Lightening Up

It always is a source of amazement to me how many people get uptight about Halloween. For most of us, it’s fun, but for some, the idea of calling forth demons or the troubled souls of the departed is sacrilegious. I think just the opposite. For one day a year, we have a license to escape from ourselves.

Actors get to play roles all the time, and some are even paid handsomely for it. Other people are not so inclined or so fortunate – but at this season, they can do it anyway, without fear of judgment. The donning of a costume allows them to don a new personality for a few hours. Is that such a bad thing for children?

Naturally, for me, the Halloween transformation of women is most interesting. They are more experienced at makeup. The ordinarily demure and professional manager or executive sometimes graces us with view of her we’re not used to. I worked with one woman who was a devout Christian during the week – and showed up at the Halloween party in an angel outfit – except it was flesh-colored, and anatomically correct. Oddly, some people have to put on a costume to enter the human race.

I couldn’t go through Halloween without my horror movies. My list of faves has been shared with you in an earlier post on this blog. The challenge is finding a film that really gives you a chill without resorting to sharp tools. The real world is scary enough; most movies are tame by comparison to actual events, no?

So I would ask you Bible-thumpers out there, or thumpers of whatever other book, for whom Halloween causes you grief, lighten up please. It will all be over in a few days. We promise you can have your world back.