With a little less than week to go until Halloween, I cannot help but feel a slight twinge of stress in my stomach. Not only does Halloween signify a time where all professors seem to enjoy giving a barrage of assignments, mixed with a few pieces of candy to trick our minds by way of our stomachs, but it is also my least favorite holiday.
Yes, I am completely prepared to have some die-hard Halloween addicts throw figurative candy corn at me, but I feel that Halloween does not have the same magic - pun intended - as it did when I was younger.
Is it just me or is the process of selecting a Halloween costume one of the most dreadful experiences ever?
For some reason, among the assortment of fairies, Harry Potters and "Jersey Shore" cast members, there is never one that immediately catches my attention at any party store. And, if I am feeling particularly crafty at an given moment and perhaps decide to go for a homemade costume, my brief excitement always gets quickly diminished by the reality of having to, well, be crafty.
I feel like people put so much subconscious pressure on both themselves and each other to out-do last year's craziest or most clever costume, that the holiday becomes more of a game than a celebration.
Granted, I would love to be able to come up with a prime costume idea that would get me noticed, but I somehow do not see that happening.
Don't get me wrong; I love almost everything else about the month of October.
The weather is beautiful. I live for apple picking and cozy sweaters and my birthday conveniently falls at the beginning of the month. However, with the added stress that Halloween contributes, I just cannot seem to get myself fully in the spirit.
If you are a Halloween-lover at heart, more power to you.
Please send me some of your positive vibes and your Snickers bars. Thank you!
Alexandra D'Aluisio is a junior journalism major from Scotch Plains, NJ. She can be reached at alexandra.daluisio@student.shu.edu.