Some may suggest that Halloween is a frivolous and child-centered celebration. Some may object to it by claiming that it is macabre, mischievious and comprises a maelstrom of worshipping demons and devils. (Which it may be but, -hooray for that too)..... I am not one of those bird brains.
Recent consumer research shows Halloween is ranked 2nd in terms of the amount of cash that is plopped down by Americans--second only to its Glenda Good Witch Doppelganger Image -- better known as Christmas. Monies are spent for costumes (for those uncreative beings) , house and outdoor decorations, pumpkins and candies et al. It is fun and outlandish and this makes it delicious.
However, if one peels back the layers of human (ok, onion) skin, there are a few distinct psychological things a goin on here that make it a lil more interesting. So here is Part 1.
It's the whole Death thing. Death for me evokes Fear and Trembling. I'm not Zen. I'm totally not OK with it. As my early and best mentor Cambell Crockett mentioned once, "It certainly has an air of finality about it". We avoid death, dead people, all things associated with it and live by constantly ducking its shadow. Except on the approach to and day of Halloween. We put reminders of it in our yards!!! Grave stones and spiders and zombies and all things in the cornocopeia of creepy. We let it in. And confront the scariness and the end. And to a large extent, enjoy it....Maybe there is a vestige of fooling around with spirits but we don't see these ghosties bathed in white light and golden robes but rather in bloody, dismembered, hatchet in the brain horrific portrayals.
Give the gore its due. Acknowledge evil. Typically we tell the kids its OK because it's "FAKE". Well, maybe they'll buy that.....for awhile.
PICTURE LEGEND: L- Kins proving screaming comes naturally R My neighbor Ed goes all out for the 'Ween!!!
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