Halloween = July 4th
February 20th, 2009 by John Wolfe
In my last entry, Halloween Inspiration, I received some great visitor feedback recalling first encounters with Halloween-itis. Amidst the stories of childhood terror and inspiration, was an experience shared by Mr. Macabre (link will take you to his site) in which he discussed how Halloween represented his right to choose. After years of being told what he could and couldn’t do on Halloween (because of his family’s personal beliefs), he was relieved to break away from their traditions and create his own. I made the comment back, indicating I was happy to hear that Halloween sounded much like his very own Independence Day.
My question to you guys in this entry is: Do you feel Halloween provides you with an opportunity to get away from many social conventions? Obviously, the passion for celebrating it is there, but do you also feel Halloween resonates with you because it’s your time to shine by breaking rank with what’s normally deemed acceptable behavior?
For me, I’ve always been the type of person that was considered different. I’ve marched to the beat of my own drum the majority of my life. Because of that, Halloween and I were always a hand-in-glove fit, in terms of how far I was willing to go to celebrate it and it’s natural ability to oblige me in that endeavor. Overall, most people thoroughly enjoy the haunt we create each year, but from time to time I still notice THE look; usually while I’m prepping the yard with massive amounts of cornstalks.
I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. THE look is typically a combination of a stare, eye roll and possibly a scoff – and it means, “What planet did you just drop in from?” Occasionally, I’ll receive the same look from customers when I’m taking video and still camera footage inside places like the Spirit Halloween Store, but I just tell them I’m with the press. 
The look used to bother me more in my younger days; now, I sort of consider it a badge of honor. While I have a love affair with Halloween for many reasons; in a somewhat similar way to Mr. Macabre, the extreme manner in which I celebrate the holiday (all year round online) also represents a breaking free from social norms and expected behavior.
So, would you consider Halloween to be your own personal Independence Day?
Photo source: Flickr user – Qoodle Piff.
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February 21st, 2009 at 9:22 pm
What an interesting question: Do you feel Halloween provides you with an opportunity to get away from many social conventions?
I have personally used Halloween as an excuse to break social taboos before as in costume, going in drag one year to a party just to see what it would be like (hated it, I don’t see how women walk in heels and my legs itched for weeks until the hair grew back). I really didn’t think about it before until now but Halloween was and is like an Independence Day to me. One year I didn’t celebrate Halloween, I was going to be obedient to the church that I was in and boycott Halloween. It was the absolute worst, I felt that I had missed something in my life. My parents were and are good people, they felt that what they were doing was right, but it wasn’t right for me. I celebrate Halloween because it is a creative outlet, it ‘feels’ right for me, I can use my talents as an artist and expound upon them in a different way. Also, I want to show others the joy of Halloween that I had growing up before it became maligned, perhaps bringing people to an understanding that Halloween is just wonderfully fun holiday. Halloween has indeed ‘liberated’ me to be the person that I am comfortable and happy being, one with a life size glowing skeleton in his bedroom, pictures of pin-up witches adorning the walls, a curio cabinet full of old Halloween memorabilia and various skulls laying around. And for one night a year, I can be Mr. Macabre instead of Joe to the world and hopefully make some child’s memories of Halloween a joyful one.
February 22nd, 2009 at 2:46 am
Mr. Macabre,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. The question I posed in this entry represents my natural tendencies for viewing life, even when it comes to Halloween. I’m almost always in philosophizing mode. I like looking closely at life’s little and not so little subtleties.
Your statement: “I celebrate Halloween because it ‘feels’ right for me…” hit the nail on the head. That’s what truly matters – what feels right for each of us (not what feels right for anyone else); as long as it doesn’t infringe on others, then that’s the nature of expanding our personal awareness and freedom.