Halloween | (Over)thoughts

Mortimer

I love Halloween.

I know I should probably say I love Christmas or Easter. And I absolutely appreciate and fully believe in what those holidays represent.

But as an actual holiday, (~~I think~~) I prefer Halloween.

There are no obligations, demands, schedules to figure out, expensive dinners/gifts to buy or strings pulling me like a marionette.

I can just relax
have fun
enjoy it.

And bonus: if I want to be someone else for a day, it’s actually encouraged.

Jeff isn’t so big on the dressing-up part, but I think it’s fun.

I like carving pumpkins, even though I’m not very good at it. I don’t particularly like digging out the crud from them, but the baked pumpkin seeds are worth the work.

I look forward to handing out candy to the kids walking around our neighborhood. I was so disappointed when we lived in an apartment and hardly anyone came. We were lucky to get one knock on the door – and it was usually from the kids who lived downstairs. They would get a lot of candy from us since they were the only ones who showed up.

I enjoy silly traditions like watching the Scream* movies or E.T.** or the “Treehouse of Horror” episodes of The Simpsons*** with Jeff, while we wait for the doorbell to ring.

And of course, munching on the candy in between doorbell rings doesn’t hurt – too much.

During those off years, if we don’t feel like being around people, we can turn the lights out and hang out in the dark. Which is actually a very Halloween thing to do.

And it’s okay.

But I think what I like most about Halloween is that I can enjoy it like I used to be able to enjoy most holidays when I was a kid.

Before the pressure.
Before we had to juggle multiple families
houses
schedules.

[Which is probably the norm for people whose parents are divorced, who have had to do every holiday like that for years.]

Before all the responsibilities
requirements
strict – unwritten – rules.

Most of that was probably there, but I didn’t have to deal with it. That fell on the adults.

And I could just have fun and enjoy the day.

I hope someday I can figure out a way to get back there and enjoy other holidays again, like kids can. Or at least get in that general vicinity.

Before figuring out I was allergic to dogs and can’t breathe around them. In some ways, ignorance was easier, because even though I suffered just as much, I didn’t cause so many problems with that knowledge. Now I have the choice: Breathe. Or force myself to go somewhere I know I won’t be able to.

But for now,
I am thankful for Halloween.