[highlight color=”#000000″]By Chris Kullstroem[/highlight]
Who hasn’t had one of those annoying, cynical types roll their eyes at you at the mention of Halloween? A holiday for kids they say, I think not. Anyone who holds the attitude that Halloween isn’t for adults is really just saying one thing: that they themselves aren’t into it, so why should anyone else be?
Yet there are actually many people who really do like Halloween, but believe that at a certain age they’re too old to enjoy it. Having this mentality keeps them from having a lot of fun, because they don’t realize how much is lot going on for the holiday for all ages to take part in.
The belief that Halloween is a children’s holiday happens when people only associate it with trick-or-treating. The reason for that is simple enough: trick-or-treating is the way we all first learned about Halloween. Either going door-to-door for candy or going to a friend’s party to win prizes of candy definitely loses its thrill over the years. If this was the only way we spent Halloween night as a child, its no wonder that many people don’t have any different ideas for celebrating it as an adult. On top of it all, trick-or-treating is what is mostly advertised for Halloween on tv. Candy commercials for cute little tykes can make some people feel pretty strange getting about excited over the holiday when they’re not so cute and tyke-ish anymore. These advertisements can reaffirm the notion that once you’re too old to go coo-coo for candy, the holiday is over.
[pullquote align=”right”]The belief that Halloween is a children’s holiday happens when people only associate it with trick-or-treating.[/pullquote]
But the truth is, there are many events for Halloween that are specifically aimed at adults because it would scare the younger crowd. Haunted houses are set up in many towns at meeting houses, local churches and people’s own backyards. Theme parks almost always spook-up the joint for October, and it’s not hard to find a graveyard tour, ghost- or vampire tour in a town nearby. Horror movies usually come out in the theater in the fall, and adult-themed Halloween parties are always fun for dressing up.
The reason these activities can be over-looked by the down-and-out crowd is because they’re usually not as well advertised. Sometimes not knowing where to look can mean never hearing about Halloween activities in the first place. These and other types of events can easily be found online, searching under the heading “Halloween,” your state and the current year. Also, don’t forget searching the websites of nearby theme parks, zoos, and the calendar of events of the bigger towns in your state.
Such a selection of adult-oriented Halloween activities would probably surprise those who had never thought to search for them before, and excite those who have just been dying to do something fun and scary for the season. With so many events to choose from, Halloween night might just mean a lot more excitement for the older crowds than it is for the kids. As a holiday for all ages, Halloween is still a celebration of all types of fun, and fun that can never be outgrown.
So remember, the next time someone rolls their eyes at the idea of Halloween being more than a bowl full of fun-sized candy bars, you’ll know better.
Halloween, like any other holiday, (and like life), is as fun as you make it.
