Growing up, holidays were always special for my family.
My father loves Halloween and my mother loves Christmas. I grew up in a neighborhood where there were lots of families and people would come to trick or treat each year. One year, we made a makeshift graveyard out of old white fencing. My father and I spent days spray painting and setting everything up.
Decorating was one of his favorite things to do and was huge among our neighbors as well. Each year for the majority of my childhood we would decorate the yard, carve pumpkins and go trick-or-treating on Halloween. My siblings and I would sit in our living room with all of our piles and trade candies we did not want.
We got to stay up late — even if it was a school night — to make sure we got the perfect collections of candy. It has been years since we did any of this.
As I got older, my role was to pass out candy until I went to see my friends. I loved doing this — it reminded me of when I would get scared to knock on the door and have my dad do it for me. My best friend, Lauren, threw a Halloween party every year until we were fifteen. We would all dress up, maybe trick-or-treat and play manhunt for at least an hour.
I used to get so excited about Halloween, but now it just feels stressful. You have to budget for the perfect costumes that are not too basic and that people still understand. And on top of that, you need five different costumes — one for each day of “Halloweekend.”
I carved pumpkins and went trick-or-treating last year, but it’s not the same. I go with friends rather than my family. It’s not as magical and exciting as it once was. My mother texted me on Halloween and asked if anyone here was trick-or-treating. I honestly forgot it was even Halloween.
We recently moved to an area where people do not trick-or-treat, and since both of my siblings are older, she completely forgot about Halloween. I forgot about a holiday that was instrumental to my childhood.
Does this signify adulthood?
I honestly do not know. I had a similar shift when it came to Christmas. Like Halloween, Christmas was a memorable aspect of my upbringing. My sister adores Christmas and would begin listening to Christmas music on Nov. 1. We decorated our entire house with Santa sculptures, tinsel, trees and anything else you could imagine.
My sister and I used to fight over who got to move the candy cane on our stocking countdown. Christmas is always a surreal time of the year with the lights, snow and holiday energy. We baked cookies with my mother each year. She is crazy about her baked goods during the holidays and is always making something.
We would help her decorate the tree, even though I know she would switch everything after to make sure it was perfect, and wait until the day came. We always open our Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve, drink some hot cocoa and eat cookies.
I could never go to bed on time because of the anticipated excitement. Each year, my siblings and I would wake up in the middle of the night and sneak past our parents’ room to see if Santa had arrived yet. My parents almost always caught us and told us to go back to our rooms.
We would all gather in the living room as early as six o’clock, begging our parents to hurry up. I used to get annoyed by how long it took us to open presents and we had to wait till the end of the day to open stockings. However, now I am grateful.
My parents worked incredibly hard to make that time of year special for us and wanted to make sure it lasted all day. Many of these traditions remain — however, we wake up much later and I sleep through the night.
Similarly to Halloween, now Christmas slightly stresses me out. Finding the perfect gifts for everyone while maintaining a budget so you don’t overspend is more difficult than it seems. However, I believe this is what makes holidays so enjoyable. You can put effort and thought into every aspect which makes the day extraordinary.
Holidays as a child were magical for me due to my parents’ love for them. Now, although the childhood magic may be gone, it is still my favorite time of year to spend with my family and friends to carry out our traditions.
