10 Reasons I LOVE Halloween

For me, Halloween is the epitome of fun and the official start of the holiday season. I was raised in a household where Halloween was celebrated widely and wildly; and costumes were creative and spooky. With Halloween just a few days away and as I am in the midst of planning and decorating for my annual Halloween Bash, I have been thinking and reminiscing about this spooktacular day. Here are the ten reasons I love Halloween!

1. EVERYTHING is orange.
Orange is my favorite color, and for the longest time, people thought I was crazy for liking (actually, obsessing) over such a vibrant and strong color. Well, unless you live under a rock, orange is everywhere. Shoes, clothes, home accessories, appliances...they all come in orange. Now that aside, Halloween also comes in orange! How could I not love Halloween and it's orange affiliation.

2. Creativity and artistic inspiration.

Halloween is the perfect time when creative juices and artistic inspiration fly like bats as costumes are pieced together. Ditch the Halloween superstore and the 'costume-in-a-bag' and head to your local crafts store to pick up the ingredients for your unique, one of a kind costume. Don't be shy, don't hold back!

3. EVERYTHING has an osteological reference.
As a biological anthropologist who works in a human osteology lab, Halloween is the perfect time of year to find anything and everything osteological. Skull candle holders, skull hand towels, skeleton housemates, skull napkins and plates, skeleton lights, skeleton decorations...it's all for the taking. Even classy and elegant home stores like Pottery Barn are catching on with skeleton hand salad tossers! It's just so much fun and us anthropologists go crazy!



4. Pumpkins galore...
pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice candles, pumpkin seeds, carved pumpkins. There is so much joy in pumpkins. And..they're orange!


5. Horror movie marathons.
Whether on cable TV or from your own personal movie collection, Halloween is the ideal time to pop in those B-rated horror movie and scare yourselves silly.




6. Candy corn.
Need I say anything more?





7. Dia de los muertos.
Halloween means that dia de los muertos is right around the corner. While day of the dead has recently been popularized and mainstream media with movies like "Frida" and what not, day of the dead is a holiday by which we can celebrate and memorialize our loved ones who have passed on and left this world. With traditions such as altars, sugar skulls, marigolds and personal belongings of the deceased, dia de los muertos gives us the opportunity to remember our loved ones and to let them know that we haven't forgotten them as well.


8. Party hopping.
There's nothing like going from house to house, party to party scoping out all the fabulous, ridiculous and the sometimes boring costumes that people are donning. It's great fun to see how creative people get and how willing they are to look a fool...priceless!!


9. Tissue pom poms.
I have Martha Stewart to thank for this one. These paper tissues goodies can be made in virtually any color and add a lovely decorative pop to any occasion and decor. This year for my Halloween party, I have made black, orange and purple poms, and they look fantastic! For directions on how to make your own, check out the link below. Happy crafting!

http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to




10. Haunted houses.
There's nothing better than a good ol' haunted house to commemorate Halloween. Whether you create one yourself or go to your local screamhouse, a haunted house experience is a must have during Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone. Eat, drink and be scary! And tell me...why do you love Halloween?