Why I really like Halloween

There are a lot of things to like about the current incarnation of Halloween. The candy is certainly nice. The costumes are often entertaining for various reasons, ranging from hilarious to sexy to simply adorable. Partying is certainly entertaining as well.

However, there is one reason that even more than those makes me REALLY like this particular holiday: the random connections that just happen.

I admit to normally being pretty cynical and misanthropic. While humans have made some rockin’ cool accomplishments, we do some shitty stuff too. We kill each other, rape each other, beat each other, steal from each other and dozens of other things, and we’re constantly fucking up our environment. There are times that I feel as if our species is a horribly unwelcome stain on the tapestry of life.

And yet, despite that, there are times when something happens that restores a shred of my faith in our species. These random things can be so simple yet so pleasant. For example, Halloween night a friend and I were at a liquor store buying some drinks for the party we were heading to. In front of us line was a young girl buying something. A few feet away, an older man (perhaps her father) was taking a picture of it. Seeing the inquisitive glances from other people in the line, he explained “I’m recording a historic moment. She just turned 21 and this is her first legal alcohol purchase.” Suddenly there was clapping and cheering for her, and just general happiness. I think a few people even started singing happy birthday. Other than a few couples or groups of friends in the store, none of us knew each other, and nobody knew the birthday girl or her (presumably) father, yet for a few moments we were all brought together by something as simple as a 21 year old’s first alcohol purchase.

This random burst of social camaraderie, while not Halloween specific, was really neat. Of course, that’s not the best example since it could have happened on any night, not just Halloween, but there were many similar Halloween related connections I observed. On train and bus rides in Chicago, most people ride in silence, hoping simply to get where they are going without someone demanding money, threatening them or both. Yet, on Halloween, everyone is friendly. People see a costume they recognize and ask “Are you dressed as soandso? Oh that’s so cool. I love that book/show/game/etc” and people who otherwise would never even say hello to each other are connected, if even for a few minutes.

I think it’s really cool, and I wish it happened more often. We are far too unfriendly a society.