Reflections on Halloween

Halloween on the Plaza 2011- Taos, New Mexico

I typically do not celebrate Halloween. It has never really interested me, even as a child. All of the hoopla of dressing up and going door to door talking to strangers and lugging around a bag of candy (which I would not be eating) seemed pointless and others' interest in it was truly perplexing to me. Everyone I knew ate candy pretty much when they wanted all the rest of the year and with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, they would all be getting their fill of treats everyday anyway.

As I got older, the general public interest in Halloween seemed to wain quite a bit and I didn't really give it too much thought. Then suddenly, seemingly overnight, it was an extravaganza. Seasonal stores cropped up and everywhere you looked there was much ado about the preparation for, and participation in, Halloween.

Since there was so much excitement surrounding this event, I made an attempt to join in the festivities. I am not anything, if not a true believer in celebration and frivolity. In the beginning, friends would have costume parties and for me, that was pretty fun. But everyone I knew lost interest in the work of party planning when it was so much easier to just go out and party. I tried this, but I just couldn't get into the crowd scene.

Well, over the years since I have gained a few appreciations for the historical origins of the 2 holidays that reside back to back, but I still have no interest in dressing up or eating candy. :-)