COLUMN: Halloween is a time to come closer, celebrate
Halloween is a magical event everyone looks forward to when growing up as a kid.
It's made for dressing up in costume, decorating the house and enjoying some sweet treats. The cooler weather brings people closer as we are pushed indoors by the cooler weather.
As time passes and people get older, the holiday seems to take on a whole new meaning. Costume parties replace trick-or-treating, and childhood rituals become only memories.
As a kid, you get to be your favorite super hero; your idol.
You get to go walk around your neighborhood to see friends and the spooky decorations lighting the sidewalks with ghouls and witches. You get the holy grail of childhood sweets: all the candy you can carry in your pillow case.
I can remember one of my first Halloweens dressed as an army man going out with my family to collect candy. My brother and I would race each other up to every house to knock on the door hoping they chose my favorite candy out of the pumpkin filled with treats. The winner would be the first to get his candy first and bragging rights until the next bright porch light was spotted. All night we went house to house filling our pillowcases until our backs hurt, arms became weak, and sweat began to drip off of our noses.
The only thing on a our minds is where and how we can get more candy.
Dragging our candy treasure from a long night of gathering sweets, we finally got back to our house and relaxed. I took the bag and spilled it all over my living room floor. The mountain of candy was colorfully filled with wrappers from Snickers, Kit Kats, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
All of my hard work let me pig out on candy until Thanksgiving, making me the happiest kid for a month.
The adventures and experiences we hold dear and cherish influence us and shape us into the people we become. The childhood memories from Halloween are never ones of regret or discomfort. It’s a time to celebrate each other's company and have fun by dressing up and enjoying life’s little gifts.
The welcoming of the fall weather brings us closer and gives us a chance to celebrate with the close ones around us. Halloween means something different to every Mount Pleasant resident, but each reason brings us together every Oct. 31.
