The Most Wonderful Day of the Year

Posted by "Loozrboy" under Creative Commons 2.0

Halloween is my favourite day of the year.  Better than my birthday (especially as I get older!).  Better than Christmas.  Better than many other days of the year where I actually get the day off.  It is not the costumes (although those are fun).  It is not even the candy.  It is that Halloween is the last holiday we have that actually builds community.

Think about it.

In the old days, every holiday was a reason to greet your neighbours and mingle with those you might not otherwise see.  Carolling and wassailing meant going door-to-door.  You might even exchange gifts.  Easter meant egg hunts in public spaces.  We still have parades, but in most communities parades are more spectator sport than interactive event.

So, feel good about throwing yourself into the holiday.  Dress up when you take your kids trick-or-treating.  Make your house spook central.  And be glad that we still have one day to build community, because most of the social forces in our current culture are more interested in tearing community down.

(Oh, and, November 1st?  Happy Birthday, Mom!)