I was watching one of my favorite Halloween cartoons the other day and in it everyone is asked to participate in a haunted house and dress up as the thing that scares them the most. As the main characters went through the haunted house they were unimpressed and confused by some of the costumes that some of the people had chosen, as they weren’t scary to them. It reminded me that what scares some doesn’t scare others.
As much as we are living the same life and sharing the same planet, so much of our lives are unique to each of us. What you’re having for breakfast someone else probably is having, but certainly not everyone. Your favorite book is probably loved by others too, but not everyone. Your favorite football team is loved by others, but not by everyone. Your favorite candy is loved by others, but not everyone. The things that scare you scare some others too, but not everyone. And the things that are part of your life now you may choose to not have in your life in the future.
These similarities and differences are one of the reason why I love Halloween and why it works so well as a community holiday. It’s an opportunity for everyone to dress up and pass out treats within their community, but no one has to pass out the same treat or dress up in the same costume or visit houses in the same path. Halloween is an opportunity to remember that we can celebrate together while being different at the same time.
This year has taken quite a few of our choices out of our hands, but certainly not everything. If anything it’s given us an opportunity to learn about ourselves, take time to consider the way we’ve been living and decide if that’s how we want to live going forward. Holidays come around every year, and I’m sure this year’s virus challenge won’t be the last we face in our lifetimes.
So maybe the holidays will look different this year, but we can still choose to celebrate both individually and in our communities. What are you doing differently for Halloween both individually and as part of your larger community?