I'm Not a Halloween Hater. I'm Just Lazy
Yes, I wear the same costume every year (because I can)
A few weeks ago, I went to a Halloween-themed event with some friends. There were snacks, drinks, and a forest full of holiday lights to walk through. And we all agreed it would be fun to dress up.
About an hour before showing up, I half-heartedly went into my closet and … pulled out the same unicorn onesie I’ve worn for the past few years.
It’s not that I dislike Halloween, but I never care about it enough to put a new costume together. Every year, this holiday creeps up on me faster than the 4:30pm winter sunset. By the time I’m getting invites for parties and shit, I just don’t feel like putting too much thought into what I’m wearing because it feels like work. So I wear the same costume every year, because I can.
At home, I don’t have the time or space to deal with Halloween decorations. Even if I had a lawn, I would not be wasting my precious time setting up one of those viral 12-foot-tall skeletons. Or hanging little ghouls from the bushes or setting up a fake cemetery. It looks cool when other people do it, but to me it just sounds like a chore.
I used to have some ghost string lights that I put up in our old apartment in October, but our current space is a lot bigger now and I’d need to get more string lights to realistically hang them anywhere. Honestly, I just don’t feel like it!
Every year I wonder if I might get the itch to decorate or celebrate Halloween a little more intentionally, and it just never happens.
I think a big reason why is that there’s just too much going on in the fall. The seasons are changing and so are my routines, which adds extra stress to day-to-day life. Both Ryan and I have fall birthdays, so that occupies quite a bit of our mental space. And all the while, we try to salvage what little time we can to take a brief reprieve before fully plunging in Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
Plus, I already enjoy fall for what it is. I don’t really need a holiday slammed in the middle of it that takes too much brainpower to prepare for.
Even back in college, when I had less adult responsibilities and was going to a lot more social events, my attempts at Halloween were half-assed. One year I dressed up as Steve Jobs because it was easy to wear a black turtleneck, tie my hair back, and wear circular glasses. I carried around an old iPhone and pretended I came back from the dead to pitch the new 5s.
Another time I remember bringing my knitting with me and pretending I was a grandma (??) because I simply didn’t feel like dressing up. I wanted to go out and drink with my friends, and needed something passable to get into the party. The hosts definitely let me off easy.
Now let me get one thing straight — I think it’s awesome that other people enjoy Halloween so much.
I was in Chicago this past weekend and happened to be in Lincoln Square around the time when trick or treating started. Hundreds of kids and their parents flooded the streets in full Halloween garb. I saw Mario and Luigi, an assortment of Disney princesses, and many, many skeletons.
It was fun and creative! It was festive! It was colorful! And yet I enjoyed looking at the costumes more than I would’ve if I had to dress up in one.
So to all you big Halloween fans: I hope your celebrations rock. I hope you get to (or got to) dress up as something cool or funny or ironic. I hope you eat lots of your favorite candy and enjoy ending spooky season with a bang this week.
And if you ever invite me to your Halloween party, expect to see me in the unicorn onesie because I am unfortunately not going to put any more effort than I have to into showing up.
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This was my first year with no trick-or-treaters and no decorations. Felt like a let-down. I don't do much to dress up myself or the house, but there is something about the tradition of seeing all the kids go around the neighborhood. I like to remember taking my own kids around. Plus my stomach is not tolerating chocolate lately, and that is my most favorite part of it anyway. I might get a bag of sale candy anyway this week at the store and put it away for a time when my stomach is a bit more welcoming.