I feel the need to unburden myself of a confession, so lean in a bit closer and I'll whisper it to you, okay? Are you sure no one else is listening? Alright, good, so here we go...
I don't really like Halloween. (Cue voices of horror and disbelief.)
"How could she say that in such a public forum where at least two people will read it?!"
"I wonder how her family copes."
"Does she just hate fun?"
If I could get philosophical for a moment, I would say that I don't like it for two main reasons:
- because people don't act as their authentic selves on Halloween. They step into the mask of a costume and all sorts of craziness ensues, often with the help of way too much alcohol.
- because it's too competitive. When you're a kid it's all about who gets the most candy, and when you're an adult it's about who has the best costume. I prefer my celebrations to be free of judgement, thank you.
Nowadays, because I don't have children, I can just ignore Halloween altogether if I choose. Well, I use the term "ignore" quite loosely. I can choose not to participate, but ignoring all of the hoopla is impossible - the stores are full of candy and costumes, there are pumpkins EVERYWHERE, and that annoying Value Village commercial is on yet again.
When I was younger, I didn't understand why I didn't enjoy Halloween as much as my friends did. Now, with a lot of knowledge and experience under my belt, I know that it is because I am a Highly Sensitive Person, or an HSP as we are now so lovingly referred to. That just means that I have a sensitive nervous system that allows me to be aware of subtleties in my surroundings, but also causes me to feel easily overwhelmed if I'm out in public for too long.
My Halloween hesitations seem much more sensible when viewed through the lens of being an HSP. Aside from Christmas, there is no other "holiday" with as many intense sounds, sights and smells as Halloween. The kids are all hopped up on sugar, the adults are drunk. It's all just too much for a highly sensitive girl to handle.
So nowadays I just try to let Halloween pass without taking much notice. I'll be staying at home, possibly preparing myself for the onslaught of Christmas marketing that is about to be laid on us. Hibernating is a very effective avoidance technique. Don't worry about me though. I'll make it through the holidays just fine, and I'll be all fired up for Easter, which is more my speed, what with the soft bunnies and pastel colours and all.
Enjoy the chaos today.
Sarah xoxo