From elaborate descriptions of Halloween memories from people’s childhoods, to simple answers that explain how Halloween reminds people of autumn, an abundance of answers await the question “What does Halloween mean to me?”
Personally, Halloween doesn’t hold one specific meaning in my heart. It rather serves as a collection of memories that reflect my life throughout the years. A single costume can reflect my year, as it’s how I choose to represent my friendships, my interests and my personality all in one.
Let’s break it down. Your costume can represent your friendships since you choose who to dress up with, if you were to choose anyone. Sometimes, you can start with a really big group of friends but as time passes, you might end up dressing up with only a few of those friends for the next few Halloweens. However, it can also be the other way around. Maybe it’s just you and your best friend at first, but as you both grow together, so does your friend group. Even your love life can be reflected through your costumes as you might choose to dress up with your significant other. Whomever you dress up with (or don’t) often mirrors your relationships with others throughout the year leading up to Halloween because you’re not only dressing up with them, but you're taking the time to find a costume that will fit your relationship with those people or yourself. This costume might reflect shared interests or even messages you want to transmit to the world. Come to think of it, dressing up with someone can be a lot more personal than I thought it to be.
Beyond the dressing up, Halloween signifies the beginning of the holiday season for me. When I was younger, I used to always watch The FoodNetwork with my mom. My favorite memory was coming home from school and making time to watch it with her, especially during Halloween. Once I saw the spooky themed cooking specials, I knew the holiday specials were about to begin, meaning my favorite time of the year was right around the corner.
Halloween doesn’t truly hold one specific and important significance to me. It doesn’t have a deeper meaning than what I’ve already told you. It's the start of my favorite season, like a warm up for the holidays. It's another opportunity to make memories with those you love the most. It’s a day that mirrors my relationship with those I’m closest with. Scattered with homemade costumes by moms, friends and couples dressing up and your favorite candy, Halloween means to me nothing more than an excuse to dress up, eat candy and be silly while everyone else around you is doing the same.