🎃👻 My Annual Transformation: Why Halloween is my Ultimate Holiday! 👻🎃

Some people have a favourite season. Me? I have a favourite day. And it’s not the one with reindeer or heart-shaped chocolates. It’s Halloween, baby! The one day a year where the spooky, silly, and spectacular all come out to play.

My love for October 31st started young, as all great love affairs do. I was that kid whose costume was planned in June, whose trick-or-treating route was mathematically optimized for maximum haul, and whose energy only flagged after the final house was hit. My mother had a tickle trunk of costumes and accessories to choose from or would always support the crazy ideas I had, even pulling out her sewing machine! (IYKYK) But as the years passed and the candy stash became less of a survival necessity and more of a personal indulgence, my focus shifted.

The Evolution of an Obsession: From Candy Scrambler to Community Decorator

My trick-or-treating retirement (around the awkward middle-school age) didn't mean my Halloween spirit withered. Oh no. It merely mutated. That’s when my true calling emerged: The Decorator. First, it was just my front porch, then the whole yard, and —I’m proud to say—I even helped kick off a Great Pumpkin People Uprising in my hometown!

It started as a town-wide event where locals could gather corn stalks, pumpkins and clothes to build perfectly posed scarecrow/pumpkin hybrids on their lawns; there was even a voting contest and a map! Now it has grown to a massive town-wide tradition of dressed up enormous pumpkin-headed figures in witty, elaborate scenes. Think "Pumpkin-y Potter," a "Zombie Pumpkin Wedding," or a whole gourd-geous pumpkin band! This year's theme is Hollywood Films! It’s ridiculous, it’s wholesome, and it completely justifies why now I have a dozen skeletons, 30 tombstones and dozen bins of other decor that occupy 80% of my shed! It’s a testament to the fact that when you stop asking for treats, you can realize how much fun it is to become the treat!

A Little History to Keep it Hallow-Witty

Did you know this whole shebang is ancient? The roots of our modern spooky night go back over 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sow-in). Celebrated in what is now Ireland, the UK, and Northern France, the Celts believed that on the night of October 31st, the boundary between the living and the dead blurred, allowing spirits to roam the earth. To ward off these wandering souls, people lit bonfires and wore costumes made from animal skins. Talk about commitment!

When Christianity spread, the festival merged with All Hallows’ Eve (the night before All Saints’ Day on November 1st), eventually evolving into the costumed, sugar-fuelled spectacle we love today. So next time you see a ghost costume, remember you're channeling a 2,000-year-old tradition of politely telling spirits to stay on their side of the veil.

🍁 The Canadian Candy Conundrum

Speaking of sugar, let's talk about the Canadian scene. We take our candy very seriously. In fact, Halloween spending is second only to Christmas in Canada!

• A recent survey suggests that about half of Canadians are ready with candy bowls in hand for the trick-or-treaters.

• But here's a frightening fact: due to factors like climate-related cocoa shortages and tariffs, the price of chocolate is on the rise!

• The result? While chocolate is still the most popular handout (around 70% of households give it out), there's a growing shift towards non-chocolate candies as a more budget-friendly option. Say goodbye to the full-size bar glory days and hello to more gummies and licorice!

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So, between the ancient spirits, the town-wide pumpkin pageants, and the serious business of chocolate versus gummy ratios, it’s clear: there’s no better time of year.

Now, I want to hear from you! What is your biggest, wackiest, or most unforgettable Halloween tradition—past or present? Let me know in the comments below! 👇