Halloween is one of the best times of the year. Once summer is over my existence hinges on the decorating, singing, watching, and dressing up that I have loved since I was young. With it being such a pivotal element of my happiness, coming to Scotland with only my Halloween pajamas and spirit made me nervous. I was worried that once it got to the end of the month I would be by myself watching a spooky movie and feeling immensely sad that I wasn't dressed up with my best friend or surrounded by my decorations.
I am happy to report that my Halloween, while not completely like I would normally do it, was celebrated joyously.
Atmosphere:
Earlier in the month, within the first few days really, I had found some Halloween decorations at the mall. This was a huge surprise because there are virtually no Halloween decorations in stores here. It is the biggest disappointment I have come across in my time here. Nevertheless, I got some paper bats and pumpkins on garlands and some battery operated ghost lights to satisfy my decoration itch - even if only a little. Simple but it got the job done.
I also listened to the Old Halloween playlist that my best friend made all month. We always listen to it together and it made me feel closer to home. It is primarily 20s and 30s era (perfect for the History major duo that we are) and is also one of the main reasons I felt so spooky this year.
Pumpkins:
Halloween isn't possible without carving pumpkins. I wanted to put my hands in the stringy seedy guts and, despite all safety hazards, take a sharp knife and make multiple large holes in it's face. I was rather happy with how my traditional spooky face came out and I was glad to crave with my friends.
However, do to some unfortunate order issues and lack of supplies on campus, we were not able to light them.
Costume:
Probably one of my favorite parts about Halloween is the dressing up. I love the creativity, the lack of rules, and the excitement of pulling it off. I didn't think that I would be dressing up in a costume this year so I was pleasantly surprised when my flatmates wanted to do a group costume. My heart about burst. Out of all of us I am by far the most excited about Halloween, I mean I came into the kitchen in my Halloween pajamas during the first week, but I was so glad they wanted to dress up!
Side bar: I have never, ever understood adults that don't dress up. Why would you give up that freedom and creativity? There are literally no rules, you can dress up at any age and everyone will think it is great! I will never ever not dress up. Catch me making a group Halloween costume at 85 for me and my grand kids.
Anyway, the group consensus was that we would go as the Scooby Gang.
I have to tell you why we were so impressed with ourselves and how the costumes turned out. We did not consult each other at all when getting our individual outfits - at one point I wasn't even sure we were even doing it anymore because everyone had gone so radio silent. None of us had seen what the other person had until they were all dressed up and it made it so much more fun!
I think we did a pretty stand-up job for a bunch of low budget study abroad students.
A bit about my costume specifically; no I did not give myself bangs for this costume and no it is not a wig. It is just a twist and pin trick I learned in theater that is actually pretty easy to do. Overall this costume was pretty easy because I already have a Velma vibe with my brown hair and big glasses, but I am super proud of how it turned out and it was only 30 Dollars.
I was really proud once we went out because so many people recognized me! It is really great when you pull off a costume well enough for people to get it. Everywhere I went there was a chorus of "Jinkies". I was really glad to have been able to do a costume at the same level I would have back home. I was also really proud of this picture.
Yay Halloween!