Halloween has always held a special place for me.

Even as I grow older and less interested in much of what its about, I can’t help but enjoy the atmosphere of every October 31st. It’s a time of scares and spooks, to use cliched terms, but also a time for being amongst friends or family.

Nights dispersed with colorful costumes, good drinks, cheap snacks, and a restful disposition against a time that can be very stressful for people, especially now. Needless to say, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has affected every facet of our lives, which unfortunately includes Halloween.

With countries like the USA, Canada, and specifically my home province of Quebec, in the midst of a second wave, the Halloween traditions of old have taken a backseat in what has been a very tradition less year. As I stared out the window on this cold October night, I felt a much different tone than what I’m used to. Not that of the warm glow of kids excited for a night of exploration and candy, rather that of parked cars and two-metre distancing.

It’s expected, but still depressing for a holiday that used to bring me so much joy. Any person can recall a story of one great Halloween, and any adult can somewhat recall the story of one great Halloween party. It’s a time for the young and old, and one which has been affected by respect for the old and explaining to the young.

Like every kid, I used to go out on Halloween night in whatever costume I had picked out, fresh from a full school day where it felt like you belonged, no matter how many friends you had. Even as I got older, with those nights transitioning into me watching Netflix with a bag of Skittles in my hand, I still felt that warm chill that only Halloween can bring.

In comparison, this year just feels off. While its obvious to expect this, issues aside from Covid-19 have me sitting at my laptop with muddled thoughts, not that of candy and costumes, but that of arguments, quarantine, and political beliefs. As kids, we understood little about such things, rather having them explained to us by people who didn’t want our cheerful outlooks sullied by such issues.

As a 19-year-old today, with a much better understanding of these issues, I find my brain being racked by them in a time where I would typically put them aside. As is expected every 4 years, the US election takes place on November 3rd, and this year is no different, though without lack of trying. As much as I try to divert myself from discussing the election, and all the issues and scandals and lies present with it, I find myself reverting back to it, as we live in a world where its more up-front than ever.

President Donald Trump is one of the most divisive candidates we’ve seen in recent memory, and it seems no matter how bad things get, he says something that just makes them worse. As much as I would like to, I’m not going to openly discuss my beliefs on such things, rather simply state that its important you vote, to ensure a better future for our entire world.

One look at social media recently fills me with a lack of hope for a world that seems more divisive than ever, split amongst each other similar to trick or treaters and that bowl of candy laying on the front step. While people’s want to express their opinion is understandable,  it’s made for a media landscape that is both toxic and depressing. Tweets, messages, posts, all with replies that offer nothing more than fuel to the proverbial fire we all seem so drawn to. It’s something I’ve tried to stray away from but find myself being roped back into by either those around me, or my own morbid curiosity.

With a pandemic that has physically forced us apart, it seems as though were also being torn apart personally. It’s a maelstrom of negativity and hopelessness, that is unfortunately interfering with a Holiday most see as a time away from all that. I would like to be able to be on my front porch at 8 PM, giving out candy to wide eye kids who see hope for the world, but that’s simply not possible now. A time I once saw as magical and otherworldly is now simply otherworldly, feeling like a foreigner in a world of opinions I don’t want to get myself into.

With any holiday, you can expect it to bring a welcome respite from the typical hustle and bustle of everyday life. A time where we collectively get together amidst our worries and woes, and find solace in each other, and the magic that these times of year bring. Now, it seems as though were entrenched in this hustle and bustle, sitting in a highway of negativity, with traffic backed up as far as the eye can see. Trick or treat baskets lined with the unnerving woes of those who support someone irredeemable in every sense of the word.

This isn’t just Halloween. This isn’t just Covid-19. This isn’t just our negative opinions. It’s a mix of all 3 that leaves me sitting here at my laptop whittling away at thoughts that I typically put to the side.

So, to everyone hesitating to say it amidst their own opinions,

Happy Halloween. Here’s to next year.