This Is Halloween

Halloween has and will forever be my absolute #1 favorite holiday. While everyone else was and is loving Christmas, I have always been a Halloween fan and I just want to dedicate this post to all the reasons why this holiday is permanently cemented at the top of the charts in my holiday heart.

Part of the allure of Halloween for me is that I love dressing up in costumes. I have always had a great time attending and now hosting Halloween parties and I just love being around other costumed people. It makes for such a festive atmosphere that Melissa and I will be throwing Britney Spears a birthday party in early December and all our lady guests are to come as their favorite Britney incarnation while the guys can pick any man from her videos or personal life. I’ll be hosting this event as Roger Johnson from Pop News (if you don’t know who this is then you need to STOP what you’re doing and listen to Britney’s smash hit, Lucky RIGHT NOW) and I cannot wait to see which Britney Melissa will choose. She’s already done …Baby One More Time, so who knows which iconic look she’ll don next!?!

One HUGE issue I do have with dressing in costume though is that I am an incredible procrastinator. I am always waiting until the very last minute to do anything. I’m not really into planning things, so having to go shopping or make something in advance for a costume isn’t really my thing. I wish I could just snap my fingers and make all the shit come together perfectly, but alas, I’m a few million book sales away from making that dream my reality. Take for example our Disney themed Halloween party two weekends back, Melissa and I had originally discussed going as one of Disney’s most iconic couples: Judge Claude Frollo and Quasimodo from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I of course was to be the villainous Frollo while Melissa would be the hunchback Quasimodo. Even with approximately six weeks of time to make this coupling happen I still couldn’t get myself into gear. So, about two days before our party Melissa suggested I just go as cute little Miguel from Disney/Pixar’s Coco and this became an instant no-brainer. I had all the clothing needed and she had the makeup, so it was a done deal.

This procrastination is part of the reason why as a child I was Captain Hook from Disney’s Peter Pan for three different Halloweens and then for another three Halloweens some years later I was a McDonald’s Big Mac sandwich. I mean, if it’s not broke, why fix it? I would love to reprise my Big Mac costume one day, so be on the inevitable look out for that. There truly is nothing quite like wearing the guise of both my own personal and the entire world’s favorite burger.

Autumn is also my favorite season and time of the year. I love the changing of the leaves and the incredible colors brought forth by that change as well as the cooler temperatures. Everyone knows I love a good hoodie or cardigan and this time of the year gives me ample opportunities to dress my best. I love to layer. Come visit me at the Men’s Wearhouse and I’ll sell you everything you need to layer yourself up for the fall season and have you looking better than ever. You’ll love the way you look, I guarantee it.

I love Halloween movies and there are certain films that I associate so strongly with Halloween that I will only watch them this time of the year despite them having little to nothing to do with the actual holiday. The best example of this would be Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. This Johnny Depp staring fright flick is about Ichabod Crane’s showdown with the Headless Horseman and I always use the watching of this movie as an official kickoff to my Halloween season. Disney and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is another movie that I anxiously wait to watch each year. There is nothing I do not love about this film. The songs are phenomenal, the score is enchanting, and the story is thrillingly adorable. It should also be noted that I love how in Disneyland they convert my second favorite ride, The Haunted Mansion, to Haunted Mansion Holiday in honor of this cinematic masterpiece giving it a fresh take on an old classic each holiday season.

Melissa and I went with our friends Katie and Jon this past Friday to downtown Alton for a haunted Alton walking tour and although it was my third time having done something similar to this there, I most certainly have not grown tired of the eerie feeling I get from being in genuinely haunted dwellings. For those who do not know, Alton, Illinois is often ranked amongst the top ten most haunted places in all of America. It is a fair-sized city that sits at the confluence of the Missouri, Illinois, and Mississippi rivers, which made it quite the shipping meca back in its heyday when steamboats cruised up and down our nations waterways. It’s in the midst of a renaissance, which makes it a very exciting time for the city, but while plenty of new businesses are moving downtown, they’re moving into some very, very old buildings. Many of these structures are severely haunted with people having seen apparitions across several decades. In fact, the picture I attached to this paragraph is one that I took while we were in a tunnel that was once used to hide slaves on their journey on the Underground Railroad. If you look closely underneath the light bulb it looks as though there is a little girl in a dress standing there. Can you see it? It sends instant shivers down my spine.

Another thing I love that is purely seasonal are faux haunted houses. To me there are few greater rushes than walking through a labyrinth of masked individuals waiting to leap out at you when you suspect it least. I haven’t been to one yet this year and regrettably didn’t make it to one last year either, but you best believe I am going to make certain I right this wrong come Halloween 2019.

Last, but certainly not least, Halloween is also the birthday of one of my dearest friends, Katie. She not only became an ordained minister strictly to facilitate our marriage, but she been an intricate part of our lives since our humble days of working together at Target Edwardsville more than a decade ago. I am eternally thankful for her friendship. Katie, you really are simply the best!

Well, I just wanted to share this short little posting about why I think Halloween is número uno amongst all holidays. Hope you all have been enjoying yourself this spooky season and that you have a safe and scary Halloween! Thank you for reading and please share in the comments your favorite things about Halloween! I’d love to read them!

ONE LAST THING AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! DO NOT FORGET THAT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6^th IS ELECTION DAY! PLEASE PERFORM YOUR CIVIC DUTY AND GET OUT AND VOTE!