In the U.S., Halloween is actually seen as a good thing — the evil spirits come out and, when they leave, they take all the bad stuff from the world of the living with them.
We started prepping for Mother Earth’s “cleansing” back in August — because if you wait too long, you might not even make it to the front of the pumpkin line. And honestly, picking your pumpkin here is a whole separate adventure. Sure, you can grab one in a quiet supermarket, but the real fun is going out of town to a farm (right next to the cows!) and picking your very own bright orange victim for… creativity (or torture, if you have two left hands). People get really into it.
About a month before the actual candy feast, driving around at night gets kind of terrifying. Once, I seriously smacked my head on a skeleton hanging from a tree. Totally wasn’t ready for that plot twist — probably deafened a couple of people nearby.
School around this time? Pure chaos. Feels like the monsters are already in town, and the first place they’re going to “cleanse” is the school. (Pro tip: throw a sheet over yourself — might pass for one of them.)
And then the big day comes. By the end of the night, I’d heard “trick or treat” so many times, I didn’t leave the house without candy for a whole week afterwards (just in case). The prize for best costume? Definitely the grandpa who dressed as a sheet of paper with “NOT ACCEPTED” written on it — he said there’s nothing we fear more than a failed exam. Can’t argue with that…
Try it yourself — you might just have your own Halloween story to tell!