I am a HUGE fan of Halloween. First off, we all get free candy and who doesn’t love candy?! And second, we all get to put on a costume for a day and pretend to be something or someone else – it’s an escape from our everyday routine lives when we can get creative and transform ourselves into a totally different person. And I am a firm believer that we are NEVER too old to dress up for Halloween. And nothing impresses me less than those who think they are “too cool” or “too mature” to put on a Halloween costume and have fun. What does impress me are people who never think they are “too cool” to have fun and be silly once in a while! I love people that are willing to join in and have fun and make it comfortable for everyone else to let their hair down and have a good time too!

That is why my family has an annual Halloween tradition – each year it begins with my husband decorating our front yard in a theme. This year he did a western town. Then our family throws a big neighborhood family outdoor dance party each Halloween evening. We hire an amazing DJ to come spin some fun music so everyone in the neighborhood (both adults and kids) can come to dance and have fun together – it’s a way to break the monotony of knocking door to door going trick-or-treating. And it’s my way of giving all the adults a reason to put on a costume and enjoy themselves – regardless of their ages!!!

By adults being willing to wear a fun costume, it sets the example for the kids that growing up doesn’t mean you have to grow boring or stuffy! It also helps our kids feel more confident that they can dress up and be silly and enjoy themselves too. It also shows kids that using their imagination is a good thing!

Wearing costumes is also a way to let people get to know you a little better by allowing them to see another side of you. There have been times when someone I thought was shy put on the most hilarious costume and it totally let me see another side to their personality that I might otherwise never have gotten to know.

Wearing costumes also creates memories. When I think back at past Halloweens I always remember them by the fun costumes I wore and others wore. You never forget the good or the bad costumes from the past.

Wearing costumes is a chance to get creative. It is so much fun to see the creative ideas people come up with for their costumes each year. And there are always those especially creative people that find a way to tie in the current events going on in the world to make their costumes even more relevant and fun to talk about. I love seeing people’s creativity come out. And keep in mind that often the best costumes are the ones that didn’t cost a lot of money – it’s all about the creativity, not the amount of money spent.

Wearing costumes is just plain FUN! It lets us be something or someone else for a day and it gives us an escape where we can set aside any insecurity we might be holding onto and be whoever we want to be for a little while. It is straight up FUN!

Look – It’s exciting to take on a new persona for a day. And who doesn’t want to be a powerful superhero or a character from Star Wars or a Disney Princess for a day?! So let your hair down – put on your party persona and go get yourself a costume to wear for Halloween tomorrow. Then don’t get shy or embarrassed when you pull into that gas station wearing your costume – remember that self-confidence is what makes any costume the greatest costume of all so go rock that costume – OWN IT!

Happy Halloween everyone!

~Amy Rees Anderson