If you’re not interested in reading curmudgeonly writing, skip this entry. I’ll be back to my regular upbeat writing personality soon enough. Today, however, is not that day.
I groused on Facebook this morning that Halloween is so NOT my holiday. My plan is to steer clear of it. Sorry, folks, but I’m willing to own the title my friend Angela applied to me: “The Scrooge of Halloween.” Guilty.
Have I worn costumes on Halloween? Yes, occasionally, and by that I mean every 5-10 years or so. I wore an Indiana Jones costume at a science fiction convention in 2008, and I didn’t wear it well because I was the better part of 30 to 40 pounds overweight. And I brought said costume because others more or less expected it of me, it wasn’t something I was excited to do. Which brings me to an important aspect of Halloween: it’s very much an extrovert’s holiday, as the goals are to stand out, be loud, go to a lot of parties, and look or act oddly around others. I’m odd enough already.
I’m also not a fan of horror, terror, and other off-kilter emotions that usually result from experiencing or witnessing something awful or terrifying. People actually pay good money to experience these sensations in a theater and it baffles me. If you don’t enjoy those feelings in reality, as I do not, you probably don’t understand the desire to have them imposed artificially. Mind you, I do read and write fiction on occasion, but most of my stories aren’t in the Stephen King genre.
And before someone tells me to “lighten up,” spare me the lecture. I’ve heard it. All this stuff is just not my thing. I understand some people–even introverts–dig Halloween. It’s an opportunity to wear a mask and be someone different for a day. Bully for you. Glad you enjoy yourselves.
I’m more of a Christmas guy. The emotional tone and emphasis are more in line with my mood: giving, celebration, maybe a little kindness or solemnity thrown in. But hey, that’s me. Speaking of Christmas, there’s something else I’ve noticed: generally people who really REALLY love Halloween are often not that big on Christmas. Go figure.
There are other snobby, uptight things I could write, but I’ll leave it at that. I’m not trying to be a spoil sport for others, just explaining why I don’t get all that excited about October 31st. However, Halloween candy gets marked down 50% tomorrow. I’ll see you then.
The Real Bart Leahy 