By Lauren Kelly, Editor-in-Chief
Halloween is almost here! When we were kids, Halloween marked a magical time when we got dressed up and received all the candy we could eat from neighbours and strangers alike. Now, many adults and teens celebrate the holiday by getting together and drinking, often in costume. This Halloween is an unfortunate one, however. It’s on a Monday, the worst possible day for such an exciting holiday. While many people will be attending Halloween parties on the weekend, this leaves poor Halloween day out to dry.
That doesn’t mean we have to leave Halloween to the kids, though. These days, I see fewer and fewer trick or treaters, and last year when I passed out candy in what I thought would be a high-traffic area, we received three groups all night (and had a lot of leftover candy to snack on). I would have been super happy to see some older kids or adults turning up near the end in some form of costume to relieve me of all my candy. It’s fun to see people of all ages out there enjoying themselves.
I remember as a teenager there was a bit of a stigma around it. Suddenly you’ve aged out of it being socially acceptable to trick or treat, and now you were expected to either party or do nothing. Now, as an adult, it’s become acceptable to dress up, and almost expected if you’re going to an event. If you need to come up with something last minute, hit Life & Style and Humour in this issue for some costume ideas. Either way, to those of you who are getting dressed up for the weekend, go out Monday night and make the most of the money and time you spent on dressing up by scooping some free stuff!
And if you’re not the type to party or trick or treat, celebrate by staying in and watching some of the films Cazzy has covered this month, or reading the comics Brittney has reviewed. Pass out goodies and check out other people’s costumes. Get in the spirit, and have a great time—whatever that is to you. After all, November 1 starts the long trek to the winter holidays, so now’s the last time to sneak in some dark and spooky before bright colours and cheer is everywhere again.
There aren’t that many opportunities for group celebration in Western culture, so go out and make the most of what we do have, regardless of what is considered acceptable for people our age. And if anyone judges you for it, who cares—you’re having fun, and that’s what matters.
