Every year, kids around the U.S. stumble into school on Nov. 1 in a horrible mood from a sleepless night and a sugar overload, making the school day a living nightmare for everyone.
But parents and teachers don’t have to prepare for that battle this year. There won’t be a kid in sight at 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 1 because Halloween is on a Friday, making it “The Perfect Halloween.”
Many teenagers think back to their elementary school Halloweens and remember walking to school through crunchy leaves in a home-made costume and parading though the halls while the teachers and parents snaped pictures and handed out candy.
Halloween traditions have been diminished in the last decade, moving away from homemade costumes, pillow sacks of candy, and door-to door-trick or treating, into a day overrun by costumes from Amazon, plastic cauldrons, and trunk-or-treating in random parking lots.
Compared to how things used to be, Halloween has lost its spark.
“It makes me sad that not many students dress up anymore. Spirit Week feels like it’s lost its spirit and Halloween isn’t much better,” Highland chemistry teacher Caleigh Oliver said.
But all is not lost. We can still reclaim Halloween for the incredible holiday that it is. To maximize this year and bring back the nostalgic feeling, here is a list of activities to make this year the perfect Halloween.
To start off your spooky morning, grab an iced pumpkin cream chai from Starbucks or a pumpkin pie latte from Crema before going to school. Pumpkin alone is disgusting, but not when it is spiced and the air is chilled – and covered in sugar. The sugar alone will get you amped for the day.
If you are one of the lucky students in Brandon Kohler’s chemistry class, you will get your own tiny pumpkin to carve. To continue the festivities, you will get to create a spooky reaction that will explode your pumpkin.
Oliver and Spanish teacher Valerie Gundlah always go all out with their costumes and try to bring the holiday fun to the school day.
“One year I was a giant bumblebee… like a FREAKING HUGE bumble bee. Another year, I was a sumo wrestler,” Oliver said.
Even if you don’t plan on dressing up during school, make plans with your friends to find a creative group costume and do something scary at night.
“If I were a teenager right now, I’d probably be trying to organize a group costume. It’s a good excuse to stay together all day, and the pictures are always fun,” Oliver said.
If you were lucky enough to be out trick or treating with me in 2015, you would have seen a homemade light-up vending matching walking down the streets. In 2021, you would have seen a pink cloud of cotton candy with a spiral cone. Last year, along with many other groups, my friends and I were characters from The Wizard of Oz.
Homemade costumes were a big part of Halloween that have been lost but group costumes are a good way to keep the spirt going with out to much effort. This year expect to see groups of K-pop demon hunters, showgirls, and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
But before you meet your friends to dress up, head over to Trader Joe’s to pick up some autumn treats. A pumpkin brioche twist loaf, a pack of cinnamon coffee cake muffins, or some maple leaf cookies all make perfect getting ready snacks. Swing by Papa Murphy’s to get a pumpkin-shaped pizza to eat before putting on your group costume.
Once in costume, the Kinland’s pumpkin patch in Riverton makes the perfect spot to take some pictures, enjoy a hayride, and grab some snacks before making your way to The Castle of Chaos. There, you can choose the level of scare that you want to receive for the night ranging from a level 1 scary walk through to level 5 hands on terrifying experience.
To keep the night and vibes going you can head home and turn on one of the top 10 scariest horror movies according to Rotten Tomatoes, The Exorcist, Hereditary, or the Conjuring. These movies are sure to keep you up to an unreasonable hour eating candy and laughing with your friends before you all fall asleep from a sugar crash.
Even though Halloween is all about celebrating the dead, Halloween is not dead. These activities are sure to bring back the spirt, and spirits, and make this Halloween one to remember.
