I think I touched base on Halloween once before. Allow me to go into more detail 'bout that.

There are some who believe the 31st October to be a holiday. I do not, nor does the United States (which is interesting considering that infinitely more people celebrate this than the aformentioned Columbus Day, and rightfully so). It is a night where parents let their children out dressed as goblins, ghouls, Ronald Reagan and other frightening apparitions. This already does not compute with me, because most parents warn their kids not to talk to strangers, whereas this holiday-of-sorts seems to encourage that.

My mother always assumed our old block was safe enough so that I could walk around it with my neighbor (at the time), Jimmy. And it was rather nice - we could usually rely on getting at least one king-sized candy bar from our Halloween haul. But even at ages nine and ten I felt there were certain things I could not trust. For example, shadowy back yards with gates open, inviting to children but not a place where they'd normally go. This is where Jimmy and I had dissenting opinions. Granted, the next day he was safe and sound, but I knew where my limits lied.

I am concerned about those who are more intent on making this occasion more of a trick than a treat. You know, things like putting razors in candies, kidnapping, and goodness knows what other things. I always made sure to travel in groups and not get left behind, or go immediately home. Now that I'm older, I can get drunk and go to parties (much like the one Saturday night), but it doesn't change how I feel.

This fall event is a fashion fair. I'm distinctly remembering something that Lindsay Lohan's character said in the film Mean Girls (2004): Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it. When you give it a little thought, you might realise that there is some truth to that statement. I am seeing pretty princesses hike up their skirts a little more over the years, and the age of females doing that decreasing.* It makes me sad.

Halloween appears to me to be some odd American cultural bit and nothing more. I'm very for another reason to spend time with friends, gather round and watch films or something. I'm also aware that it is called other things - All Hallow's Eve and Samhain**, for instance. I can appreciate the fact that some geniunely recognise this day as a sort of commemoration for the dead and perished, for the harvest. However, in my experience, it merely seems to connote fun, games, and the occasional trickery. That in itself can be celebrated any time of the year.

In any case, whether you feel me or not... be well, and be safe.

*It happens on non-Halloween days, too. Working at Malibu Castle last summer gave me that painful reminder. "Don't be jealous 'cause your boyfriend's looking at ME," a 12-year-old's shirt proclaimed in glittery disgust. (Oh, I asked. The girl was definitely twelve.) That was one of tamer things I saw, amongst the dresses-that-looked-like-oversized-shirts and such.
**Samhain is the Irish word for 'November'. Festivals and royal assembly would take place on the first of this month in Medieval Ireland. Samhain is also the name of a recurring villain in The Real Ghostbusters, but let's not talk about that right now.