Spooky Season

"Yeah, it's getting spooky out here" - Fabolous

I alluded to the joy that I get every October in my Fall Nostalgia post, but now that it's really that time of year again, I thought that I'd share a little more about what makes this part of fall so special. Who knows, maybe I'll even do one of these for Thanksgiving.

Like I said before, Halloween is a reminder that it's alright to be scared, and that there's something quite humbling about the experience of coming out of a frightening situation.

When I was a kid, I never really had the full "Halloween experience". I never dressed up after the age of nine or ten and the street I lived on was full of people who'd just leave bowls of candy out on their porches while they stayed in watching The Office. So for me, the real treat of Halloween was the vibe around school.

Orange and black construction paper decorations, candy from the teachers (back when teachers were allowed to have fun too), and a whole day where I got to dress up like Optimus Prime and just have a blast with my friends. We'd learn catchy ghost songs from Ms. Walker (or Ms. Walker-Ma'am, as she liked to be called), we'd listen to scary stories told by the unheralded saints of education, elementary school teachers, and we'd make all sorts of pumpkin themed arts and crafts.

Coupled with Fall Nostalgia, The Halloween effect, as I like to call it, is what makes me perhaps the most homesick at college. Which is strange, because like I said, I never really did Halloween right. In fact, I hated horror movies until last year. Which I suppose is a good segway into the true Don of Halloween these days: the movies.

Until last Halloween, Get Out was probably the scariest movie I'd ever seen, and that's more of a thriller than a horror movie. But college is a time for personal growth, so when my friends wanted to watch The Conjuring, I tagged along.

And it was one of the best times of my life. After The Conjuring, we watched part two next week, and Insidious (parts one and two) in the weeks that followed. It got to a point where I looked forward to these movie nights more than going out with my friends because it was a more relaxed yet engaging environment with zero social pressures.

Now that the new spooky season is here, I'm more excited for these movie nights to start up again than I am for the parties, which generally end in one cool squad picture and then the long march back home wearing a chicken costume.

I suppose that drives at the heart of this whole nostalgic bender. My discontent with the present coupled with the growing realization that as I get older, I'm getting less and less out of life. This current trajectory seems to lead to a dull, white collar future where my passions and hobbies fall victim to the incessant drone of a suburban American lifestyle. I now see a future for myself in which I live vicariously through my children, giving them all the experiences I never had as a kid. Not necessarily a bad thing, but does happiness earned through another soul enrich one's life as much as living that experience oneself? Furthermore, is it ethical to press my own inadequacies onto my child in the hopes that he becomes what I could not; to haunt them with the ghosts of my failures?

And if that's not the scariest thing about this season then I don't know what is. I didn't mean for this to turn into a philosophical piece, and it won't devolve completely into that basket of cats, but I feel it's important to state the facts of this time in my life. One day, when I really write a hit and I'm sitting in front of Jimmy Kimmel, I want this to be a record of the psychological turmoil that took place during my late teens and early twenties.

I'd therefore encourage everyone who reads this to get the most out of this season. If you're into the "Halloweekend" parties, then go insane. If you're about watching horror movies with your friends and/or significant other, then get the popcorn. And if you're just looking forward to the spooky memes, then grab your phone and relax. It's ok to be scared every now and then, and I would even go so far as to say that it's a necessity for a healthy life. Perhaps I'll make another post at some point about my favorite horror movies, or something like that, but for now, I'll just wish everyone a happy spook-tober, and get my costume ready (I'm thinking of going as Aladdin this year).