by the name of Stingy Jack. When Irish immigrants moved to the U.S, they began carving jack-o’-lanterns from pumpkins, as they were native to the region.

Trick-or-treating likely began from the Scottish practice of “guising”, when people (usually children or the poor) would go to local homes and collect food or money in return for prayers said for the dead on All Souls’ Day. However, the prayers were replaced with non-religious performances like jokes, songs, or other “treats” like candy.

Nowadays, we can see some of these traditions have been kept alive. Decorations on porches, trick-or-treaters, or horror movies.

When October rolled around, it felt as though everyone else was excited for the approaching holiday. Neighborhoods would be decked out in spooky decorations, houses ornamented with ghosts and ghouls.

However, this year Halloween has been less of the main event, and more of an afterthought.

Maybe there are some conversations about weekend parties or get-togethers, some people wearing costumes or going to haunted houses.

That’s just about it.

Of course, when we grow up, Halloween inevitably loses its magic from when we were younger. It’s pushed to the side, with us focusing more on priorities like homework. Even trick-or-treating loses its appeal when we can just buy a bag of candy from the nearest grocery store. Teenagers have lost touch with Halloween.

Yet, Halloween is one of the only opportunities to pretend to be anything you want.

To bring this Halloween back from the dead, though it is only a few days away, we can encourage each other to celebrate. Enjoy the modern Halloween festivities and traditions, as well as taking time to reflect on the holiday’s past. You only live once.

Though it will soon come to a close, it’s not too late to make the most out of Spooky month.