The aftermath of Halloween has left us all weary and tired. Our creative outlets are worn out, having worked itself in overtime for the perfect Halloween weekend. Let’s face it, the search to have the most creative and innovative costume is not in the agenda for busy college students.

I was lucky enough to scour a few prime items at the Salvation Army before the weekend began, but some of my friends started brainstorming weeks and even months before but no avail, until last-minute runs to the Dollar Store satisfied their Halloween costume binge.

The novel idea of having the best costume, and trick o’ treating around our neighborhoods is part of a childhood past time that no kid wanted to miss. But do not fear, college students hold Halloween to the same prestige.

I’ve often wondered why college students still continue to value Halloween so much. Maybe the chance to whip up an altar ego, shedding inhibition and proudly displaying them under a different light offers some appeal. It’s as if we created a new persona, a one-time event for us to yell obscene truths, let out our inner Harry Potters and blur the lines between fiction and non-fiction, without the detriment of looking bizarre.

Halloween has ultimately become an outlet. We’ve learned to excuse others in their frantic moments, trying to hold onto every one of our own memories in the making. I think celebrating Halloween has become a rite of passage in college: that final period that determines us from being in 1imbo between adulthood and childhood.

Chris Brown, a junior advertising major, reflects that Halloween definitely has the notion of lowered inhibition. But Brown still emphasizes that at any age, we are still reminded back to being that child, dressing up as our favorite characters.

‘We all knew and expected to an extent what Halloween was going to be,’ Brown said. ‘But still, we got excited about it; I think it’s a testament to college life.’

No doubt that most of us woke up Sunday morning wondering where another Halloween has vanished too. But it’s our rite of passage, so some hazy memories are well worth the sacrifice.

Angela Hu is a sophomore public relations major. Her columns appear weekly, and she can be reached at ajhu01@syr.edu.

Published on November 2, 2009 at 12:00 pm