I have always interested in the dark side of life. I watched my first 18 certificate horror film at the age of 7 and I enjoyed getting my face painted, I never asked to be a fairy or something girly and pretty, I wanted to be a blood sucking creature of the night. My parents enjoyed taking me and my older sister trick or treating and carving pumpkins with us, it was the one day of the year I looked forward to the most.
Halloween, traditionally known as Samhain was first celebrated by Pagans in ancient Ireland. The tradition was to say goodbye to the end of summer and introduce the winter season. They celebrated Samhain with feasting, bonfires, sacrificial offerings, and homage to the dead. However, due to strict Christian beliefs the holiday was not widely celebrated until many decades later.
Although my love for Halloween is more of a personal preference because of my love for horror films and all things dark and gloomy, I can explain to you why it is a better holiday than Christmas.
Halloween causes less stress and money. Most people can make their own costumes if they are artistic or buy one for cheap, either in a charity shop or on the internet. You can use a costume from the year before and make amendments to it. Pumpkins cost less than £2 and some supermarkets have a buy one get one free offer for the holidays. On the night of Halloween all you have to do is buy some sweets which you and your friends can split the cost of and watch some horror films you already own or can rent. Christmas however, is much more expensive and stressful. It has become a commercial and financial holiday rather than what it was traditionally celebrated for, the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is particularly expensive If you are somebody with many siblings or someone who is popular with many friends, you have to buy presents for all these people, you have to decide what to buy and work out how much it is all going to cost you, this is more depressing for students, the unemployed and people on low incomes. Not only do you have to buy presents, you have to fork out on tons of food and alcohol which half of is going to be thrown away, particularly if the person who does the cooking is a bad cook. The decorations always seem to fall off the walls and ceilings and if you own a cat or dog, they climb up the Christmas tree which you need to keep putting back up.
Christmas songs start playing on music channels and the radio in early/mid November and by the end of the month you would are sick of the each and every song and you purposely you avoid music channels and radio stations like the plague until January.
The arguments with family members is the always bound to happy unless you live with the Brady Bunch. Mum is shouting at you to help clean the house and when you do clean up or help in some way, you have done it wrong! One of your siblings is getting away with helping out and your dad is out all morning and afternoon picking up family members. Having to spend a whole afternoon, evening and night with members of your family you cannot stand is torture, you are given gifts which you would never buy for yourself and you have to make awkward conversation with these people. There is no public transport so you are basically a prisoner in your own city/home town. The only way to escape these people is to force yourself into a food coma or if you are over 18, get drunk and pass out.
Some of you guys reading this may call me Scrooge and say Christmas is the time of year to spend with your family and help the poor and needy. You can spend time with your family every day of the year if you are able to and Christmas should not be an excuse to help people out. Volunteer at a homeless shelter or another charity during the year and if you are financially able, donate some money to these charities. Christmas is not all bad but I am definitely not looking forward to it (bah! Humbug)
horrorgirlalex 