5 things about Halloween that make me disproportionately happy

This past summer, my dear online friend - and fellow vintage blogger - Lindsay, from the wonderful site Ms. Lindsay Lane - shared an entry called 5 Things That Make Me Disproportionately Happy This Week. As someone who is a huge fan of happiness and making a conscious effort to take stock of the things in life that bring us joy, this post spoke deeply to me and I knew instantly that I wanted to write one (or more) of my own along the same vein.

I had a lot of posts in the works at the time, so I tucked the idea away for a rainy day, and as it has been pouring kitties and puppies (speaking of which, if I a fabulously cute vintage Vera novelty print scarf in shop right now with that very expression at the heart of its theme) for much of the past week, now seemed like an ideal time.

If you've been following my blog for very long, then chances are you know that I am wildly, head-over-heals, completely in love with Halloween. I have been for as far back as I have memories and know that I absolutely always will. It's my very favourite holiday and second favourite day of the year, trumped only by my wedding anniversary (which, intentionally, falls in the same month).

There is a certain sort of giddy glee that fills my heart come autumn that is unlike any other I've ever experienced. I start decorating in September, baking festive treats come October, watch my favourite spooky (and frighteningly cute) movies and TV shows weeks in advance, throw parties and/or family shindigs that celebrate All Hallows Eve, and usually (this year has been a rare exception for me on that front) have my costume picked out months in advance.

If it was up to me, I could happily leave my October holiday decor out all year round, but perhaps - as I was saying here just the other day - a fair bit of its magic lies in the fact that decking the halls and oneself for Halloween only happens once a year.

There's no shortage of things about Halloween that bring me bliss, but today on this slate grey, heavily windy autumn morn, a mere six days before the big night arrives, I thought it would be great to follow Lindsay's post theme lead and share an entry about five things in particular about Halloween that always, without fail, make me disproportionately happy.

It's fun without a worry!

{Unlike most of the big holidays, Halloween doesn't usually come with the need to cook an epic meal, have a house full of out-of-town guests, spend lavishly on gifts, worry about your decor looking like it's worthy of a spread in Better Homes and Gardens, or having some of the other stresses and pressures that go along with, say, Christmas or Easter. Sure, you can get just as swept up in Halloween and some certainly do, but for many - myself included - it's a massively welcome break from the formality and work of many holidays and a time to kick back, go to town on sweet treats, decorate how I please, don a costume, and let my inner child out for a night of good, old-fashioned spooky fun!}

Listening to campy mid-century Halloween songs

{One of the sharpest Halloween memories from my childhood involves getting picked up from school, dressed to the nines in my costume after a day of celebratory classroom fun, the thrill of the evening's events ahead of me, and hearing The Monster Mash and Purple People Eater on the radio as we drove home, the crisp, beautiful end-of-October golden light filling the car and shimmering on the tumbling leaves that whipped up on the road as we sped along. My folks always played all of the classic Halloween songs at home for us, too, be they campy, scary or just plain fun! These included those two mid-century greats mentioned above the Ghostbusters theme song, Thriller, Witchy Woman, Runnin' With the Devil, (Don't Fear) The Reaper, and numerous other hair raisingly awesome Halloween tunes that I still keep in heavy rotation each October to this very day.

Watching (and re-watching) It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

{While there is no shortage of festive TV shows and movies that I absolutely MUST watch without fail each October, the two that are the very nearest and dearest to my heart are Disney's 1990s classic, Hocus Pocus staring Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker, and the 1966 gem that is the animated TV special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I've seen far more times than I have years to my name and pretty much know it verbatim at this point, which just makes me adore it all the more. After all, who amongst us won't always secretly hope that the Great Pumpkin really did show up for Linus the very next year - or that we'd see him ourselves if we spent the eerie evening in a pumpkin patch?}

Going out trick-o-treating

{Though it's been 14 years now since I last donned a costume and went door-to-door in the name of gathering a pillow case full of candy, this beloved annual tradition still remains one of my very favourite elements of Halloween. I love to say, kiddingly of course, that between my young sounding voice and short stature (barely 5'2”), I could easily dress up and prance around the neighborhood in the name of mini chocolate bars and lollipops, if so desired. It is desired, I won't lie, but I haven't to date and will probably hold off there - tempting as it is - until I have wee ones of my own or nieces/nephews to take out for sweets on All Hallows Eve. Until then, I'll derive just as much joy from handing out candy, while in costume, to all the little ones that come to our festively decorated door each October 31st. }

The spooky, electric feeling in, and unmistakable scent of, the air

{There should be a specific word just for the way the air seems to be alive with...the dead?...well, at least a mixture of fun and fear, frivolity and fabulousness come Halloween night. Objectively, it's a blend of chilly mid-autumn temperatures, the scent of countless thousands of fallen leaves, usually a bit of earthy dampness, the smell of candles burning in jack-o-lanterns near and far, and, I swear, just a hint of sugary caramel. It's magical, it's unmistakable of a kind, and it will always be one of the elements of this hauntingly marvelous day that makes me over-the-harvest-moon happy about the very last day of October.}

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This is but a mere drop in the bucket (or would that be "in the cauldron") of things that relating to Halloween that make me off-the-charts happy, and it was tricky (trick-or-treaty?) to stop here. Perhaps this will have to be a post I repeat in future autumns to come as well!

With these last few days ticking away, my happiness and excitement levels are reaching their zenith. Soon, in just six more sleeps, I'll be able to slip into my costume, celebrate with Tony and my folks, hand out candy, re-watch some of my favourite festive flicks, and revel in the fun fright night activities and merriment that make Halloween the sensationally awesome day that it is!

On the one hand, I can hardly wait, and on the other, I want to savour and enjoy each of these last few days as much as I possibly can! Tell me, my dear boos and ghouls, what are some things about Halloween (or if you don't observe/celebrate it, mid-autumn in general) that likewise make you as exuberantly happy as a ghost at a buy one, get one free creaky chain sale? :)