Halloween night

Finally! Halloween night arrived. 

 Halloween has always been something i would only see in movies. People dressing up and going from house to house, spooky decorated neighborhoods, and of course plenty of candy. Growing up in Austria i have never experienced something quite like that before. But this year i finally had my first american trick or treat-night and it was even better than i expected. 

Just as it slowly started to get dark, we met up at the Great Brook Middle School at 5.30pm. As soon as i stepped out of the car and saw everyone’s costumes, the excitement kicked in. I then joined my friends and we went door to door to treat ourselves with some Halloween treats. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Houses were decorated with glowing pumpkins, skeletons, and lots of creepy mannequins. Some people have also set up fake graveyards and giant spiders and spiderwebs. Even a few pets were out in costumes. It really felt like i was being in a typical american horror movie. The homeowners would also compliment our costumes sometimes, and hand us lots of sweets afterwards. I felt my candy bag getting heavier and heavier every time we left a house. Some families would even give out whole chocolate bars, which must have felt like receiving a gold bar for some children. Some houses would also give out small scary toys. ( Me and my friend got matching spider rings :P ) One house even invited us to enter in, as they have decorated their house on the inside as well. I hesitated at first but then my friend convinced me to give it a try. The trick or treating was a once in a lifetime experience, but there was also something else going on too. A Halloween party! I realized that Halloween parties in America take their costumes very seriously and they’re being very creative with it. And because of that, they even hosted a costume competition, in which me and some friends participated ( we didn’t win tho ) The categories went from “the scariest costume” to “most creative” and “funniest”. I was really blown away by how much effort they put into decorating their house and creating their costumes. The atmosphere at the party was just amazing and we even played a certain card game called “spoons”, which i have never heard of before. It was an incredible night. 

I think that Halloween in America is much more than just getting their treats. It’s about creating memories and just vibing together and bring out your inner child, which i find so beautiful. I was really happy to be able to experience this year’s Halloween here in New Hampshire!

Marialuisa Bonafede