Thanks again!

THIS is how I always feel on November 1st.
(Photo by Bob Flynn.)

Sigh. October 31st has come and gone, and today is an awful day for us Halloween lovers. It’s the day when all that magic seems to have drifted away like tea-light smoke and humdrum reality takes over again. It’s the day when we realize that next year’s Halloween season could not possibly be farther away.

I’ve had friends ask me, “What’s so special about Halloween?” Well, I love that Halloween is pretty much the opposite of boredom. It offers us a break from what our lives usually hold, and gives us surprises instead of what we always expect. I mean, everything about the holiday–eating candy, putting gruesome props on display, carving pumpkins, dressing in costume, going to haunted houses–is incredibly, admirably not about normal life.

Instead, Halloween’s all about the ephemeral pleasures of fun, excitement, and awe. It is not a holiday motivated by religion or patriotism, and it doesn’t serve any productive, tangible purpose. It doesn’t even match the mainstream attitude of US culture (“Life is sunny and happy and … go buy things!”). So in a way, the amazing thing about Halloween is that it exists at all. 

I’m so glad it does, and I know you are too, or you wouldn’t be reading this. And I really appreciate having the chance to share my enthusiasm with you. Thanks again for checking out my blog. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it!

I’ll see you again next year, starting in September 2013.