It's Always Halloween Already
This whole phenomenon of complaining about the early promotion of Halloween has gotten to the point where businesses are actually joining in on the complaining in the copy of their own Halloween sales.
I have ordered a fair number of things online in the past. It’s the sort of thing I’ve often done in states of dubious consciousness in the small, ephemeral hours of the night when my itinerant attentions fell upon objects that seemed desirable and downright necessary at the time. One of the natural consequences of this practice is the influx of advertisements from all sorts of barely remembered online stores in my various email boxes. Recently, I’ve been receiving some that complain about the early onset of the Halloween season even as they do their part to bring it about and seek their profit from it.
For clarity's sake, that line at the top was actually part of the advertisement. Nevertheless, they make some nice stuff. I bought some gold platform shoes and three pairs of leg sleeves in hot pink from them a few years ago. Good times.
Hypocrisy is usually one of the most loathsome sins in my eyes, but the audacity with which it is committed here makes it too ludicrous to be truly execrable. What bothers me here is the pervasive idea that the autumnal season should not be dominated by a focus on Halloween. I’m inclined to believe that the opposite is true. Nothing else goes on in the fall. It’s a time of decay. Trees are withering. The weather’s growing cold. The daylight’s slowly dying. A frivolous focus like Halloween is exactly what I want. It’s a welcome distraction from the dubious portents of the season. Thanksgiving is technically the earlier celebration, but it lacks the thematic potency that enables Halloween to exert its hold over the collective consciousness in the two months that precede its arrival. Thanksgiving’s two major selling points are food and family. The latter concept is never far from the minds of those who cherish it, and it isn’t particularly desirable for those who don’t. Food just isn’t something that can generate a significant amount of enduring excitement when its arrival isn’t imminent. It can barely hold my interest over the time between the placing of an order in a restaurant and its eventual delivery. It certainly isn’t enough to occupy my mind for an entire half of a season. Halloween can hold my attention and affection forever. Whenever someone attempts to cast aspersions on my indefatigably flamboyant style by reminding me that Halloween’s over, I explain that I am still celebrating. I don’t even really dress up for the holiday anymore. Wearing the costume of another almost seems disrespectful. I wouldn’t wish to disguise myself on that venerable day. I wear the costume of Jaymes Buckman, and I always shall. That’s how I express my reverence for Halloween. Incidentally, it’s also how I express my reverence for myself. Whatever.
I should probably mention that my distaste for autumn has decreased considerably over the past six years. I officially decided to like it in 2011, and my newfound gusto for the season was strong enough to endure even in the face of my father’s surprise death on the Thanksgiving of that year. It actually can be a marvelous time of year from the right perspective, but I still cherish the looming presence of Halloween throughout. It suffuses these months with an inimitable flavour, and I’ll brook no complaints about that.
Bonus Question!
Best Halloween sale? Any one that owns it.