There is an almost tangible magic that arises each Halloween in my neighborhood, bringing my quiet and secluded street to life for a single, wonderful night. Living in a predominantly retired, peaceful cul-de-sac, pulling down the blinds and shutting off the lights is a daily 7 p.m. occurrence. But, on this one evening, all routine is abandoned for the sake of candy and smiling kids in creative costumes.
Originally intended to ward off ghosts at the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), Halloween evolved into an annual holiday marked by children dressing up in whatever their heart desired and trick-or-treating. However, Halloween also became what some people thought of as a “demonic worshipping” holiday that celebrated evil and encouraged chaos in the streets at night. The bloody-white t-shirts, chainsaws and gory masks donned by teenagers are not always appreciated by everyone.

Even being an extremely sensitive person to anything fear related, I still find a general love for this very real (yes, real) and informal holiday because it’s more than just an excuse to celebrate evil by terrorizing each other with nasty costumes – it’s a way to bridge the gap between our imaginations and the world around us.

Children have their entire lives to become professional, established people expected to earn a salary and pay a mortgage. They are only given, however, a few short years to soak up the childish nature of pretending. As a kid, Halloween was one of the most memorable nights of the year because it brought to life and allowed me to become the characters I had admired for so long in movies and books: fairies from Peter Pan and jedis from Star Wars, pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean and Violet from the Incredibles. Halloween is one of few holidays to encourage creativity through kids, so much of which is destroyed through the current education system. It invites them to create their own costumes out of bed sheets, face paint, nail polish and whatever else they can come up with. This expands their imagination, which above all else, is just fun.