Yes for those of you who though summer perhaps was my favorite, yes I do love summer because it brings out my inner river rat, but I love fall because of Halloween. As Halloween is my favorite holiday, fall perhaps truly is my favorite season.!
It has always seemed to me, to be the holiday where people plan the most ahead for others. Yes on Christmas we may buy friends and family presents a few months in advance.. but do we buy strangers presents? Not usually. On Halloween, we not only think of our friends and family, we go out of our way to plan for and think of giving to strangers.
It seems to me to be the ultimate holiday to celebrate community. Even though often people are going out of their way to scare one another, they are still going out of their way for someone they do not even know!. On Halloween neighbors you've never met, play spooky music and hand out candy. Some even make cotton candy and create a haunted house for others to enjoy.
With Halloween comes huge community gatherings outside of the mall. People in large numbers go out to enjoy their local pumpkin patch. They do so in search of the perfect pumpkin to carve and put on display.
Even the local pumpkin patch is a great community event. Pumpkin fields, corn mazes, animal farms, bouncy houses, hay bail rides, everything you can imagine doing on a farm.. set up for the community to enjoy.
This year I have gotten to enjoy a pumpkin farm twice! Have pumpkin seeds made for me by my best friend, have been invited to more Halloween parties than parties for the year, have been asked to go trick or treating with multiple friends, and been with so much community it makes me feel like the luckiest person on the planet.
**Sigh**
I love this time of year.
