Halloween is, I think, the only holiday I really celebrate with
more than good food (I’m from New Orleans – food is life where I
come from.) Kind of odd really, since Halloween reminds me so much
of home.
It’s definitely the haunting spookiness of it all – the lace of
cobwebs appearing across doorways, the gargoyles and demons lurking
above my head in quaint little mom and pop shops normally void of
anything “evil”. Maybe it’s just the goth in me, but I love the
time of year when everyone dances with the darker side of
nature.
I’ve always wondered why it is that Halloween allows us to be
whoever we want to be for this one day. Maybe it’s a freedom that
comes with allowing the exploration of that gloomier side which is
normally shunned. It may just be a costume, but growing up, it was
my yearly reminder that I really could be anyone.
Any life was available: I have been Wonder Woman to my brother’s
Batman, a bunny, a pumpkin, a punk rock kid, and a wicked witch
riding through the Castro with the shrieks of Diamanda Galas, a
dark queen herself, still ringing in my ears from her show.
But with each new costume came a new attitude, and the mask gave
me the courage to ring the bells of strangers and scream when they
answered their door – and then get rewarded with candy. If you know
me, you understand why this thrilled me so much; every tooth is a
sweet tooth in my loud mouth.
Nowadays, I might not have a specific costume, but I always get
dressed up and go out somewhere. I love seeing everyone’s
creativity and imagination, and I believe we learn a little about
whatever it is we try on for the day, even if it’s just that we
could always be different from who we are right now.
