Halloween Season means the Holidays are here

It's the dead of fall and signs that summer is long gone are everywhere. For all intents and purposes, this should be one of the worst times of the year: The leaves are browning, the weather’s becoming more frigid, and midterms are swallowing students whole like a hungry boa constrictor – and its not even November yet.

And yet, it’s my favorite time of year. "Libra Season," as I like to call it, and the imminent arrival of all our favorite holidays loom overhead, bringing a sense of excitement and optimism to the autumnal equinox. The Christmas shopping agenda may dictate that the holiday season begins on Thanksgiving, but what really puts us into the celebratory spirit is perhaps the most jovial day of the year, Halloween.

The gloomy world around us is a mere facade of what on the surface is supposed to be the ugliest time of year, but the October mystique is a fascinating event. The dreary change in temperature and scenery has an element of beauty to it; there’s something about the gray-skied autumn afternoons combined with the eerie nature of the Halloween season that brings a sense of nostalgia and tranquility to our busy lives.

The holidays are a three-part exultation that let us celebrate life in three different fashions: Hallow’s Eve explores our fun side, Turkey Day embraces our family side, and Jesus Christ's Birthday exercises our loving side.
There are countless ways to enjoy Halloween; it is a holiday that manages to reinvent itself according to your adaptations of maturity.

As a young child, Halloween is all about the candy; as much as you can grab – grab as much as you can. On top of that, it's your best opportunity to dress up as the latest super hero of youth pop culture, whether its a Ninja Turtle, a Power Ranger or a Pokemon, depending on the era you grew up in (personally I think each generation has become more and more trite, but maybe I’m just biased).
Then you get older and this time of year can’t help but undergo an unsettling change. Are you too old to get into the Halloween spirit? What age do you stop trick-or-treating? Is it still considered cool to dress up?
Maybe you just half-ass it a little: “I’m a cowboy this year” you say pointing to the Ranchero hat you found in your dad’s closet, half-placed on your head, completely clashing with your everyday getup.
For many teens this uncomfortable battle with adolescence leads to rebellion and it becomes a time of year to wreck havoc around the neighborhood - practical jokes, gags, eggs, TP, silly string, etc. – any act of rebellion that gets your heart pumping and demonstrates your ability to rage against the machine becomes the appeal of the season.

Then you get to college and fall in love with the spooky celebration that is Halloween all over again.

Now if you’re like me and you really love Halloween, you celebrate it at least three times. Maybe four. Sometimes even five depending on the day of the week Oct. 31st actually falls on, but any weekend day in the vicinity of the holy day is worthy of celebration.

Halloween is one of the only times when girls are sure to go out donning their sexiest costumes, while conveniently leaving their shame at home. At no point is the line between a good costume and a street walker's nightly uniform so thin.

When else can three leaves be considered a suitable wardrobe?

“Look I’m Eve! Now where’s my Adam?”

Holidays are really the display of mankind’s ability to twist up historic events and make it an annual party.

The birth of Jesus Christ has become a reason to sit around a well-decorated pine tree with family and exchange gifts and memories over a warm cup of cocoa. The death and resurrection of J.C. somehow became reason for a large bunny rabbit to hide colorful eggs and pick up a nice sugar rush off those delicious, yet stomach-turning Peeps. I’m not sure of the exact history of Halloween, but the result has us scaring each other, dressing up in ridiculous costumes, and eating a lot of sweets.

We, as a society, like to have fun and we love candy, and holidays give us reason to do an abundance of both those things. It's important not to take yourself too seriously around these times, enjoy yourself, and the people around you.

Holidays are life’s way of reminding us to take a break and have fun, so as long as they’re here, take a little break, have a little fun ... get down tonight.