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'There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch.'
'The reason I love Halloween is that unlike most holidays, Halloween is one you can make entirely your own. There are no pressures to decorate (which I do), or cook, (which I don't) there are no family meals or visits from the cousin you choose to avoid most of the rest of the year. There are no gifts to buy and there are not battles over whether the religious connection should or should not be in the play and you eat things you mostly try to avoid the rest of the year. Halloween is also the night you can dress as you would the rest of the year if only you could get away with it!'
'As a gay kid (or any kid really who struggles with who they are or family issues) holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving can be tortuous. When your apart of a happy and healthy family, these are days to celebrate and come together. When your apart of a dysfunctional family or are in pain, these are days when the hurt is intensely spotlighted. Unlike these 'special' days which can encourage massive repression, Halloween does the opposite. Expression, especially about who you are, is something sadly still not something universally welcomed, except...for many, on October 31st.'
'I think the reason I love Halloween is simple. It may also be a reason you do and don't even know it (I would be curious to know). When growing up knowing your different, family holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving can be stressful. When in the closet it means questions from dear Aunt Ruth about girlfriends, when Out of the closet it means whispers from cousin Miranda and scowls from Uncle Phil. Halloween is not a family holiday. When I was a kid, after a certain age it was about leaving mom and dad at home to give out treats and running out of the house to meet your friends. As an adult it is still about gathering with people you want to be with instead of the stress of having to be with family who you may or may not get a long with. Families (and I love mine btw, most of them anyway) come with pressure. Halloween is pressure free, it is simply meant to be fun. At it core, it is oddly about being exactly who the boy once pretended to be, but is not. Gay or straight, anyone who stresses over what 'family' holidays bring up can celebrate this day as it is for you, not them. I hope one day to incorporate this same feeling into my Christmas's as well, but until I become totally healthy, trick or treat!'
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