Halloween has always been a holiday marked with mystery, magic, and superstition. It is the one day of the year where we give ourselves permission to embrace the things that we are afraid of, to ask others for a chocolate token of goodwill and hide our identities. It is the one day where we seek out the adrenaline rush and the sugar high. I remember as a child, the excitement of planning what costume I would dress in, only to have layers underneath or on top of it due to the cold and wet Pacific Northwest Halloween. I remember my mom sitting with her dry ice filled cauldron dressed as a witch in a carefully decorated haunted entry way. I remember traipsing through the neighborhood asking for candy in my McDonald’s Boo bucket and coins for my UNICEF collection box around my neck. I remember coming home at the end of the night to inventory the bounty, sorting out the favorites and not-so favorites. For me Halloween was another day of celebration, of class parties and a chance to dress up.  

Whether you partake in harvest festivals, love the spooky day, embrace the spirits, or hide in your favorite superhero or princess costume take time to see what the mystery, magic and superstition mean to you. I look forward to seeing all the social media posts of the littlest pumpkins while recognizing the dying harvest and the cold, winter coziness to come. Seek out the balance of seeing the good as it shines out over darkness. Recognize again the things that come when people of diverse backgrounds and with distinct cultural contributions can collaborate and make things special. Enjoy the Halloween colors of orange to stand for harvest and black darkness taking over the land. May you receive more treats than tricks.