Is Halloween healthy for you?

Your stomach might churn with a fierce NO in a few days, when the Saints come marching in and you’re suffering from Samhain’s revenge. Children and adults alike, we’re speaking to you! We all know that you gatekeepers of candy will be skimming some goods off the top of the bowl every now and then, or digging through leftovers for your favorite nostalgic treats. In fact, when you were in the store choosing which plastic-wrapped pieces you wanted to hand out, you most likely surrendered to your subconscious id and picked your own personal favorites just in case you purchased a surplus (which was probably your goal all along).

Admit it! We won’t judge!

Aside from the positives and negatives that sweets may have on your system, the health benefits of Halloween that we’re discussing are largely mental. We know, right? We all go mental for a bit!

People have to be a little crazy to intentionally makes their house look ghastly, dress up and go out in public (even retirees take part), and continue a tradition of which we are so far removed from its roots.

And what’s so wrong with being nutty on occasion, especially when the occasion expressly calls for it?

Although it originated much earlier than the Romantic era, the Halloween season serves as an awakening of romanticism. It allows you to idealistically embrace the things that should normally scare you. Dressing in disguise provides the perfect cathartic opportunity to banish your demons, even if you choose to dress as a demon and go door-to-door.

Halloween events often serve as a healthy exorcism of society’s most unhealthy schisms. Whatever lines separate your mischief from your morals will slowly fade, allowing a lighthearted blending of the two. It’s a guilty pleasure once each year, like letting some air pressure out of an overstuffed tire.

So no matter what your age, from the beginning of October to the end, let your inner ghosts, vampires, and zombies out to breathe (an ironic choice of words in reference to the undead). Let your wolves and lunatics howl at the moon. Whatever you do, you better savor it, because it will all be over soon at least for this year.

And although some will suggest otherwise, let’s pretend for the next few days that these brief excursions from reality are healthy for us, because pretending is what it’s all about.

Be safe and have a Happy Halloween, Tyler County!