Over the summer, I turned 21 and had the realization that something was missing from my birthday.
Usually around the end of summer going into those first months of school, the excitement for Halloween normally begins as the weather changes and decorations go, but this year was different. The excitement for Halloween was there, but it was not the same feeling as it had been in previous years.
Come to think of it, it has begun feeling worse and worse every year. This could be easily brushed off as just having way more responsibilities now than I did previously; however, I don’t think it is that simple.
Not only have I turned into a grown adult and can’t (safely) walk up to strangers’ doors asking for candy while dressed like Harry Potter, but everything that used to be the normal for the spookiest day of the year just is not the same as it once was.
See, not only does growing up make everything look way more whimsical than it actually was in your memories, but it also changes the way you see iconic staples of childhood.
Going to Spirit Halloween used to be something to look forward to, and instead now, I find myself walking in and seeing the same costumes from previous years and comedically bad lawn animatronics and leaving after spending no more than five minutes.
Something as simple as watching scary movies is no longer viable since you have to pay for 13 different streaming services to hopefully find what you are looking for.
As a fourth-year college student, I have realized just what it feels like to grow out of something in real time.
Many of the same artists that I listened to or content creators I watched for hours on end just seemingly do not have the same entertainment value that they once did, and I have a whole new set of interests than I did.
As depressing as it sounds and as depressing as it realistically is, I think everyone can relate to this feeling, specifically those in their early 20s. Let’s face it; growing up is one of the hardest things to come to terms with, but it is also not something that should always be viewed in such a melancholic manner.
Sometimes, nostalgia can put a haze over the way we view things when in reality, they are the same as they have always been, and we are the ones that are changing. The way we view things as new adults is through a completely different lens than that of our memories.
Instead of constantly viewing the past, why not record the future?
We can still have the same fun we did when we were children, however, from a new era of our lives. We can watch scary movies with friends and laugh at how overpriced the Halloween store is. Heck, we can go trick-r’-treating if we really want to, although it would be a tiny bit strange.
The main point of me writing this is because I know from speaking to coworkers, friends and family that the feeling that some things just don’t feel the same is shared amongst a lot of people our age. We are not getting any younger, so why aren’t we creating new traditions and interests that we can enjoy while we have them?
There is something exciting about finding a new favorite artist or becoming close with new people. Don’t think of growing up as this horrible monster that is taking the fun away from us, but instead think of it as our opportunity to find the new things that make us happy.
We all have our own personal Halloweens to look back at fondly and appreciate, but more importantly, we are creating new Halloweens to look back in a decade from now when we are in our 30s.
Caden Adkins can be contacted at [email protected].
