Halloween, which derives from of All-Hallows-Eve, was an annual holiday observed on October 31, where common activities include guising and trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o-lanterns, lighting bonfires, bobbing for apples, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. That was what the holiday of Halloween as we knew it. It just doesn't seem like Halloween is what it used to be!
I remember growing up in a small suburb in North Jersey, where weeks before Halloween, we would stockpile as many crates of eggs and cases of shaving cream that we can get our hands on, and we would save everything for the night before Halloween. We would call this night "Goosy Night" or "Mischief Night", as some areas would call it. For those of you scratching your heads, it was a night where kids would go out an vandalize property with shaving cream, eggs, and toilet paper. It seems like this night of annual mischief has come to a slow simmer, as you rarely see kids going out anymore to egg cars or houses.
As for the holiday of Halloween, itself, is anyone really dressing up anymore? I know that there are Halloween parties and all, but are kids still dressing up and going trick-or-treating anymore? As a new homeowner, it doesn't seem like they are because I still have a whole bowl of candy sitting here and no trick-or-treaters. I remember a time where you had to be careful driving around because there were too many trick-or-treaters. Once again, that doesn't seem the case anymore because I really haven't seen any trick-or-treaters all day. Maybe it's where I live now? Maybe Halloween has become more of an adults holiday where costume parties are thrown and prizes for the best costume are given? It just doesn't seem like Halloween is the holiday that it once used to be.
Today, my Halloween's consist of watching Halloween marathons, where I get to see Michael Myers kill people all day long without having to get dressed up in some silly costume. This year, I also visited the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, which is supposed to be this haunted prison that closed it's doors back in the 70s, but since it's been labeled a historical landmark, it's never been knocked down. Right around Halloween season, they dress the prison up to be this commercialized haunted house. If you ask me, not worth the price of admission, but if they did away with all the fake people jumping out at you, and put me in a dark, dank, cell block, I am sure that would have made me crap myself because that's pretty scary! Maybe next year, we'll find another haunted location to visit. I guess that's what we'll have to do since Halloween really isn't what it used to be. What do you think?
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