An Ode To A Holiday
Title inspired by my most recent Netflix binge, “The Watcher.”
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I’m not entirely sure if this is a “hot take” or not, but everyone seems to favor Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Christmas season just as much as the next Jewish girl. But there’s something about Halloween that has always been extra special to me.
If you know me well, you know that I have an unhealthy obsession with candy. You also should know that I’m down to watch any horror movie— the scarier the better. Fall is my favorite season. And lastly, I am always looking for excuses to get together with friends and put on a fun outfit. So there you have it, Halloween for the win.
Every year growing up, my Mom would spend hours painstakingly sewing my Halloween costume. Store bought costumes never entered the Hill home; instead, we’d take a trip to our neighborhood Jo-Ann Fabrics, pick out all the necessary patterns for way too much money, and Mom would turn it into a masterpiece in a matter of weeks. The other Moms never stood a chance.
My childhood costumes covered a very wide range of my interests. I dressed up as Angelina Ballerina, a football player (shoulder pads included), a cheetah, a half-devil half-angel, a policewoman, Cinderella, and even racecar driver Lindsay Lohan from Herbie Fully Loaded. That one was especially impressive.
My Halloweens began in Queens, NY, when I was very small, and soon moved over to Westchester, NY. We made the holiday a 2-day extravaganza, spending one night in Long Island with Grandma and the cousins, and the next running around Amawalk with neighbors and friends. You can only imagine how much candy we collected doing things this way.
Of course, like all good things, this Halloween tradition eventually came to an end. As we grew into middle school, high school, and beyond, it was only natural to want to spend this day differently. Soon enough, trick-or-treating was removed from the equation. The day was no longer spent with Grandma, running around the neighborhood clutching my pumpkin candy bag in a miniature fist. But, despite these inevitable changes, Halloween never really lost its sparkle.
College Halloweens called for friend group costumes, purple and orange jello shots, Instagram photos, and overflowing frat parties. Girls in my sorority house got packages from their parents full of candy and other Halloween treats, and we’d all sit in the kitchen enjoying them together. College Julia hit the parties as Sandy from Grease, Regina from Mean Girls, a boxer (basic, I know), an angel (also basic), Harry Potter (duh), and Bangerz era Miley Cyrus. Angelina Ballerina no more.
Today, Halloween takes a slightly different form. I still eat excessive amounts of candy, still get together with my friends, still dress up in costumes, and still oftentimes consume jello shots. But Halloween in New York City is associated with big, clubby events, and these events come with a steep price tag. Last year, my friends and I gave in and bought tickets to 2 events, neither of which was worth the ticket. So this year, we decided to stick with smaller house parties and neighborhood bars, and it was perfect. More time spent talking to friends, less money spent on tickets and drinks and, as a cherry on top, I was able to pick the music. I dressed up as a Stranger Things character and even got second place in the costume contest at work (coming for you next year, Nancy).
It’s funny how something like Halloween can evolve so much in just a matter of years. It brings me a sense of comfort that something I once loved so much can still be loved later on in life, just maybe for slightly different reasons. Some things about Halloween, the important things like bringing friends together and having fun, never really change. That is the beauty of an all-inclusive holiday like this one.
I have the most amazing memories from this holiday growing up. Today, when I’m on the couch with my family watching home videos, I’ll oftentimes come across a clip from a Halloween of my past. It usually looks something like this: little me, running up to the camera to show off how many lollipops I got, Grandma clutching Katie’s hand because her legs are too tiny to get up the porch steps, Olivia waving around some sort of a sword, and my parents providing an overview of the whole thing from behind the camera.
It all reminds me of how badly I want to give my own kids the same experience someday. When that time does come, Halloween will still remain my favorite holiday, but again, for very different reasons.
I hope that everyone had a very spooky, very enjoyable Halloween 2022, filled with lots and lots of candy, of course. The overwhelming Halloween decor in apartment 11G may have just been taken down, but the candy bowl will remain for the foreseeable future. I don’t make the rules.
