A Few Redeeming Qualities 10/30/2022

By: Jennifer Richardson Holt

I tried to think of something seasonally appropriate for today.  Since we are very near the day that a large portion of the population celebrates Halloween I wanted to come up with something that would fit the bill. I must admit this isn’t my favorite holiday. This isn’t even on my top ten list if I’m honest.  There are a lot of reasons for this.  One of which is I don’t particularly like being frightened. Being a natural born worrier of the highest caliber (not that I am bragging because this definitely isn’t a positive attribute) I don’t really feel particularly inclined to add any extra anxiety to my already anxiety laden mind.  I also have a small child who also is not keen on being scared either and since her nightmares mean no sleep for both of us I am all well and good with her lack of interest there. There are a few positives to this time of year though so I shan’t be preaching about the negatives of the holiday in case you are particularly fond of it and were concerned.  A few characteristics come to mind in pondering All Hallows Eve.  Now I admit there aren’t a large amount but let’s just see if we can call this a case of quality not quantity.

One quality that I can somewhat embrace here in October may not make sense given what I have told you before. I do say that I have always given the disclaimer that I never claimed to be normal so the fact that what I am about to tell you doesn’t seem to have a large amount of logic shouldn’t surprise you very much. A thing I do enjoy about Halloween is a good quality ghost story. Now, before you jump to any conclusions let me say several things. While I may have a dark sense of humor and might be intrigued by a good macabre tale I want it to be just that; a tale. I don’t want to watch some gory film packed with blood for the sake of blood and perversion for the sake of shock factor. No. That is not a good quality ghost story. I could give you some terms for what I would call that but to attempt to avoid offending anyone that sips that cup of twisted tea I shall refrain.  I like a story that has been passed down for generations. There is usually this one particularly eerie locale in a region, and everyone has heard the story about it.  It’s usually based in some bit of area history.  I have said before that is why I love supposedly haunted places. A place can’t be “haunted” if there isn’t some terribly interesting bit of history behind it.  Nobody goes to a new subdivision being built and finds anything about it spooky.  Really a certain amount of age is probably required for ghost possibility I would think. I majored in English and minored in History in college. In other words ghost stories could not be more up my alley if they tried.  Hence, because of this, I give Halloween, despite its attempts to scare me, a minimal pass because it can bring to the forefront a good narrative of intrigue from years gone by. Add the fact that most have a healthy dose of added folklore and I could listen for hours.

Another thing that is pretty easily stumbled upon this time of year is an elaborate costume. I love costumes. I always have. I assume it is mostly due to the fact that I have an imagination that borders on disconcerting in its activity levels so if you give me a good setting for my mind to take off then the possibilities are endless. And what better setting is a very involved wardrobe complete with accessories and perhaps even weapons. I must admit my daughter wearing her costume to school recently did make me sigh somewhat that I don’t have a fancy costume complete with footwear, headgear and the like.  I can’t really envision myself playing pretend anymore like I did as a child but for whatever reason I still cannot get over the desire for a full imaginary ensemble. I get emails from a company that makes tiaras and crowns and such, for adults mind you and I have had to literally have arguments with myself to keep from buying a ridiculous amount of them. In my defense, they’re gorgeous, my daughter would love them too and they have wonderful sale prices. Not so much in my defense, how exactly does one justify buying a tiara if one very literally has no reason to have one other than for make believe reasons?  Thus far I have not been about to find said justification so I don’t have one. But again, I want one desperately.  If I am being honest, I want more than one because I am in love with a large portion of their inventory.  But yes, costumes have a certain inexplicable appeal.  I suppose they lend an escape from the real word and who doesn’t want one of those from time to time?  I mean have you seen the real world?

The easiest appeal of this holiday should be pretty obvious and honestly it is probably the one that most appeals to children.  You all have probably already guessed what I am going to say. Yes. That’s right. Candy. Dispersing exorbitant amounts of sugary treats for no better reason than because it is the time of year to do so is a wonderful thing. I tend to lean to the more chocolatey side of things but that’s simply a matter of taste. I would like to say though if someone tries to give me some treat that is themed and decorated in some disgusting manner I will be thoroughly displeased and deride you for ruining the nature of sweets. Now, I will probably still eat it but with the aforementioned displeasure. So, copious amounts of sugar also give this time redeeming qualities. That seems like it should make sense for most anyone. Well, unless you have diabetes and even then, you probably agree with me at least in theory if not in actuality.

So, the season upon us has some endearing traits. I love a good ghost story. I love sweets. I love to dress up.  I suppose this holiday has lots of potential for a creative imagination, so it has that going for it and lends its appeal to me. However, I personally wouldn’t take it the more traditional route if I could reinvent the day. I would travel far more the way of fantastical magic and less blood and guts horror. I’m ok with dark but let’s make it that mysterious, interesting type and less the demonic nightmare type.  And if I’m customizing everything, let’s just dip it all in chocolate.