Tricks and treats

The leaves are changing, and that means only one thing: It’s time for Halloween, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Growing up, one of my neighbors decorated his house as a haunted graveyard.

In order to collect your candy, you had to make your way through the yard (and get chased by masked ghouls with chainsaws) up to the front door. Half of the neighborhood loved the spectacle; the others thought this guy was crazy.

At my elementary school, there was always one girl who didn’t celebrate Halloween. Whether because of her family’s devout Christianity or her parents’ reluctance to start her on a path toward ever more revealing costumes, she would sit out bitterly at school Halloween celebrations. Other kids felt bad that she was missing out. I was happy because it meant more candy for me.

It occurred to me that there’s the off chance that my roommates and I might get some trick-or-treaters at our door this year. I’m not sure if we have any candy-like food items in our house — perhaps a month-old liter of Coke Zero or handful of off-brand trail mix will do.

Younger kids aside, there’s the time-honored tradition of women doing everything in their power to wreck the upstanding reputations of various occupations. All the achievements of feminists go right out the window come Oct. 31.

Even in high school, it shocked me what parents would let their little angels wear (not that I complained). It always seems there are a lot of future nurses, maids and Hooters employees out there. After all these costumes, I get disappointed when I go to the doctor’s office and get my temperature taken by a saggy 50-year-old woman.

Despite its popularity in most of North America, Halloween isn’t embraced as much in some other countries. Many Australians express concern that the event is irrelevant to their culture and that celebrating it represents an invasion of American culture on their turf.

Recently, however, it has become more popular; trick-or-treating and other Halloween traditions have gained prominence.

Halloween is also waning in Switzerland, where people associate the holiday as an American import in a time when our country faces widespread dislike abroad. A major retailer theorized that it is hard for the country to identify with a custom that was largely popularized in the U.S. As a result, sales of Halloween-related items have dropped in recent years as the Swiss embrace more basic and less purchase-driven celebrations.

There are complaints about Halloween domestically beyond the usual societal concerns of provocative costumes donned by women young and old. Americans continue to open their wallets wider each year to gear up for the big day. The National Retail Federation estimates that per-person spending on Halloween goods will exceed $66 this year, up from around $56 last year.  

Think about it, though: was there a time when Halloween wasn’t commercial? It’s not like there’s a major holiday concealed under all the fluff — at least Christmas is based on the birth of Christ.

I’m pretty sure few people are celebrating Halloween for any reason other than to get a break from the usual routine. I hope this doesn’t offend all our Pagan readers out there — sorry that this “holiday” undermines Samhain.

Administrative assistants’ day will always be the hallmark Hallmark holiday. Halloween might be becoming an increasing symbol of excess, but I don’t mind.

I like spending too much money on costumes, decorations and “treats.” Especially at a school where no fall break is bestowed upon the students, we need some time off after midterms.

This year, I’m going as a gorilla, complete with a Scream mask and my dad’s ’90s-era Air Jordans (hey, primates gotta have swag, too). If you see me out trick-or-treating, be sure to say hello.

For me, Halloween is a chance to forget about the stress of school and relive a part of my life where the biggest question I faced was what my after-school snack would be. Sometimes, you just pine for the good old days of fourth grade.

With that in mind, have fun this weekend, be safe and make the most of this beloved weekend when you can be a kid once again.


E-mail: biglehar@indiana.edu