Reflection: When Halloween Becomes Homework

Final weekend, my sketch comedy group traveled to Yale College. Our three-hour drive down I-91 transported us from the nearly-bare bushes of New Hampshire to the intense orange leaves of New Haven, Conn. After we arrived, towering Gothic buildings bathed within the early night gentle solid shadows on cobblestone paths. Police and ambulance sirens echoed within the distance. 

After meandering by means of campus, we climbed up a spiral staircase and reached the dorm we’d be staying in — a warmly-lit suite with darkish wooden crown molding, a hearth and excessive ceilings. As I unfolded my sleeping bag and set it on the sofa, my gaze drifted to a chair within the nook. There sat an opulent bulldog sporting an odd-looking plastic knife coated in faux blood. As I regarded across the room, I seen dozens of tiny bat stickers scattered throughout the partitions, framed by orange pumpkin string lights. These decorations jogged my memory of those my mother would put up at house once I was youthful: skeletons on the entire doorknobs, ghost decals plastered on the entrance home windows and a bucket stuffed with assorted sweet within the kitchen. Halloween would fill each nook of our home, with the glow of faux candles flickering in each room. On this room at Yale I felt engulfed by the identical vacation spirit. 

Once I returned to my dorm room in Hanover a day later, I dropped my baggage and regarded over at my very own Halloween decorations — a mere two plastic pumpkins from CVS, perched on my dresser. My dorm had all of the persona of the pathetic metallic Christmas bushes in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” They have been a last-minute buy amongst my haul of laundry detergent and shampoo; I solely thought-about shopping for them as a result of they occurred to be proper above the shelf with physique wash. I stared at them, two little orange verify marks of celebrating the vacation. Simply final yr, I’d drag my associates to get pillows or candles, however someplace alongside the way in which, different commitments began to take precedence.

Not like the winter celebrations, Halloween isn’t the type of vacation that pushes its approach into our lives by means of a month of catchy songs on the radio or limitless TV commercials. As an alternative, Halloween hovers within the background. Other than the occasional “What are you being for Halloween?” comment from my associates or faux cobwebs on the market at drugstores, there’s no stress to have the proper costume, only one that serves for an evening. And, as I’ve gotten older, the stress to purchase in has additionally decreased — reworking into Halloween is a private selection. Halloween might look as mundane as deciding to not exit, as a substitute staying in to observe a film or two. Even at its peak, the vacation solely includes as a lot work as planning a number of costumes. 

On Saturday evening, I came upon a couple of Halloween occasion only some hours earlier than it began. With restricted time, I made a decision to decorate up as a Magic 8 Ball as a result of I used to be already sporting a black tank prime and my pal had some paper to spare in her dorm. As I caught my do-it-yourself “8” to my shirt, it felt like I used to be giving Halloween an acceptable, nonchalant nod. However once I arrived on the occasion and my imaginative and prescient adjusted to the darkish basement, I noticed a sea of scholars elaborately dressed up as all the things from vampires to princesses to Spice Ladies. I regarded down at my makeshift outfit and questioned once I’d stopped caring sufficient to place in that additional effort that got here seemingly with out query to others. 

In highschool, my associates and I typically put aside time for festivities. On brisk October days, I’d placed on a jacket and stroll down my road to make cookies at my pal’s home, then huddle in her basement underneath some blankets and placed on a scary film. We’d spend the month making costume lists and cross out the concepts that didn’t move muster. And early on the evening of Halloween, we’d hand out sweet to youthful youngsters in costumes earlier than getting dressed up ourselves.

However at Dartmouth, it appears like there’s hardly any time for celebration. There’s at all times one thing else I “ought to” be doing. In case you spend a day indulging in Halloween enjoyable, you inevitably fall days — if not weeks — behind in your courses. There’s hardly any time to save lots of for your self, not to mention a fleeting vacation. This Halloween, the time I’d be workshopping costumes with associates has as a substitute been consumed by scarier issues — late nights within the Class of 1902 Room perfecting essays; balancing my previous friendships from final yr with new ones; squeezing in naps when I’ve an additional half hour.

But, pondering again on my expertise this fall, I’ve realized that intentionality with small occasions, like Halloween, is what helps us keep grounded. Engaged on a dressing up or carving a pumpkin is a strategy to pause and respect the second. It’s a reminder that fall solely occurs yearly and that we will’t let one other season slip away simply due to our stresses and obligations. So, this Halloween, take an additional minute, even within the smallest methods: eat that sweet, grasp some paper bats and play Halloween music when you examine. Make this vacation greater than only a four-day stress over last-minute costumes. Opting in, even just a bit, is a strategy to carve out house for pleasure and create moments of normalcy throughout a busy time period. Among the many stress about essays and midterms, these traditions anchor us to the current and assist carry again sparks of pleasure.