Everyone has a favorite holiday. For some, it’s Easter, for others it’s Thanksgiving or 4th of July. And then, there are always the outliers who prefer the more overlooked holidays like Valentine’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day. You’ve probably had your favorite holiday picked out since you were a child along with a myriad of reasons as to why it’s your favorite.
So, what is my favorite holiday?
Christmas should probably be my favorite holiday. I grew up in a Christian school and church, so Christmas should definitely be my favorite holiday. My least favorite holiday should probably be Halloween. I should probably hate Halloween. So, naturally my favorite holiday is Halloween.
I didn’t grow up in a home that celebrated Halloween. I vaguely remember dressing up one year as the Rainbow Care Bear and my older brother was Chewbacca. We both had the plastic/vinyl suits with the masks that took up our entire face and barely had enough openings for oxygen to flow. Living in the South, Halloweens were typically warm, and I remember being completely glued to my costume with sweat by the end of the night. It definitely wasn’t a fond memory.
I should probably hate Halloween.
Every other year until college, I didn’t really celebrate Halloween. It’s not that my parents were against it necessarily, but I grew up in a Southern Baptist church and attended a Christian school, so it just wasn’t something that was celebrated. We always attended an event at our church. I remember that costumes were not allowed, trick or treating was not allowed, and it was a Fall Family Festival (not a Halloween party) because I should probably have hated Halloween.
Growing up, I always loved mysteries. My favorite cartoon was Scooby-Doo and my favorite books to read were Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. I used to pretend to be Nancy Drew on summer days and I’d find “clues” in my yard to catch the killer. I’ve always been drawn to the spookier side of things, but spent over half of my life thinking I should probably hate Halloween.
So, what changed?
I have absolutely no idea. Is it a subconscious rebellion that as an adult I’m choosing to love something I once should have hated? It is just childhood preferences resurfacing in a different way? Is it that I feel Halloween gets a bad rap sometimes and I’ve always pulled for the underdog? I don’t know, but I know I’ve bought enough Halloween decorations for my home over the years to make up for the 20 years of probably hating Halloween.
Listen, Christmas lovers, I get it. I really do. It truly is the most wonderful time of year celebrating the most wonderful gift I’ve ever received. Christmas should be my favorite holiday. But can the glittering lights of Christmas really outshine the sparkly spiders that adorn my dining room table? It’s gonna be a no for me.
Happy haunting to all the Halloween lovers, haters, and lovers who should probably be haters.
