Ah, Halloween-the greatest of all the American holidays. It encourages childish antics and having the time of your life. It’s not like Christmas, where you have to spend loads of cash to say “I care”-instead, you get to dress up like a zombie and romp around the city.
In the famous words of Danny Elfman, “It’s a dead man’s party/ Who could ask for more?/ Everybody’s comin’/ Leave your body and soul at the door?” The spirit of Halloween is all about having a good time, so I recommend you take advantage this Hallow’s Eve and kick it root down.
Watch zombie movies from dusk till dawn, toilet paper your neighbor’s house or hand out candy to kids. Whatever your style, Halloween offers you a way to celebrate and just have a good time doing whatever it is you like to do.
As kids, most of us dressed like superheroes or ghosts to score loads of candy from the surrounding neighborhood. That was all well and good, but not near as exciting as the after party, where you could down Pixy Stix and candy corn until you passed out in a euphoric sugar high.
Just as important, if not more so, than having the best costume at your Halloween party is the humanitarian side of Halloween.
Last Saturday, Officer’s Hollow, a trick-or-treating opportunity for children with disabilities, victims of domestic violence and students of tier-one school districts, kicked off its third year in Officer’s Circle. Officer’s Hollow provides the opportunity to trick-or-treat for kids who otherwise couldn’t have because of safety concerns in their neighborhoods.
The event was organized by students from the Service House and the College of Social Work’s Student Advisory Committee and was quite a show. Volunteers from the Bennion Community Service Center and Officer’s Circle ran booths featuring magic tricks, face painting, cookie decorating and a rubber duck pond. Candy wasn’t in short supply, and the kids got to celebrate Halloween with the residents of Officer’s Circle.
Last year, the event catered to roughly 500 people, and event coordinators were expecting more this year because of increased funding and advertising. This may come as a shock to some, but I’m going to give the Residence Halls Association and the Associated Students of the University of Utah a pat on the back for giving this event more money. I, for one, am happy my student fees allowed kids to celebrate Halloween who otherwise would have had to sit inside and watch crappy Halloween specials on TV.
Sitting on my stoop handing out candy, I asked one kid what he was, and he said, “I’m an evil, dead, doctor zombie,” then proceeded to grab a hearty helping of candy. Now there is a kid who knows what Halloween is all about.